Meet Annie Answer Archive Great question. I'm about to go shopping to upgrade my dad's ski gear right now, and he's in your shoes. He lives on a Wisconsin farm, loves snowshoeing and cruising through the woods, but he also travels to the Rockies for six weeks every ski season. Such fare fare is best suited for track skiing, not breaking trail in mixed terrain. Additionally, cross country skis generally lack metal edges and are designed to track and glide, straight and fast.
Footwear is commensurate with the skis.
In the best of all worlds, you'd have skis and footwear for every scenario. Because it sounds like you're thinking about gear that will let you mix it up, it's important to realize you may have to compromise a bit. They're not the fastest or liveliest, but they're like four-wheel drive. Also consider looking at the Karhu Pinnacle paired with a superlight plastic boot, like the Garmont Libero, which is stiff and relatively low-cut and comfortable for touring. All rights reserved.