I would like to do some laps in my neighborhood after a fresh snow. Or on the trails by my house. I heard the trails at the preserve are groomed after a snow. What skis would do all this? And what is the difference between xc, xt, skate, & backcountry? Please educate me. I am confused.
Thanks

Briefly, light XC skiis typically have a high camber without metal edges; probably the longest of the 3 classes you mentioned. Good for use at the Preserve trails, which normally have set tracks. Skate skiis are significantly shorter & narrower, designed for use in a track prepared specifically for skating (not that you can't use traiditonal XC skiis in a skate mode). I am not aware of any trails on the Preserve that are rolled for skating. BC skiis will have less camber than XC and have full metal edges; somewhat wider and shorter than XC as well. Better control on the downhill, but noticeably slower on the flats. Probably overkill for typical Preserve trails. Ya got me on XT.

The last post sad AT. What is AT? I like that I can incorporate ice climbing boots in to it. That is a great reason to get into ice. My wife will never suspect this.

"AT" stands for Alpine Touring.

The idea is to have an alpine, ski boot, with a climbing sole (and typically a lever that releases the stiffness in the ankle-cuff for walking), and a binding that can have a free heel for climbing or aproaching. Using a climbing skin on the bottom of the ski (a synthetic velvet with strong grip in one direction and none in the other) allows you to use the skis to climb uphill, or simply to grip for flat touring. This setup is usually used to access backcountry/big mountain terrain.... in the wilderness as opposed to a resort. When an AT skier reaches the top of a mountain, he removes his climbing skins, locks down his heel, and skis in normal alpine fashion.

FYI - the magazine that I work for covers all things backcountry;
www.earnyourturns.com

Is this a good ski for some laps in my neighborhood after a fresh snow. On the trails by my house. Or the under carriage road after a snow. I’m aprox 163lbs and don’t plan on going up and 5’11” tall.

Rossignol Backcountry 61 Skis with Bindings

Rossignol's BC 61-a steel-edged, waxless ski designed for 50% in-track and 50% out-of-track. Includes BC automatic step-in bindings with double-steering ridges. Rossitop cap protects ski and improves rebound. Wood air core construction is strong and durable. Positrack system promotes kick and delivers superb glide. Stone-ground finish. Sidecut dimensions 61/51/57 mm (based on 175 cm). 4 lb. pr.

$149.75 they come in 160, 175, 190

Looks like a decent start, & should do well for the intended use... just be careful where this will lead to!

Definitely not a downhill ski... just so you know... I can't quite decipher what your intended use is, but this set-up is strictly for touring on flat, rolling, or very mild downhill.

Instead of running I would like to do some laps around the neighborhood streets(after snow). Maybe a trip to the post office and back. There are hiking trials in my area. I would like to ski through them and cover a couple of miles. Cross country/back country skiing would be a great winter exercise. Skiing through the under carriage road at the traps would be a joy.(flat road) I have been down hill skiing for 17 years. I think I understand the large differences between down hill and cross country. Although I don’t think that I am clear between XC and back country. Your definition of a mild hill may be the largest hill on long island. Understanding that these skis are not for down hill do you believe that some one with skiing experience could ski down a green circle(easy) trail with ease. I am not looking to bring these skis to a resort mountain to down hill ski. My neighborhood is hilly Anything I go down I will need to ski back up. There are few perfectly flat areas. If these skis will not be good for this what would.

P.S Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer my questions

backcountry skiing generally refers to folks on telemark or AT gear skinning up and then making turns back down. the skis are fat and designed for serious downhill, but the setup is heavy so it sucks for flat trails. i don't know anything about cross country skis, but they are probably what you want.