Editing Cross-country skiing (section)

==Recreation==
[[File:Påske.jpg|thumb|right|Ski touring in untracked terrain.]]
Recreational cross-country skiing includes [[ski touring]] and groomed-trail skiing, typically at resorts or in parklands. It is an accessible form of recreation for persons with [[Ski for Light|vision and mobility impairments]]. A related form of recreation is [[Skijoring#Dog skijoring|dog skijoring]]—a winter sport where a cross-country skier is assisted by one or more dogs.

===Ski touring===
[[Ski touring]] takes place off-[[piste]] and outside of [[ski resorts]]. Tours may extend over multiple days. Typically, [[ski]]s, [[ski bindings|bindings]], and [[ski boot|boots]] allow for free movement of the heel to enable a walking pace, as with [[Nordic skiing|Nordic disciplines]] and unlike [[Alpine skiing]].<ref name=branigan>{{cite book|title= A Complete Guide to Alpine Ski Touring Ski Mountaineering and Nordic Ski Touring Including Useful Information for Off Piste Skiers and Snow Boarders|date= 2014|publisher= Authorhouse|isbn= 978-1-4918-8808-7|page= xvii}}</ref> Ski touring's subgenre [[ski mountaineering]] involves independently navigating and route finding through potential [[avalanche]] terrain and often requires familiarity with [[meteorology]] along with skiing skills. Ski touring can be faster and easier than summer [[hiking]] in some terrain, allowing for traverses and ascents that would be harder in the summer. Skis can also be used to access backcountry alpine climbing routes when snow is off the technical route, but still covers the hiking trail. In some countries, organizations maintain a network of huts for use by cross-country skiers in wintertime. For example, the [[Norwegian Trekking Association]] maintains over 400 huts stretching across thousands of kilometres of trails which hikers can use in the summer and skiers in the winter.<ref name=volken>{{cite book|last1= Volken|first1= Martin|last2= Schnell|first2= Scott|last3= Wheeler|first3= Margaret|title= Backcountry Skiing: Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering|date= 2007|publisher= Mountaineers Books|isbn= 978-1-59485-038-7|page= [https://archive.org/details/backcountryskiin00volk/page/12 12]|url= https://archive.org/details/backcountryskiin00volk/page/12|access-date= 2014-07-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = DNT routes
 | work = Routes and cabins
 | publisher = The Norwegian Trekking Association
 | date = 2015
 | url = http://english.turistforeningen.no/index.php?fo_id=3982
 | access-date = 2015-06-29
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150901154948/http://english.turistforeningen.no/index.php?fo_id=3982
 | archive-date = 1 September 2015
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

===Groomed-trail skiing===
{{main article|Cross-country skiing trail}}
[[File:Loipe am Mordfleck.jpg|thumb|right|Groomed ski trails for cross-country in [[Thuringia]], track-set for classic skiing at the sides and groomed for skate skiing in the center.]]
[[snow grooming|Groomed]] trail skiing occurs at facilities such as [[Nordmarka]] (Oslo), [[Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort]] and [[Gatineau Park]] in [[Quebec]], where trails are laid out and groomed for both classic and skate-skiing. Such grooming and track setting (for classic technique) requires specialized equipment and techniques that adapt to the condition of the snow. Trail preparation employs snow machines which tow snow-compaction, texturing and track-setting devices. Groomers must adapt such equipment to the condition of the snow—crystal structure, temperature, degree of compaction, moisture content, etc. Depending on the initial condition of the snow, grooming may achieve an increase in density for new-fallen snow or a decrease in density for icy or compacted snow. Cross-country ski facilities may incorporate a course design that meets [[homologation]] standards for such organizations as the International Olympic Committee, the International Ski Federation, or national standards. Standards address course distances, [[degree of difficulty]] with maximums in elevation difference and steepness—both up and downhill, plus other factors.<ref name=CanadianManual>{{cite web 
| last = Thomson 
| first = Jim 
| title = A Technical Manual for the Organization of Cross Country Ski Events 
| work = Officials' Manual Version 3.4 
| publisher = Cross Country Canada 
| date = November 2009 
| url = http://www.cccski.com/getmedia/79317bda-f719-4390-a8cd-a7636ef63ba9/CompetitionOfficialsHandbookv34.pdf.aspx 
| access-date = 2014-10-21 
| archive-date = 13 February 2014 
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140213025325/http://www.cccski.com/getmedia/79317bda-f719-4390-a8cd-a7636ef63ba9/CompetitionOfficialsHandbookv34.pdf.aspx 
| url-status = live 
}}</ref>
Some facilities have night-time lighting on select trails—called ''[[Elljusspår|lysløype]]'' (light trails) in Norwegian and ''[[elljusspår]]'' (electric-light trails) in Swedish. The first ''lysløype'' opened in 1946 in Nordmarka and at Byåsen ([[Trondheim]]).<ref>
{{cite book 
| title= Kunnskapsforlagets idrettsleksikon 
| trans-title= Encyclopedia of Sports 
| language= no | location=Oslo 
| publisher= Kunnskapsforlaget 
| year= 1990 | isbn= 82-573-0408-5
| page = 197
}}
</ref>