Cross country skis in SoCal

by **simonov** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 3:00 pm

GF and I are trying to rent cross country skis in Orange County. I called around to REI, Sport Chalet and Phil's Ski Shop in Costa Mesa and no one even sells them, let alone rents them. WTF? I used to rent Nordic skis all the time in the 1980s. Tempus fugit.

We are actually looking for an alpine touring set-up. We'd buy if necessary, if we couldn't rent first. GF has never been on skis before, so that's taking a bit of a risk, but I guess if it's the only way to get our hands, er, I mean feet on them, that's what we'll have to do.

Does anyone know of a place in SoCal where we can find alpine touring or cross country skis? Preferably OC. We don't want to have to drive to Bishop for these.

by **MarkinHB** » Fri Jan 04, 2013 1:21 am

I know it's not the direction you want to go, but Norepine in San Diego sells xc and bc gear, and possibly rents xc.
http://www.norpine.com/index.html
Really, your best bet is to make a trip to Mammoth where there are numerous shops that sell and rent the gear, and there is excellent snow there now with available nordic tracks set in the Lakes Basin, or at Shady Rest behind the Visitors Center.

by **Carbo** » Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:33 pm

I agree with Markin. You will find better conditions and easy rental near mammoth
Here is a friendly shop I used over christmas
http://mammothbikesandskis.com/

by **coldfoot** » Tue Jan 08, 2013 3:25 am

imo, if the GF has never skied before, go someplace where she can rent gear and take a lesson and practice for a couple of days, whether it be XC gear, AT, or just get practice at a normal ski area on alpine gear. A couple of days of riding the lift and practicing will make any future outing more enjoyable and less of an oh-shit survival skiing experience.

by **simonov** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 12:42 am

Can anyone suggest a good shop in Bishop? We'll be heading up this weekend. Not sure yet whether we'll stay at Mammoth, June or Bishop. Brian's Bicycles and Cross Country Skis in Mammoth sounds like a winner.

by **Carbo** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 8:39 pm

Wilson east side sports in bishop might have what you need

by **simonov** » Tue Feb 19, 2013 4:22 pm

Carbo wrote:I agree with Markin. You will find better conditions and easy rental near mammoth
Here is a friendly shop I used over christmas
http://mammothbikesandskis.com/

The GF and I met Brian and discussed what we were looking for. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. He doesn't carry the real high end Dynafit type gear, but we learned there is a lot more to cross country skiiing than we knew ("back country," "ski touring," "alpine touring," all kinds of variations). He rented us a set-up that would be appropriate for full-day back country excursions and directed us to a Nordic ski area near Obsidian Dome. We spent Sunday afternoon and Monday morning there. The GF is just learning to ski, and I'm not very proficient on cross country skis (been Alpine skiing since I was nine, though, so I am much more at home on skis than she is), and the area near Obsidian Dome was an excellent place to practice.

While were were there, we met a local woman and asked her about her equipment. After a bit of discussion, she finally suggested we go into town and speak to Brian. So I guess he has a reputation. We couldn't have been more pleased with his assistance and advice. He suggested if we wanted the higher end equipment, we go to Mammoth Mountaineering Supply, but after this weekend we decided we are going to spend the next couple of years becoming proficient on back country skis, and use snowshoes for winter overnights.

by **simonov** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:43 pm

Yep. Just bought two complete BC ski outfits from Brian.

He's great.

by **Carbo** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:20 pm

Awesome. I have been thinking of doing the same

Cross country skis in SoCal

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