Originally Posted by scottfsmith

Roller skiing could check your boxes .. except for competition, it is so uncommon that it is not a competitive sport in the US. If you really wanted competitions you could do as much XC skiing on snow as you could and use the roller skis as training for XC ski races. MN/WI have a big XC racing scene you might be able to drive to.

It is important whether you want to compete in XC ski (on snow) or not as the type of equipment you want depends on that. If you want to cross-train for actual snow races, you want a roller ski which is as similar to XC skiing as possible .. the V2 Aero XL 150S is probably the best as it uses an XC ski boot and it has big tires so no wipe-outs on little rocks or sticks. If you want to roller ski as its own sport, I would get the kind you can just strap to your foot such as the Ski-ke V9 Fire 200 or the SRB XRS06. Two good places to talk to for information/gear are https://nordicskater.com and https://rollerski.ca .. both of these outfits are very knowledgeable and friendly. The latter is in Canada but ships to the US.

I think the main downside is it just looks odd to most people .. be prepared for lots of looks. In central Europe it is very common, many people do it. But not in the US. It is super fun, I was XC skiing several weeks ago and I have been roller skiing the last couple weeks and each time I go I get a big smile on my face... its great fun!