Short, fat skis with free-heel bindings and built-in climbing skins are luring a growing number of winter trekkers into a sport Nils Larsen calls “skishoeing.” “Adults step out on these and feel like kids again,” said Larsen, who attracted dozens of people, young and old, to try out his Hok skis recently at tiny Sitzmark Ski Area near Tonasket, Washington. “People get focused on matching their size and weight to the ski,” he said. “We talk more about usage. The 145-centimeter version has more ski DNA while the 125 has more snowshoe DNA. Either way the emphasis is on efficiency and mobility.” A kids’ version also is available. Larsen, who emerged as a free-heel downhill guru in the 1980s, is...
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