Using Trackers is easy! While schussing on them may be similar to the snowshoeing or skiing you already do, a few new techniques come into play. Most of the time, you’ll find yourself kick-and-gliding like you would with cross-country skis on normal snow surfaces and stepping like you would with snowshoes on treacherous terrain. Going down moderate slopes, you can keep the skishoes straight and continue the diagonal stride. This proves especially enjoyable in powder. You can use a telemark-like back-and-forth maneuver to spread your base and improve stability. On steeper downhills, you can snowplow just like with conventional skis and even make turns to traverse back and forth to control speed. With our shorter length, you can do this on a narrower trail than with conventional skis.
For climbing, you can glide the skis as conditions allow, but on steeper slopes, it works better to pick them up and take steps, allowing the tracking fins to grip better. You can herringbone the skis, just like with the cross-country variety. If it gets too steep, or you have a long slope to climb, you may want to use the climbing skins.
Videos
Harold Schrawder of Limestoneville, PA, on only his second time ever on skis,
romps through a foot of powder with his dog Chase:
