Ski Report: December 1st, 2023
After cooling off a bit last night, most of the practice area is groomed and ready for demos! A short track has been set and the snow on the field is very firm. Because of the warmer weather yesterday, there is no skiing across the street, The shop is open! Get fitted for a ski package by one of our ski experts, get your […]
Ski Report for Wednesday, November 29th
Oh what fun it is to be in winter wonderland this week! We have received about 5″ of very fluffy lake effect snow since Sunday, plus much more on the practice area where we’ve been making snow. The grooming team will roll the trails this morning in an effort to compact the snow into a base. The trails are open for skiing! We recommend […]
Ski Report – Monday, November 27th, 2023
Snow snow snow! We’ve gotten a couple inches of snow since Sunday morning. As of this morning, our snow gun is hard at work, adding more white stuff to the mix! We should be able to make snow continuously for the next couple of days, which will help build the base for the practice area. This cold snowy weather is getting us very excited […]
Adventure Skiing & Getting off the Beaten Path
This winter, ski the paths less traveled. Explore nature’s hidden gems on a pair of metal edged adventure skis! What’s the advantage of a metal-edged ski? Metal-edged or “back country” skis are wider than average touring skis, giving them more stability and better flotation in deeper snow. With a stainless steel edge, they cut through crusty, icy snow and track exceedingly well. Metal-edge skis […]
Crazy, Hard, and Worth It
Why the most challenging ski races often are the most memorable, and why we shouldn’t avoid them. It was 4:45am. I waited, car running, outside my brother’s house. The thermometer read -2F. I sipped my coffee, chased it with water, and double checked my Google map. In two hours, we’d be at the starting line of the most grueling ski race on the Michigan […]
The Spider Bite
How an unsuspecting speedster succumbed to the bite of the Spider Written by XC Ski HQ Shop owner, Mariah Frye Colie Over the years, the HQ crew has developed a deep love for, and loyalty to, a handful of certain skis. These tend to be skis that have a wide application and high enjoyment rate, and whose design is difficult to improve upon. One […]
Event Cancellation Policy
Customer cancellations for events and clinics will not be refunded. Cancellations made over 2 weeks before the event will receive store credit for their ticket purchase. Cancellations made within 2 weeks of the event will not receive a refund or store credit. Event tickets are transferable up to 24 hours prior to start of event. If Cross Country Ski Headquarters cancels an event […]
Skin-y Little Secret on Skin Skis
XC SKI HQ Manager and Race Team Member George Frye shares his skin ski breakthrough from the race course last season: Oh, I remember it well… It was the Hanson Hills Classic race last winter and I was skiing on some Fisher Twin Skin Carbon Pros, sized perfectly for my build. I was blown away at how fast they glided on the well packed […]
Cross Country Skiing to Mackinaw Island
The Ice, the Island, and the Adventure Bob and Lynne Frye, of Cross Country Ski Headquarters, ski across the Lake Huron Ice Bridge to Mackinaw Island. As we approached the snowy, bustling parking lot in Michigan’s upper peninsula city of St Ignace, on the shore of Lake Huron, we gazed out over the snow covered ice with Mackinac Island in the background, and saw […]
Cross Country Skis: What’s New this Season + Staff Picks
If you’re wondering about cross country skis, what’s new this season, and what our staff favorites are, you’ve come to the right place! While most of the exciting updates for cross country skis involve race skate skis this season, most cross country skiers are NOT racers; they just want fun, stable skis that get reliable kick and a little bit better glide than their […]
Stay Warm, Look Cool! Picking The Perfect Cross Country Ski Clothing.
With so many options, picking the perfect cross country ski clothing can be overwhelming. Here’s some helpful tips from our clothing expert, Gillian. If you’re anything like me, you run cold. No matter what you seem to do to try to stay warm, you still somehow get cold when you are out cross country skiing. Lucky for you—I have done the trial and error […]
Why Kids Love Cross Country Skiing
Cross country skiing is a wonderful way to get kids outside in the winter time. There are lots of reasons why kids (and parents) love XC skiing: it’s something the whole family can do together, it’s something that will keep them outside getting fresh air and exercise for hours, and they’ll be able to do it their entire lives. XC Ski HQ has everything […]
