The cross country ski world loves to skate ski!  Skate skis are shorter than the traditional classic skis and are designed for lateral movement.  Skate skiing is typically faster and no kick waxing required.
When looking to purchase a skate ski - weight, quality of material and price distinguish the different skate skis (as well as manufacturer). Below is a summary of the different top of the line performance-oriented skate skis available at Brian's Bicycles.

Rossignol X-ium Skating WCS 2 NIS

The Rossignol xium Stating WCS NIS skate ski is Rossingol's the top of the line skate ski. The Rossignol xium is for the nordic skier wanting a light weight, stable and fast ski. This performance/race ski is lightweight, and shorter than other skate skis.  It features a full carbon deck, reduced weight, and lightweight and durable sidewalls. The lower carbon tip results in less swing weight and improved maneuverability. The Rossignol x-ium skate ski is ideal for hard pack conditions, and is known for its smooth and stable glide.  This skate ski comes with a NIS plate which integrated nicely with the NNN boots made by Rossignol and Fischer.

Fischer RCS Carbonlite Plus

The Fischer RCS Carbonlite Skating Hole Skate ski is Fischer's top of the line skate ski designed for performance and race skiers. The RCS Carbonlite skate ski is the lightest on the market, weighing just 980 grams. The Plus model is the most popular model of the Fischer skate ski, and is designed for average snow temperatures above 28 degrees F (-2 degrees C) and for older snow and more humid snow conditions.
This skate ski is designed with an 80 percent air component core for tension resistance.  Unique to this ski is the hole at the tip, which reduces tip weight by about 5 grams. Therefore less energy is needed, resulting a smoother flow, higher return frequencies and overall less effort. The reduced weight may just shave off those few seconds needed to get the metal in the race, or just getting a bit longer ski in for the day. This skate ski comes with a NIS plate which integrated nicely with the NNN boots made by Rossignol and Fischer.

Salomon Equipe 10 Lab Skate Ski

The Salomon Equipe 10 Lab Skate Ski is Salomon's top of the line and lightest skate ski for Salomon. The ski features a racing side cut that fine tunes the ski for dynamic handing and a nomex core that makes the ski ultra light, coming in at 1000 grams. The skate ski comes in two versions: warm and cold for different snow temperatures. The cold version of this skate ski is ideal for snow temperature below 23 degrees F (-5 C). The cold camber is a fast ski which generates a longer gliding surface and better acceleration. The warm version of this skate ski is ideal for snow temperature above 23 degrees F (-5 C). The warm camber has a shorter glide surface to reduce friction and better acceleration. This ski is known for its' excellent stability, rebound energy and fast straight line acceleration. The ski features a racing side cut for dynamic handing and a nomex core that makes the pair weight only 1000g. This skate ski is designed for the serious racer and performance skate skier. This skate ski is ideally suited to mate with a sns boot and binding, also manufactured by Salomon.