Purchasing Your Own Rollerskis

Which rollerskis should you purchase?  The CSU coaches strongly recommend that new CSUers purchase Jenex 940Cs.  These are a combi ski on which you can effectively both skate and classic ski.  If you decide at a later date that you’d like specific skate skis the 940Cs can still serve as your classic skis.

If you are purchasing skate specific skis we recommend the Jenex XL98 skate skis with the carbon shaft.

What about stopping?  It is also required that you purchase speed reducers for both classic and skate skis.  They will be very useful, particularly for new rollerskiers on the Littleton loop for a couple of the downhills.  However, we do not recommend getting the brake system because it is heavy and upsets the balance of the ski and the brakes are prone to breakage. 

The 940Cs can be turned into pure classic skis by simply buying new and slower wheels (920 wheels), which is recommended if you purchase skate skis.  Or you can sell your 940Cs and buy 920 classic-only skis.

Are there other good skis on the market?  Other rollerskis are available.  We are recommending the Jenex skis because they are locally available and are one of the only skis that can be purchased with speed reducers.  In addition, it is very helpful if all of us are on similar equipment so we are going at similar speeds.  In addition, the 940Cs are pretty stable skis compared to many others, which makes learning to use them a bit easier. 

Where can you purchase rollerskis?  We recommend you contact Chris Li at The Bikeway Source in Bedford.  The website is:    http://www.bikewaysource.com/  Be sure to tell Chris you are a CSU member and exactly what you need, including ski boot size.

What boots should I wear?  It is recommended that you wear combi boots or old skate boots when you rollerski, even for classic workouts. The added ankle support will provide better control when rollerskiing than classic boots will provide.

Don’t forget to purchase rollerski ferrules or tips for your poles as well.