Skate vs classic cross country skiing: a full guide

Classic and skate share a trail and a wax bench, and little else. The movement differs, the equipment differs, and so does the snow each one likes best.

How the movement differs

Atomic draws the line in its ski guide. Classic runs in parallel prepared tracks, while skating needs a flat, prepared surface. In classic, both skis point forward. You press one ski down so its middle section grips the snow, then glide on the other.

A skate ski has no grip zone. Each leg pushes sideways off an edged ski while the other ski glides. Every push is a full weight transfer, so skating rewards balance above everything else.

The classic sub-techniques

Classic skiers shift between four sub-techniques as the terrain changes:

• Diagonal stride. Opposite arm and leg, one kick per pole plant. The climbing gear for moderate and steep uphills.
• Kick double pole. One leg kick, then both poles together. For gentle climbs and flats where plain double poling starts to bog down.
• Double poling. Both poles together, no kick. For flats and gentle downhills, and on fast tracks for far more of the course.
• Herringbone. Skis in a V, walking or running up. For climbs too steep for the grip wax to hold.

In FIS competitions, classic poles may be at most 83% of body height, measured with boots on. SkiTrax reported the rule's aim as preserving the diagonal stride, not banning double poling.

The skate sub-techniques, or gears

Skaters talk about gears. Stöggl and colleagues, who classified them with a chest-worn phone, note that skiers use the lower gears uphill and the higher gears on easier terrain and at higher speeds.

• V1, also called offset. Poles on every second leg push, asymmetric, with one strong side. The uphill gear.
• V2, also called one-skate. Both poles on every leg push. For gentle climbs, flats and accelerations.
• V2 alternate, also called two-skate. Both poles on every second leg push, symmetric. For flats and gentle downhills at speed.

A gliding herringbone covers the steepest walls, and skating without poles the fast descents.

What each technique demands of equipment

Skis

Fischer's sizing guide puts classic skis at body height plus 20 to 30 cm and skate skis at body height plus 10 to 15 cm. A skate ski is also much stiffer and has no climbing zone.

For classic, the camber matters more than the length. Madshus recommends a flex of about 50 to 55% of body weight for classic skis with hard wax, and up to 60% for klister skis. Atomic explains the trade. A camber that is too stiff keeps the grip zone off the snow when you kick, and one that is too soft lets the grip zone drag while you glide.

Boots

Atomic describes the difference. Classic boots have no ankle cuff and a softer sole, so the foot can flex through the kick. Skate boots are taller, with a cuff for ankle support and a stiff sole to transfer the push. Combi boots pair a skate cuff with a softer sole, for skiers who do both techniques in one pair.

Bindings

Check the plate on your skis before buying a binding. Rossignol lists its Turnamic Race Pro Skate binding as compatible with all NNN and Prolink boot soles, and as mounting only on the Turnamic IFP plate.

Poles

Fischer's rule of thumb puts classic poles at 85% of your height and skate poles at 90%. For a 180 cm skier that means about 153 cm and 162 cm.

Snow and tracks that favor each

Classic needs set tracks and grip that works. A cold, dry day with fresh tracks is classic at its best. Swix notes that klister is mostly used on wet snow above freezing. The hardest grip days sit right around zero, when new snow turns wet, and many skiers choose to skate on those days.

Skating needs a firm, wide groomed lane, and a frozen morning surface is skating at its fastest. In fresh soft snow every push sinks in, while classic tracks set through the new snow still run well.

Races decide for you too. The American Birkebeiner runs a 50 km skate race and a 53 km classic race from Cable to Hayward.

Which to learn first

Atomic recommends that beginners start with classic, ideally with an instructor, and adds that skiers with an ice skating or inline background can start with skate. Classic teaches weight transfer and kick timing at walking speed, and both carry over to skating. Most new skaters then learn V1 first, since it gives a stable platform on climbs.

How to train both across a week

Give every session one job. One pattern for five sessions:

1. Tuesday, skate intervals. Climb repeats in V1 and V2, for example 6 x 3 minutes hard on a climb you know.
2. Wednesday, easy classic. 60 to 90 minutes of diagonal stride and double poling at conversation pace.
3. Thursday, skate technique. Easy distance with blocks of skating without poles and deliberate gear changes.
4. Saturday, long classic. The longest session of the week, double poling every flat.
5. Sunday, easy skate. Relaxed V2 alternate on flat terrain.

Before a skate race, swap the long session to skate for the last six weeks.

Compare each technique with its own history. The skate vs classic Strava post explains why one record list for both breaks your data.

Following both in one app

Skibuddy asks whether you ski classic, skate or mixed when you start, then recognizes the sub-technique from the phone's motion sensors with published rules, from diagonal stride and double poling to V1, V2 and V2 alternate. Those rules have not been validated on snow yet.