The standard V2 skate skiing technique — double-pole while leaning to the left, then step to the right; double-pole while leaning to the right, then step to the left — felt counterintuitive ...

Skate skiing is faster—pros reach speeds of more than 20 miles per hour on flat terrain—and it’s more fun, too, as a growing number of athletes are discovering.

The Cross County Ski Centers in both Aspen and Snowmass Village offer daily lessons in skate and classic-style skiing, as well as private lessons by appointment. Equipment is available to rent ” at a ...

Skate skiing is classic cross-country’s edgier cousin—literally. Propulsion comes from pushing off the edge of the ski with a duck-footed stance, similar to how speed ice skaters drive off ...

Different than classical cross-country skiing in which the skier skies, using diagonal strides as if walking, a skate skier transfers his weight completely from one ski to the next, taking large ...

Classic skiing features a front-back gliding motion that is less demanding than skate skiing, and it tends to require less balance on downhills or uneven terrain.

The differences between classic cross-country skiing and skate cross-country skiing are so dramatic it is almost hard to believe they are the same sport. Our journalism needs your support.

The differences between class cross-country skiing and skate skiing in technique and equipment.

Selecting your preferred skinny skis—classic or skate—should be more about predilection than popularity.

Mimi Avins took her first skate-skiing lesson in 2009. Today, the retired journalist is raising her game on trails near Sun Valley, Idaho.