Fantastic instruction. Four skiers can make a big difference.

@tomm9850

24 күн бұрын

Thanks for tuning in and for posting. Have a great week.

Tom i love your videos! Thanks so much

@tomm9850

5 ай бұрын

Glad you like them! Thanks for tuning in and have a great week.

I was starting to scoff and then realized that I have been doing this myself while breaking trail for my kids! Good tracks mean good times for beginners and experienced skiers and everyone enjoys the day!

@tomm9850

6 ай бұрын

Indeed. Thanks for tuning in and have a great ski season.

Excellent video, Tom. Breaking trail in fresh snow is about my favorite thing. My M.O. is a bit different, but I also put a lot of emphasis on creating good tracks. I’m usually skiing with only my wife, and I tend to make the initial track set a little wider; to accommodate her wider hips and make it a bit easier for her.

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Most of the time I'm skiing in areas with lots of snowmobile traffic and it doesn't make a lot of sense to take extra effort in building a good XC trail. When there are just two of us skiing, I use a similar approach as you describe. Every now and then though, I'm skiing with a larger group, and if we are breaking trail in deep snow, the progress can be very slow. All the people that follow behind the lead skier are just shuffling along at a low speed, so they might as well use their extra time and energy to improve the trail. It really makes for a great ski on the way back.

Great knowledge. Thank you

@tomm9850

5 ай бұрын

I'm glad you found the video useful. Thanks for tuning in and for being a subscriber.

Breaking trails is good honest work 😂... Great video. I'm mostly out by myself, so it's takes a few Laps to make good tracks, plus a few days to get really good tracks. But it's just my favorite thing to do.

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

So true. I always feel like I have accomplished something after breaking a new trail.

Great information and video Tom as per usual. Thank you so much for the time you put in. You've helped me tremendously on equipment selection from pass video's. Keep on treking!

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I hope to keep on trekking for at least a few more seasons.

Thanks Tom! I've always used groomed trails, as a racer. Now that I'm venturing into "unskied" terrain, these tips and thoughts are extremely helpful! Happy New Year!!

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Happy New Year to you as well. I love skiing groomed trails but off trail adds a whole new dimension to XC skiing. You are going to enjoy the new challenge and terrain.

Thank you so much for your videos from Deep River, ON.

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

You are welcome. I hope you are having a great ski season.

Thanks Tom, I set my own trail in Minnesota and appreciate a perfect track. I value your advice and style of skiing. Jon E

@tomm9850

Жыл бұрын

Fantastic Jon. Thanks for the feedback and I hope you are having a great ski season.

Great video, thanks

@tomm9850

Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it! Thanks for posting and for tuning in.

Not something that I've thought a ton about, but excellent tips! Hope you're enjoying all of the snow that's fallen recently!

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, it looks like winter has finally arrived. A bit late but better late than never.

Great video! Should implement this with my ski mates. Thanks!

@tomm9850

6 ай бұрын

Give it a try. :) Thanks for tuning in and have a great holiday season.

Hi! Thanks for the video. You mention changing positions near the end, but for us THIS IS KEY. It's like a bike group drafting. We take pulls. I suggest your last remark is your most important! It lets the whole group move along pretty well, maybe even kinda fast. We get 6 or so skiers going and the first person only hits it for a minute or 5, depending on fitness. Hard chargers go 5. The more casual go 1. Then they drop back and take a break. Skiing at the back is fast and easy and we recover. The most casual might not take any real pulls. Our method lets a range of skiers keep up yet we move darn quick. So we take pulls and gradually get to the front again and HIT IT. Not racing but just breaking trail HARD. Not just a steady tromp, but a bit peppy. Or, those who are tired can tromp a bit slower but we're more into shorter pulls rather than slower pulls... Enjoy!

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

It sounds like you have a great group to ski with. Everyone can go faster and farther sharing the trail breaking duty. Thanks for tuning in and I hope you are having a great ski season.

This is awesome. I never knew! Now if XC skiing wasn’t such a solitary activity.

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Every now and again we get together with a few friends, but yes I agree, it is mostly a solitary activity.

We just got about 20” of snow over the past two days here in Michigan and I have been loving the skiing. My Discovery 68’s are struggling to stay on top though.

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Yahoo. Enjoy the new snow.

This explains a lot to a beginner in XC - both groomed and off track. Last year, I was breaking trail and saw my tracks were narrow. I thought, perhaps I was too short to be making a wide enough track for anyone else who might come after me. Good video!

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I hope you have a great ski season.

@ecphotographer

2 жыл бұрын

@@tomm9850 Not yet, the NE has some spotty conditions. Its slowly getting there. BTW: Question for you: It's going to take me some time to go through your many videos so I thought I would ask. What are some of the places that you are actually skiing? Is it City, State or Federal park, BLM, or private land?

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

@@ecphotographer I ski mostly on National Forest Lands and in the National Parks. Most of my videos are shot in Northwest Wyoming and Eastern Idaho (Bridger, Teton, Targhee, Shoshone and Caribou National Forests and Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks)

And the most important rule of the skin track / XC track Is -------- NO dog poop in it and No post holing it ......LOL !!

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Yikes, I agree. A newly broken trail is a thing of beauty, something that everyone should enjoy, not destroy.

@macmurfy2jka

2 жыл бұрын

@@tomm9850 make sure those snow shoeing friends stay off the track too! Oh, nothing grinds my gears more than sling back along my outbound track to only find the last mile all lumpy from a snow shoer, and being forced to decide to ski it or break trail on tired legs.

Enjoyed the energy especially from someone of my vintage. Quick question, what is your ski/boot setup?

@tomm9850

5 ай бұрын

On this tour I was skiing a set of Alpina Discovery 80 skis with the Alpina Alaska XP boot. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for tuning in.

Hello Tom - First time I have watched your videos. I have been xc skiing in Europe for last 12 years - starting at 60. This was in preference to restarting (after 35 year hiatus) downhill skiing. I love the terrain you are skiing in - beautiful. Can you advise me of an information source that describes the major back country skiing centres/areas in USA? I would love to come over one season to experience it. Thank you for your excellent videos which are very encouraging. I am sitting in bed following knee surgery and hence time to wander into the cloud base of xc skiing. Best wishes and keep safe, Peter

@tomm9850

Жыл бұрын

Hi Peter. I'm embarrassed to say that although I've been skiing for many years, my travel XC ski experience is primarily limited to Northwest Wyoming / Eastern Idaho and Southcentral Alaska. Both areas are amazing, and I just haven't felt the need to ski elsewhere. There is a great on-line trail resource for the Jackson Hole Wyoming area, jhnordic.com/. When I Google best XC ski resorts in the US, here is what comes up, fasterskier.com/2022/01/2022-top-10-cross-country-ski-resorts-in-north-america/ but I have not skied any of these areas. There is a great online forum, telemarktalk.com, and it would be a great place to post this question. I'm betting you would get a better perspective of other options. At any rate, thanks for tuning in and I hope you have a speedy recovery.

We just got our first real snow of the winter today. I am so happy to start getting some turns in. Nothing like wimpy first day legs to remind one to work out. Looks like it’s was dry over by you as well. Get any snow since?

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, the snow levels are above normal now. Unfortunately, the last storm ended in rain at my elevation so we have breakable crust.

Привіт. А у нас дощ.

@tomm9850

2 жыл бұрын

Сподіваюся, похолодає і випаде сніг. I hope it gets cold and you get some snow.