Save your race skis for the big race day by grabbing some beater skis to get you though days of marginal snow. The way I see it, there are two tiers of non-race skis you need: "Rock Skis" and "Training Skis"
Growing up in Kitchener/Waterloo in southern Ontario, (not exactly renowned for its ski conditions), we would head to the local park if the grass was frosty enough to ski a few laps around the soccer fields before the sun melted what little glide the frost had to offer. We'd also try to squeeze all the glide we could out of wet leaves just to get another ski day in. Most early seasons, we'd shovel Zamboni snow from the hockey rink into 100-200 meter loops. Skiing required creativity in those marginal conditions. My 'Rock Skis,' got a lot of mileage. Even now, I maintain several pairs of skate and classic skis to tackle various marginal snow conditions.
TRAINING SKIS
I use a few pairs of classic "training skis" with reliable flexes and well-fitted grip zones for classic skiing. I reserve these 'training skis' for groomed trails that may have the odd pebble or excessive dirt mixed in by the groomer. Training classic skis should have a good enough flex to feel like a classic race ski in an interval session, but not worth crying over if they take a scratch from a rouge bit of gravel. Skate training skis are also sized well enough to perform well in interval sessions but again I won't feel too bad if they get scratched. While it's ideal to use race skis as often as possible to replicate race conditions and refine each pair's grip zones and binding position, there's merit in saving the race skis for race day and in hitting the trails with the training skis if there's a risk of scratching bases. All it takes is one little pebble to make an ugly gash in a petex base!
ROCK SKIS
For instances with very minimal snow, like a centimetre or two on a golf course or the sawdust loop at Lappe, I rely on my waxable classic "Rock Skis". These skis are old and bad enough that I don't mind scratching them if there's exposed dirt or gravel. Then there's my decade-old set of skate rock skis with a solid flex, but not good enough for race day. Perfect for the first few days skate tracks are groomed or for 'crust skiing' in the spring. These skis are my go-to for bushwhacking or aggressive, icy, spring ski outings. If they break, I won't be too sad, but the flex is good enough that they track well on bumpy early-season grooming or really hard snow.
If you're looking to grab some "Rock Skis" or "Training Skis", we have great clearance options for both classic wax and skate skis. Have a look at our clearance options HERE. If you see something you like, send us an email or text with your weight, and height, and what you need (Rock or Training) and we'll check skis on our ski testing gauge to find you a pair fits with a reasonable price tag.
Bulk pricing available on large volume orders.