Six mistakes beginner Nordic skaters should avoid

May 5, 2026

New Nordic skaters can maximize their fun and safety on wild ice by avoiding a few common mistakes

One of the best things about Nordic skating is that it’s a relatively easy and approachable sport, and many folks have fun from the first few strides. However, this accessibility can also mean that new skaters never bother learning the sport in a structured or comprehensive way, and miss simple lessons that would pay big dividends on the ice. The tips below will help new skaters (and perhaps a few seasoned ones too) get the most out of their time on Nordic skates.

Mistake #1: Ignoring proper skating technique

Most Nordic skaters (at least in Alaska) have had little or no Nordic skating instruction, and often blissfully skate for years without ever working on technique. Nordic skating isn’t a competitive sport — fair enough. But but having good technique will still help you skate faster and more efficiently, maintain your balance on rough ice, and avoid straining your body. At the end of the day, improving your technique even a little may ultimately help you have a lot more fun.

A few quick tips:

• Work to keep your upper body still and isolated. Some skaters put their hands together in front of themselves, or even clasp them behind their backs. You can pump one or both arms, especially during forceful acceleration, but your arms should not be flailing for balance.
• Bend your knees to get into a more athletic position. Bending your knees will make your skating more powerful and increase agility. Alternately, stand up straighter for all-day skating efficiency.
• When you take each stride, push off to the side, rather than kicking backwards. This isn’t intuitive, but it works! You’ll find that you immediately skate faster and more smoothly.
• Instead of finishing your stride by rolling your weight forward and off of your forefoot and/or toes, finish your stride with your weight centered between your toes and heel. Again, this is not intuitive, but you’ll find that this technique almost instantly improves your skating.
• Proper balance will improve every aspect of your skating. Practice fully committing your weight to each skate, and riding each skate as long as you can with your weight centered over it. Inability to fully commit to each skate will cause your strides to be too short and choppy. Better balance will hugely improve your experience on rough ice, too.

Nordic skating is arguably a type of speed skating (or, at least, it developed in parallel with modern speed skating) and the technique is virtually identical. There are few Nordic skating technique resources online right now, but luckily there are many videos explaining speed skating. For one good example, click here. No, you don’t have to skate like a competitive speed skater — far from it. But it’s a good idea to know how ideal technique and form work and then dial it back to suit your needs, rather than having no reference point at all.

Skaters on Westchester Lagoon

Mistake #2: Treating safety equipment as optional

Assembling a wild ice kit can take some work and involve a number of purchases, but it bears repeating that the goal for beginners isn’t just assembling the things necessary to skate, but rather assembling the things necessary to skate safely. Wild ice can be unpredictable, and an accident can have serious consequences whether you’ve been skating for one day or twenty years.

Beginners should always have the following before heading out to Nordic skate:

• A helmet can prevent life-threatening head trauma in the event of a fall. Downhill ski helmets provide good protection and are warm, comfortable, and widely available.
• Self-rescue picks greatly aid the ability of a skater who has broken through the ice to get back on solid ice, and are considered mandatory on all wild ice skating trips.
• A dry bag containing a complete change of warm, dry clothes and a towel inside a backpack provides flotation and is essential to help wet skaters warm up again.

Also important, if not essential, are:

• Ice poles allow skaters to quickly test the supportiveness of wild ice, and assist with double-poling and balance over rough ice.
• A rescue rope provides a way for skaters still on the ice to rescue an individual who has broken through. Ropes for Nordic skating differ from those used in summertime water activities, though any kind of rope can be helpful.
• An ice screw can aid a rescue by creating an anchor for a rescue rope. They can also be used to fasten items to the ice in high wind.

Ice screw in Crescent Lake, in the Kenai Mountains

Mistake #3: Not knowing how to use safety equipment

That’s right, #3 also involves safety (sorry, we’ll move on soon!). But in some respects this mistake is just as important as not bringing safety equipment at all — and it’s probably much more common. Simply purchasing and bringing safety equipment on a Nordic skating trip is a great start, but you don’t want to have to learn how to use it when your life depends on it!

Practice pulling Nordic-style ice rescue picks out of their holster and pulling yourself across the ice, and learn how to re-wrap the strings connecting the picks to the holster cleanly so that they don’t tangle. Practice throwing your rescue rope and re-packing it. It’s even a good idea to practice changing outdoors so that you know what to do to help yourself or others after an immersion.

Better yet, consider taking an ice rescue course in which you can actually put rescue skills to practice in a controlled but real-world immersion situation. In Alaska, a great option is the ice rescue course from Luc Mehl’s Triple Point Training.

Mistake #4: Skating in boots that don’t fit

One challenge we have at Ermine is that we have no control over one of the most important parts of a complete Nordic skating kit: the boot. Boots have a huge effect on control, warmth, and comfort for Nordic skaters. Unfortunately, many new skaters start out on boots that either don’t fit well or aren’t right for Nordic skating, risking frustration, foot strain, and hasty judgement about the entire sport.

Ski boots for Nordic skating should not be uncomfortably tight but they should be nice and snug, particularly around the ankle. If skating with an NNN skate ski boot, make sure that the cuff is fastened firmly so that it provides good ankle support. Some NNN BC boots do not have a cuff; if using a cuffless boot for Nordic skating, lace the boot firmly around your ankle and stop to re-tighten it as necessary. Ankle support is critical for beginners! Avoid boots with a loose fit, floppy materials, or excessive padding that compromises control.

Those using skates with NNN bindings should seek out NNN skate ski boots with a stiff plastic cuff for ankle support — not NNN classic ski boots without a cuff. NNN combi boots (which are intended for both skate skiing and classic) generally work fine, though they won’t perform quite as well as a true skate ski boot.

Whatever standard you choose to skate on, we highly recommend going to a local shop to try boots on in person. You’ll likely save time and increase the chance you’ll find the best boot for your foot shape and needs. Supporting local is an added bonus, too. To see a list of brick-and-mortar shops that carry Ermine, click here.

Skate ski boots and Ermine A110-M Nordic skates

Mistake #5: Skating on dull Nordic skates

Many Nordic skaters hit the ice for the first time on used, ‘backup,’ or rental skates. While in theory any of those options can work great, in practice it often means that initial experiences happen with neglected or poorly-maintained equipment. If we had a dime for every time someone told us ‘I tried Nordic skates but I slipped around a lot,’ we could probably hire another sharpening tech in the Ermine shop.

Nordic skates have ‘flat-ground’ blades, meaning that the angle of the edge is shallower than what you’d find on a hockey or figure skate. However, just because the angle is shallower doesn’t mean that Nordic skate edges can’t be razor-sharp. Sharp Nordic skates will perform dramatically better and will facilitate proper skating technique. They’ll also be safer and a heck of a lot more fun. Nothing ruins a day on Grade A ice like the realization that your skates are dull!

A classic method for checking edge sharpness is to very gently run your thumbnail against the edge of the blade, perpendicular to the direction of the blade. If the blade shaves off a thin ribbon of nail, it’s still sharp enough to skate on. If your nail simply slides across the edge, it’s dull. Sharpen your skates or have them sharpened.

Mistake #6: Not joining skating communities

There are three big reasons to skate with other people and engage with the Nordic skating community: safety, fun, and opportunity. First, safety (I know, I know, but this is the last safety point, I promise!). Skating with other people will make getting out of the water, drying off, and recovering from any kind of immersion or injury dramatically easier. A rescue rope isn’t very useful without a second person, for instance.

Second, while this is a matter of personal preference (and solo skating can certainly be sublime), many skaters find skating with other people to be very rewarding. Adventurous, memorable Nordic skating trips have helped create or strengthen many friendships. We live in a time of pervasive (and arguably epidemic) loneliness, and Nordic skating can be a powerful source of connection with others.

In Alaska, the Wild Ice Skating Club of Alaska hosts in-person events in Anchorage throughout the skating season. In Vermont, check out Sk802 (pronounced ‘skate-oh-two’), which is based in Burlington.

Nordic skaters at Summit Lake, in the Broad Pass area near Denali

Last, connecting with Nordic skating communities can dramatically increase skating opportunities. A huge aspect of Nordic skating is simply knowing where the ice is in, and a single person will never be able to match the intel-gathering ability of thousands of people on the lookout for wild ice.

Ice condition and trip reports are often shared via Facebook or Google Groups. In Alaska, the best resources for finding up-to-date trip reports are the Facebook pages for the Wild Ice Skating Club of Alaska and NordicSkate-SouthCentral Alaska. Joining these groups can mean the difference between skating a few times per winter or skating almost every day. Wild ice can be fleeting, so don’t miss it!”

- Paxson Woelber has been a dedicated Nordic skater and advocate for wild ice skating since 2016. In 2021, he founded Ermine Skate, North America's first Nordic skate company. Today, Ermine offers a range of premium Nordic skates and Nordic skating products designed for wild ice.