January 2008 marked the 30th year since the birth of the XCD concept. The brainchild of Antii Tiitola, its development and design in 1978 married downhill and Nordic qualities – metal edges, Nordic builds, new sidecuts and cambers capable of touring and turning – in a single ski that became a legend. Built by Karhu North America, the ski was christened the XCD, the perfect encapsulation of the ski’s purpose, Cross-Country Downhill. To a larger extent, it captured the essence of the whole telemark revival, as the nascent sport’s pioneers embraced the innovative new design and discovered new peaks, descents, traverses and adventures only imagined before.
Tom Carter, Chris Cox, John Dostal, and Allan Bard with their XCD Comp skis on the Monarch Divide Traverse, Sierra Nevada, CA. Photo courtesy of Tom Carter.
The Karhu legacy in backcountry skiing and XCD is unique in that aspect. For 30 years, our skis have been there for everything from Steve Barnett’s book Cross Country Downhill to Tom Carter and Allan Bard’s Redline Traverse of the Sierras, Nils Larsen’s exploration of skiing’s roots in the Chinese Altai, the ground-breaking imagery of today’s Karhu Team and a renewed surge in backcountry skiing.