I run an Adventure Club for Tweens and one of our adventures over the Christimas break will be a backcountry tour, but the biggest challenge is this gear and $ issue.

How do the Euros do it?

But how do you develop the sport and get sponsors interested if it is not televised and not an Olympic sport? I guess one step at a time and a bit of luck finding the right sponsors.

Let’s go for it and grow this sport, one of the coolest ski disciplines there is that mixes nature, wild beauty, endurance, a combination of skills, etc.

Good luck to all readers this season. Say hi if you come to the Alps.
Here’s my wife’s website: http://www.silitchfamily.blogspot.com

I think a group of senior racers needs to begin marketing the sport at grass roots level to youth. However, we need a more developed group of senior racers to do the marketing and development. I think youth races and races with additional categories, similar to biking or running, would be a good start. This raises another point however. Where would we train youth since our downhill “resorts” don’t seam to support this activity. We need to start a total paradigm shift over here.

It would be great if we could get a euro coach to come over and teach the finer points of the sport including youth development activities to the current race crowd. Maybe the Canadian Program could sponsor this?

I think we are more likely to bring youth from xc skiing than from freestyle. I believe that in general there are two different types of people in the two sports, you know what I mean, one don’t mind to work physically a bit harder whereas the others don’t mind falling a lot to get their dreams realized.

I am going to Canmore for a month soon, which is Canada’s top center for nordic skiing. And since I like to skate ski I will be at the Olympic Center often, so I will try to get some kids stoked about the sport.

Also here is another way, through my company we are sponsoring two kids under 18 to race at Sunshine 5000 in February. These two will be the first ever Canada’s under 18 skimo races. More companies should do this.

@ Joey:

Peter is around 78-79kg normally and can trim down to about 75kg for racing season. And I think he was able to push this even further for the 2008 Worlds and Pierra Menta.

Based on my experience 138cm seems correct. I am 187cm and use 135cm poles. I used to use like 140-145cm and they were useless for steep skinning or in a classic switch back style skin track. Because of the length I would “hang” myself on them too much instead of using my legs to carry me, thus my arms would get tired very fast.

Long poles are good for low angle ski runs though or a vertical.

I have also noticed the lack of young people in races, and the same things that James has observed. I met some alpine race kids last week and told them about rando racing. They didn’t seem to be too interested in learning more about it. I think kids have to be brought up in a household of bc skiers and preferably rando racers to get the fever. There are plenty of kids that are into nordic racing and it seems that their parents are usually nordic skiers, too. Left to their own devices, kids will gravitate to the highly visible, glamorous park and downhill events. It’s going to take generations to raise kids in the sport, and still the gene pool will be small. Sad.