2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Over $200

The gloves have been cut off — now we wait for the judges to decide who will don the heavyweight title belt as the top gift for the cross country skier on your shopping list this 2011 holiday season. This installment of the FasterSkier Holiday Gift Guide features the top ten gifts priced over $200.

Previous 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Suggestions:

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Under $20

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: $20 – $50

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: $50 – $100

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: $100 – $200

FasterSkier’s picks for the top ten gifts over $200:

 

10: Ski Erg. Price: starting from $730. Whether you work long hours or just want to get in a second high-value workout, a ski erg is a great tool to have at your disposal. You can use it to crank out some strength or level three or four intervals.  They are also useful to work on the subtleties of your technique. Both Concept2’s SkiErg and the SkiFast Ergometer by SkiFast, LLC are great options.

 

 09: Hi-Vis Rudy Helmet. Price: $254.99. Obviously it’s important to wear a helmet when you’re biking and roller-skiing, but it’s even better if you wear a high-visability helmet so motorist can easily spot you. This may be an expensive helmet, but luckily Rudy Project is almost always running some sort of promotion (including a 50%-off offer today). Available online at e-Rudy.com.

08: Dale of Norway Sweater. Price: starting from $299.00. If you want to feel like you just got back from Scandinavia, then a Dale of Norway Sweater is for you. That special someone on your shopping list that will appreciate one as well. Let’s face it, there aren’t many other items out there that scream Norway like this sweater. The wool will keep you warm and looking good.  Available online here.

07: Swix World Cup Digital Wax Iron. Price: starting from $374.95. If you want to pretend like you’re a tech on the World Cup, you have to have some of their tools. The Swix T71 World Cup Digital Wax Iron is both rugged and precise. Its massive base holds a steady temperature that will float right through your wax beads, ensuring a smooth, even coat of your race wax. And with a top temperature range of 180 degrees celsius, it gets warm enough for even the hardest powders. Available online at Boulder Nordic Sport, Gear West, SkiRack and WebSkis.

06: GoPro HD Camera. Price: starting from $239.99. Want to get your inner Reese on and make some home ski videos? If you know someone who does, they’re going to need a GoPro HD camera. These things are light, portable, rugged and designed for capturing all of your outdoor adventure. Let your audience see what you see. Available online at SkiRack.

 05: Garmin Forerunner 310XT. Price starting from $349.99. If the person you’re shopping for likes to geek out about their training and track absolutely everything (distance, altitude gains and losses, heart rates zones, etc.), then the Garmin Forerunner 310 XT is probably a great gift. Although they probably already have one. Available online here.

04: Blend Tec – Total Blender. Price: starting from $384.95. Keep things fresh, organic and raw when you create your next recovery shake. This one was recommended to FasterSkier by one of the leading experts on the power of raw shakes for recovery. Available online here.

03: Finite StructureTool Kit – 5. Price: $500.00. This is not the riller that has been kicking around in your wax box for the last decade. The Finite Structure Tool is both sturdy and carefully engineered to give your skis the final flourish that will give you the fastest glide on race day. The five-piece kit will give you all the choices of a World Cup tech, less having a stone grinder in the parking lot. Available online at Finite Ski Tools.

02: Swix Triacs. Price: $399.95. The only reason the Swix Triacs didn’t grab the top spot is because they’re kind ofold news at this point. If you haven’t had a chance to ski with these poles then you should — you, too, will agree that all other poles are fighting for second place. Available online at Boulder Nordic Sport, Gear West and SkiRack.

01: Woodski New World Wax Table. Price: starting from $395.00. Do yourself a favor and checkout the New World Wax Table by Woodski, Inc. We have to applaud their creation of a table that is beyond well thought out. They literally thought of everything. We’ve only had a chance to give it a quick look so far, but the FasterSkier staff is proud to give it top honors this 2011 holiday season. Available online at Woodski, Inc..

Bonus gift ideas:

These items just missed our top ten and deserve an honorable mention.

– Training Jackets: Both Swix and Bjorn Daehlie make high-end training jackets that are awesome. They’re the same ones the national teams wear.  There is a noticeable difference between general athletic warm-ups and a jacket designed specifically for cross country skiing. Swix available online here and Bjorn Daehlie here.

– Down Jackets: Likewise, both Swix and Bjorn Daehlie make high-end down jackets to keep you warm on the coldest of days. The only problem with these things are that they’re sometimes too warm, but are perfect for before and after your workout, especially when it’s really cold out. Both are available online in limited quantity here.