Light gear does a good telemarker make?

[Inspiredcapers]

Hens gotta cackle.

[Lhartley]

I think so. Light gear takes more mental and physical input to ski well. You need more weight on the rear ski with a three pin then you do with a big boot and active binding. You also need to carve better to control your skis. Although TeleHiro does it with controlled skids, but that requires the right snow and it might be harder to learn.

With the stability you get with heavy gear you don't need to be as precise to stay upright. I wonder if heavy gear makes you a better skier, or if it just make you ski better. Probably or possibly both.

Personally AL, i took your advice and got wide fishscales and t2's and everything came pretty easy in that way. I learned on easy stuff like golf courses and low angle slopes at the nordic centers. Then a resort setup and pass and things came together even more. But I don't want that stuff to be a crutch in the end, I've got lightweight gear and have some objectives on my bucket list that really make sense with lighter gear but will still have some great opportunities for turns.

I like this quote:

"How important is technique? Barnett is quick to extol its virtues, “It’s better than buying equipment. Put the time in and then you’ve got it for life. And if you learn on softer equipment you will learn better because you actually have to do the technique, you can’t rely on the equipment to do it for you.”

Steve Barnett

https://earnyourturns.com/3402/profile- ... k-prophet/

Dictating what equipment someone should use is likely an indication you NEED that equipment and don't want to be reminded of it by others

[lowangle al]

I agree with that Barnett post. Reason being that with bigger and stiffer boots with very active bindings and turny skis you can control the rear ski with less weight on it than with lighter set ups. I guess if you're OK with skiing with a heavily weighted lead ski there's nothing wrong with that. I've even read that NTN gear favors a heavy lead ski. This may be true and explains why some people rave about NTN being so much better than 75mm. I can see that it is more rigid and powerful than 75mm, but 75mm still works pretty darn good. I wonder if the people that switched to NTN and finally "got it" became a better skier or just found gear that suits how they weight their skis. Theoretically, if NTN did made them a better skier they should be able to go back to lighter gear and not have problems. If they still have trouble when going back to light gear then maybe they never did "get it". It's not for me though, I've spent a lot of years learning to ski in balance.

[mca80]

I made that very point Barnett makes, both here and the other board, and got boo'd out, especially over there.

I upgraded from 56mm skis and floppy leathers to a bit more dh-oriented 68mm (and shorter length) and stiffer leathers plus a cable for a few outings this year. That setup feels like it turns itself and also gave more confidence for slightly steeper terrain, but while fun it feels too easy on my usual gentle slope. Still skiing the 56mm often though, to continue learning proper technique and control, albeit only rarely since the nearest decent hills are 45+ min drive and I hate automotive vehicles.

And Al's point is valid. I highly doubt a majority who "got it" would be considerably better than previously when moving back to a lighter setup.

[bauerb]

I learned tele on light nordic racing gear in the 80s. after practice we would herringbone up a ski slope and tele down. this was before high top skate boots. you hade to finesse your turns since you had no torque.

[lowangle al]

To be more clear, skiing with a heavy lead ski isn't really the point. Most skiing situations are probably done with a heavy lead ski, nothing wrong with that. The point is whether you are centered or not. Anyone that knows how to stay centered should be able to adapt to light gear in a matter of minutes. If you can't, there's a good chance you need the big boots and active bindings.

[scottyX]

skiing different gear in different conditions does a good telemarker make. it's cool to see @JackO and others getting the word out about skill building, rather than just putting more polish on shiny new things and insta-worhty face shots.

it's no different than any other skill or craft - the greater diversity of experience and repetition thereof, the more skill you have. the more skill you have, the greater your ability to apply that with a range of tools across a greater variety of conditions.

i'd go so far as to say that if you can't do it in less than ideal conditions (which in the dominant ski culture considers heavy gear and steep terrain), your skill development is limited (which I would not call "good"). it's tele skiing's version of the "yeah that messi guy is OK but can he do it on a frozen pitch in kansas city at 0*" question.

[greatgt]

Light gear, oh yeah! Hit it around 1980 and never looked back or wider or shorter. Light skinny needs length and that's all folks. One more thinger.....love camber, the more the better. E99's the bestselling ski of all time is where you prove to yourself how much you love the FEELING of tele. TM

[Capercaillie]

All those skiers on NNN-BC with red flexors at the resorts in Japan can't be wrong. I have NNN-BC with red flexors on 71-59-66 Rossignol "Haute Route Telemark" (no relation to the Rossignol "Haute Route" randonee skis as far as I can tell) this season, and they are a ton of fun on the local hill. Definitely one of my favorite setups. Completely different from the TX Pro 2.0 and Lynx I have been trying to break in (should have gotten the soft plates sooner). The setup I have been taking to Sunshine and Marmot is an older 98mm powder ski with 7tm bindings that I mostly ski with T4 boots. I did a day with T2 Ecos and TBH I prefer the T4, especially in powder. The extra ankle range of motion makes it easier to weight different parts of your feet. This is probably something that carries over from skiing on an NNN-BC setup to larger skis.

@Lhartley did you ever end up mounting your Rossignol 7s? I have the 4sv mounted and waiting to be skied. With the Haute Route Telemark I re-used the mount holes and they feel too far back, going to try a more centered mount with the 4sv. I think that is another thing people don't mention about vintage gear. A lot of those touring skinny skis seem to be mounted back for skiing powder. A more progressive mount makes more sense for longer skis and the ball-of-foot weighting of NNN-BC on resort runs.

[Lo-Fi]

All those skiers on NNN-BC with red flexors at the resorts in Japan can't be wrong.

Does it make you a better skier? Does it make you ski better? Does it make skiing better for you?

I’ll just touch on the last question. I feel like I’ve always tried with my lighter NNNBC stuff— and there is the gratification of squeezing the most out of the least— but in terms of hitting the blissful heights of turn sensation, the sweet spot remains Excursion/T4 with a Vector/Kom type ski.

NNNBC (red bumper)with Alpina Alaskas on Guide/Annum/M78:

Hardwire with Excursions on Koms:

It may be hard to see from lo-res gifs, but from a feel point of view the turns are just real, full potency arcs on the Excursion/Koms. While trying to ski in the same space, the same way, with NNNBC the turns are choppy skid turns as here, or would be much slower, tenuously balanced bigger arcs.