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I’ve been trying out a pair of CAT skis recently. I’d known of them for quite a few years now. Dale Niggemann invented them and has been improving them steadily over the years. They’re darn nicely dialed in at this point. Clean. Almost stylish.
I remember when he first launched them and had a table at a VASA race in the early 90’s. They were pretty neat even then. No, to be more exact: they were FAR OUT.
Here’s a “roller” ski where the ski stays *stationary* and you glide along the TOP of it. It only gets nuttier after that… When you’re done gliding and kick to the next ski, an elastic-band zips the ski back forward as you swing your leg so when you set it down again you are all set to glide forward along the top of the ski once more. Whew!
Dale is an engineer. He’s built a great surface on the tops of his skis for gliding on. The things simply work great.
And now they’re also light, string, tolerant and stable.
They’re even cool — they have four cat’s-paw shapes positioned along the bottom of the ski to give “tiger claw” like traction and stability.
But the best thing is the WHY. They’re not just gimmicks. They let you do the equivalent of roller-skiing — year-round — on ANY surface. Specifically, on TRAILS.
As you may know, rollerskis are used on roads. They need really nice surfaces, by and large, or they’ll throw you. Training around cars isn’t always so nice. And roads aren’t all that realistic replacements for ski trails. But the trails themselves do just fine when you don’t have snow and you’re on CAT skis!
A CAT ski gives you about one whole foot of glide for each stride. You may think of that as being a rip-off. But in reality you don’t need more than that. Foot-speed and tempo are dandy-good things to work on as well and CAT skis will help you do that.
It took me maybe 3 outings to become totally adapted to these skis. Even the sound they make isn’t much noisier than rollerskis. Heck, as with rollerskis, they can even grow on you.
Want to try it out? Check the Catskier.com website for reps and demos. In Mid and SE Michigan, Yvon Dufour will gladly give a FREE one-on-one demo — he’s who showed me how. He’s a longtime skier and classic-style expert. Every week he drives through the Mid/SE area and can easily find a time to meet you. He’s good at showing how to use them and you can see how naturally they work when he’s on them. Email yvon1224@hotmail.com, ph# (810) 844-6598.
Dale also has videos on his website showing that him CAT-skiing up a gentle grade in his yard looks just like Bjorn Dahlie skiing up a World Cup uphill. And it does! …And the best skiers all have fast foot speed.
…If that means anything to you. Which brings up two more points.
One: CAT skis are good for improving anyone’s fitness, but ski-racers will be more into them than other folks.
Two: CAT skis are probably best for training your classic striding technique. But Dale has recently made a breakthru showing how you can easily V1 and V1A on CAT skis! It’s not doublepole with a glide, but doublepole plus a kick. Check it out! He has videos at his blog. He calls his new skate-training move the Cat 1 and Cat 1A. And he uses them for racing classic and for training skating and for coaching technique. However, pure doublepoling is important and DP is what rollerskis are great for.
Which kinda brings me to a third, and REALLY BIG point: CAT skiing is to ski training what cyclocross is to road biking!
It offers high resistance training. I just started cyclocross this fall and I noticed that just a half hour will do ya. It’s an intense for of road-biking, on trails. Well, CAT skiing is the same. It’s an intense form of rollerskiing, only on trails. If you go out for a mile on CAT skis you’re really getting in some decent training. Two miles and you’re really getting somewhere. It really burns the calories and hones some skills to boot!
Dale has found that even during ski season he wants to put in a CAT session every week to keep his strength-power up! He’ll go out on snowy ski trails that he could be skiing on with his CAT skis!
In short: rollerskiing and real-skiing both can be TOO EASY and TOO FAST! If you live amidst mellow terrain they just might not offer enough fitness. Or, to put it another way, resistance training can be a really good idea.
So…how does Dale know?
I don’t really know his pedigree, but my hunch is that he’s pretty much a regular guy. A northwoods ski dude with a tech job. I don’t think he was an NCAA or US Team guy.
Well, since he’s been training with his CAT skis he’s been mopping up the podium! He just got a GOLD at the World Master’s! He got 2nd overall at the Nokie and a Bronze at another World Master’s. (If I have that straight.) I’m pretty sure he’d declare his CAT skis to be his secret weapon.
Folks around the Wisconsin northwoods are hip to the CATs and Dale is pushing them well. He hosts clinics and CAT-races. He gets regular media mentions and is now, finally, included with rollerskiing as recommended training in Midwest training mags, at least. I don’t think he’s quite broken through to the mainstream yet, though.
In short: if you use em, it’s likely your buddies won’t, thus you’ll get that longed-for EDGE.
Or, just skip the Joneses and use em to get in better shape in less time.
Man, what a longwinded review! I’m not even to the kicker yet!
I personally like the range of training modes for their own sakes. I like a little rollerskiing and trail running. Heck, I don’t even call em training. It’s just getting out there with some variety.
So where does CAT skiing fit in for me?
Well, we have flat land around here. The CATs give me a bit more in the way of HILLS, so that’s good. And I prefer striding to doublepole, so that’s good. But the biggest thing is…
…CAT skis work when nuthin’ else does!
When it’s too nasty and slippery for rollerskiing or running or biking…and when there’s not enough snow for real-skiing…dang, the CATs let me get out there!
Like today!
We looked like we were going to get a nice inch of finishing snow on top of a frozen previous inch, to give a micro-decent rock-ski sort of real-ski situation. Then it rained! We have over an inch of slop in the woods now. Yuck! Nothing would work!
And the roads are too nasty for any usual mode.
Lake ice is ruined for skating.
Well, I went out with the CAT skis…and PRESTO!…I had a great little outing. They slipped a bit a few times—but were never unstable. They worked great!
Now, Dale is still working on a de-icing solution so they really aren’t so hot to use on slushy trails themselves — their glide-surface track will ice up. In such conditions, find some pavement…where they’ll be the only game in play.
OK, maybe you’re interested in price… But I think you’ll know what a small shop dedicated sports tool like this is going to cost. I remember when Rollerbades first came out in 1985. I’m pretty sure they were $300 in those dollars. I bought a pair of last-year’s models from a rental shop for half price. Well, the CATs are in the same small shop situation — $350 is the tag. And I presume you’ll get great service from the builder himself. He’s “people like us, who answer the telephone.”
I asked Lucy to take a photo of me using the CAT skis in the mess outside tonight. She said, “Are you using those cat skis?” I said, “How do you know what they’re called?” …I’ve had them leaning in a corner. She said, “Anyone can tell that’s what they are because they have cat paws on the bottom of them!” And right she is!
Using the CAT skis on a trail that’s just no good for real-skiing. They were pretty good, but the trail should be drier-yet. Or, wait and use the de-icing solution Dale is dialing in.
The only thing out there tonight — in the storm wind and flurries — is CAT skis!
