I just tried cross country skiing for the first time but I keep twisting my ankle...would a better boot help?

Question

The boots I'm using are probably a few years old..they were given to me. I want to cross country ski but I also don't want to break my ankle and I wonder if they make a supportive boot that would give me more support or is this something that I will overcome with practice.

Answer 1

You don't wear boots for cross country skiing.  You probably mean the special shoes that go with the skis.  I have never seen a supportive boot for cross country.  How are you twisting your ankle?  Are you encountering ice chunks or rocks?  Cross country should have smooth powdery snow.

Answer 2

Probably you are going over uneven snow and the skis are tilting sideways. Better snow, later in the season will improve this greatly. You did not mention which kind of bindings you have on your skis. If you use the older 3 pin bindings, many boots were low and light duty. You can still buy 3 pin boots. They are typically a bit higher than the ankle (like hiking boots), and have a bit of support to them.

Other boots for newer bindings (NNN, etc) are mostly the taller , more supportive type now.

The short answer is newer boots are taller and stronger. A large ski shop often has a used section that you can get vg prices, and even find 3 pins.

gr

Answer 3

Karhu makes XC ski boots that have a high ankle cuff and give better support than even traditional NNN boots. However, the Karhu boots I'm thinking of use a 75mm 3-pin binding. They are designed more for backcountry use. They will give you more support, but that would mean changing bindings....lucky you...75mm 3-pin bindings are cheap...even new.

If you have a NNN binding, Rossignol and Alpina make some higher cuff boots, but they barely come up over the ankle, and are not as supportive as the Karhu boots.

Answer 4

Listen to WillieD. Heed his advice and you will be one tele-skiing, cliff-hucking fool! It may entail a full gear upgrade though...

Answer 5

I found that the Solomon binding was the best for me.  Make sure that your boots are tied tight, and you may need to wear an ankle brace to help support your ankle.  Once you keep skiing, your ankles should strengthen.