Anyone cross country/nordic ski?

[jackelope]

Looking for some advice on nordic skis. What's quality, sizing, etc. We went cross country skiing over the weekend and my wife seems to be really interested in continuing with it as a source of winter excersize. She's interested in purchasing some used skis as renting will quickly cost more than purchasing after a few trips. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good online resource or some advice in what's good, what's not good, etc??
Thanks in advance.
-JB

[Fl0und3rz]

No advice, but tagging along.

[jennabug]

When I lived in Redmond, I did a season-long rental for downhill skis, which was less expensive than per-trip rentals.  Looks like the business is now called Edge & Spoke (http://edgeandspoke.com/), they were really helpful.  They may have used set-ups available for sale too. 

[Rainier10]

We used "play it again sports" for snow boards and boots for the kids.  I would think craigslist wouldn't be bad for cross country ski stuff either.  Cars and ATV's I am always skeptical of on Craigslist but I would think cross country ski stuff wouldn't be as sketchy.

Not sure if you googled options already but here is an old article with some good information.

http://www.justtrails.com/winter-trails/xc-ski-series/how-to-acquire-used-cross-country-ski-equipment-and-free-rollerskis/

[jackelope]

I'm not opposed to Craigslist skis at all, just want to make sure we get something at least decent quality. Sizing seems pretty straight forward now that I've looked.
Thanks again.

[Rainier10]

We were really happy with Play it again sports.  I was shocked at how knowledgeable the sales lady was. Maybe we just got lucky but she got our daughter dialed in with stuff that worked great for not a lot of money.

[Naches Sportsman]

I second craigslist and also suggest ebay for skis. Bought skis off both of those sites.

Before you buy, do you just want cross country skis or an all around ski? Cross country skis can get you about anywhere relatively flat, but I've come to liking touring skis with a 3 point binding a lot better. Especially when going down hills.

[davew]

Before you buy, think about what kind of skiing you want to do, as that will drive what equipment you want.  You probably want classic and not skate skis, unless you are planning to spend a lot of time on specially groomed trails (like in the Methow).  After that, you're trading increasing control and ability to go downhill against weight and ability to go faster on the flats.  For most beginners, you don't want "telemark" or "backcountry" boots.  Most people in western Washington ski on ungroomed logging roads, so pretty much any set of waxless, classic cross country skis will work fine.  Metal edges are optional.  Fit the boots to your shoe size, the ski and pole length to your height/weight.  There are a lot of online sources to tell you the best ski length for your height. 

I've bought a lot of gear on Craigslist and it's been great. 

[jackelope]

Before you buy, think about what kind of skiing you want to do, as that will drive what equipment you want.  You probably want classic and not skate skis, unless you are planning to spend a lot of time on specially groomed trails (like in the Methow).  After that, you're trading increasing control and ability to go downhill against weight and ability to go faster on the flats.  For most beginners, you don't want "telemark" or "backcountry" boots.  Most people in western Washington ski on ungroomed logging roads, so pretty much any set of waxless, classic cross country skis will work fine.  Metal edges are optional.  Fit the boots to your shoe size, the ski and pole length to your height/weight.  There are a lot of online sources to tell you the best ski length for your height. 

I've bought a lot of gear on Craigslist and it's been great. 

Thanks.
If I went with a metal edged ski, would that improve my ability to stop and steer?  Or do I just stink at that because I'm new to it? I was a downhill skier for half of my life and expect the skis to respond like my downhill skis did.  That ain't happening.

[davew]

Metal edges will help you turn or stop on icy snow.  My telemark skis have metal edges, but my touring and skate skis don't.  I don't think you need them for typical cross country skiing on trails or logging roads. 

You can't turn a cross country ski the way you do a downhill ski.  Parallel turns don't work because your heel isn't locked down.  The best way for a beginner to turn or stop is to snowplow or step turn.