Nordic Tracks: All I wanted for Christmas was a new pair of skis

It started as an errant thought. While skiing my local backwoods trails, I mused, “I could have more fun if I had a lighter pair of skis.” Although my Fischer OTX Outback Sixty Eight Crown skis, with a wider width and steel edges, handled the terrain well, sometimes it felt like they were overkill and overweight. I tried switching my three-pin binding on them to a Rottefella BC binding. I traded my heavier Alico 75 mm Nordic Norm leather boots for a lighter Rossignol touring boots. Still, they weren’t light and agile enough for me. That thought lingered and grew.

Cyclists are well aware of this phenomenon. Ask them how many bicycles they need and they’ll answer, “What I have plus one” (N+1 Principle). Skiers say their quivers are full, yet they’ll also succumb to the need “for one more ski.” They’ll go looking for a ski to meet newly discovered needs. Despite having more than ½ dozen cross-country skis, I fell victim to this idea. I wanted one more ski to complete my skiing experience.