Nordic Tracks: Things Nordic newbie skiers want to know

In 1977, I moved to New England from the south. I didn’t know anything about Nordic skiing. I’d gone downhill ski a few times but had never put on cross-country skis. Now, almost 60 years later, I think about how far my snow experiences have come and what I’ve learned along the way about cross-country skiing. I decided to compile a list of things “Nordic newbies” want to know and often ask at the beginning of a lesson. The following is my compilation:

1. Is there a right and left ski? Generally, no, unless your ski has a three-pin binding. Those bindings, not the skis, are left and right. Each binding is marked with an arrow. The left binding arrow points to the left, the right binding arrow points to the right. Except for backcountry or ancient skis, most cross-country skis today have bindings that will work on either foot.