Some updates...
Over the holidays I took my Eons + Madshus Vidda boots (see pic below) and practiced turns for a few hours on Mont-Royal, the "mountain" at the centre of the city. I basically read the "Telemark Turn" section of XCD a few times and followed his instructions. It was a very gentle slope and there were a couple of inches of fresh snow on a hard base, so I mostly did the "crooked diagonal stride" exercise, focussing on the rhythm.
Unfortunately I could only fit about 4 turns on the slope I was using, followed by about a minute walk back up. Still, it was better than sitting at home.
So today I decided to use the same setup on a bigger hill, Mont Saint-Sauveur. About 1000 feet vertical I think, with a whole bunch of detachable quads to make getting up very fast. I even mounted some hardware (part of a picture frame set, see pic) to attach some leashes in case the lift operators didn't like me using XC skis at a resort* (see below)
The first run was tough. I was trying to remember all the tips I'd read from XCD and Allen and Mike's Tips but could barely manage anything. It was my first time with this rig on groomed, packed powder and was going way faster than I was used to. And this was on a relatively flat green run. I seriously considered switching to the plastic boots + heavier skis I'd brought just in case.
For the second run, I decided to just concentrate on doing a sort of diagonal stride and going in and out of the telemark stance in a straight line across traverses. I also decided I would force myself to just keep skiing with this setup all day if I had to...
I did a few more runs and just focused on the rhythm of rising and falling across traverses. Occasionally I would engage the edges and turn uphill to a stop. I still wasn't feeling things well enough to try some real turns.
I went in for a break and tightened the laces on my boots as much as I could. This actually helped. I have these and a pair of Fischer BCX6 and I prefer these.
It finally clicked when I remembered "Big toe, little toe" and really focused on the feeling of where my feet were putting pressure on the edges. I'd previously used my heavier tele setup 3 times and was able to turn with it, but these boots did not behave the same way. But feeling exactly where I had to apply pressure to engage the edges was the key. Finally I remembered to twist my body to face down the fall line and boom! I could make turns. It was shaky, but I was getting there.
I also realized that it was actually easier to do some turns on blue runs rather than the green one I'd been using, since it had been just too flat. I did a few more runs, being careful not to push it speedwise. Whenever I hit a hard patch I *really* noticed how light my setup was. The skis would chatter and I had to throw in some parallel turns to check my speed.
The snow was getting harder and icier and it was getting dark, so I decided to go inside and have a bite and switch to the heavy setup for some night skiing.
Switching to the plastic boots was interesting. Needless to say it was easier, and better suited to the hard snow. But it was missing something...
Overall, it was a fun experiment, and I would definitely do it again if the snow is soft enough. But I also understand why people who ski at resorts all the time would opt for a heavier setup.
*After about three runs, as I got off the chairlift I got approached by a couple of patrol guys who'd been alerted by the lift operator at the bottom. He asked "Are those cross-country skis?" I showed him the metal edges and he said it was fine. The second guy seemed kind of amused and asked if I liked them. "They're a bit too light, better for going in the woods" was my answer
