Telemark Technique

[Lhartley]

Maybe a tele critique thread is in order, I heard one exists somewhere?

[Montana St Alum]

Maybe a tele critique thread is in order, I heard one exists somewhere?

Good idea.

[tkarhu]

First, you gotta be in the driver's seat, not the back seat. Pelvis forward. To learn what I mean by "pelvis forward," start downhill on a gentle slope and shuffle your feet. Turn left and right, shuffling the entire way through the turns.

If you're in the back seat, you won't be able to shuffle through the turn. You'll get stuck and have to wedge or snowplow through the turn. Then you'll be able to start shuffling again once you're through the turn. The steeper the slope, the more this effect is exaggerated. If your pelvis is forward, then you'll be able to shuffle all the way through the turns. Think "pelvis thrust."

@Harry M Welcome to the forum, if you are new. Nice to have you in the technique discussion.

The three steps sound like good technique and a good sequence. Is the first same step same as the following exercise?

[Stephen]

I'm genuinely trying figure out the attraction

Have you done much telemark on “light” equipment?
No, or very minimally active bindings (bare 75mm, NNN BC, etc.), leather boots, longer and narrower skis?
I think that is where there is the best application of his technique.

“Heavy” telemark equipment offers much more leverage and control, making his technique less relevant.

Just my .02¢

If you can ski your style on light equipment, I would be interested to know more.

[Harry M]

The three steps sound like good technique and a good sequence. Is the first same step same as the following exercise?

Certainly looks like it
At least the segment at 1:50-2:00
The rest of it, no so much

[Harry M]

Have you done much telemark on “light” equipment?
No, or very minimally active bindings (bare 75mm, NNN BC, etc.), leather boots, longer and narrower skis?

Did you see my profile picture? I did 95% of my backcountry skiing on 3-pin cables, skinny 205cm tele skis, and Asolo Extreme boots. That was my setup when I learned the "early transition" technique thirty years ago.

I was very late to join in the plastic boot bandwagon for en piste skiing. I started with Scarpa double leather boots with Volle cables on alpine skis. Then I shifted to T-2s on the same bindings. I had a really difficult time adjusting to plastic. Finally I went to T-1s with Hammerheads on big freeride alpine skis.

Can you explain tele-B to me? For the life of me, I still can't figure it out. I've read through so many threads on so may forums my head is spinning.

If you can ski your style on light equipment, I would be interested to know more.

I dumped my skinny skis and lightweight bindings 15 years ago. Why don't you try early transitions on your gear? Let us know how it goes.

EDIT: Come to think of it, my first experience on chairlifts was with double-camber XC skis, and 1/2-inch wide and 19 feet long, plastic edges, with 3-pin bindings and low ski shoes. It was a hilarious disaster!!

[fisheater]

Harry are those Super Loops on those BD skis? My first time skiing Super Loops was very good.
I see you are in Appalachia now. If you can kick and glide a bit, you might enjoy White Grass. You could do some very mellow XC skiing, but you would love being there.

[Montana St Alum]

[/quote]
EDIT: Come to think of it, my first experience on chairlifts was with double-camber XC skis, and 1/2-inch wide and 19 feet long, plastic edges, with 3-pin bindings and low ski shoes. It was a hilarious disaster!!
[/quote]


Hah. My early (and short) light gear experience was kind of similar.

A 5 day trip into the Crazy Mountains north of Livingston Montana in November of 1970 on old alpine skis with Silvretta bindings with leather hiking boots. They skied very well, actually. I had gone out west to Montana State U from New York so inexperienced for sure. Exploding cans of chili, wet boots, etc. and when we got back to the car, it had been hopelessly snowed in! It was my friend's car and he finally got it out the following April. The only reason I didn't freeze to death at night was because my friend's sleeping bag was huge and actually covered part of itty bitty bag.

After deserting the stuck car, we skied all the way over to Big Timber Montana where we were able to access a bar in town. Even better than a St Bernard.

Good times!

Then, on a road trip to Colorado, with really skinny skis, my strategy was to just fall down every time I needed to turn. My down vest became a pair of shorts because my ass was so cold and wet!

No wonder I'm skiing lift served on heavy gear!

[Harry M]

you might enjoy White Grass

Two hours down the highway from me. Been there a bunch of times. Turning and burning, and some mellow stuff when my knee started deteriorating. All my whitewater kayaking friends are also tele skiers (go figure) and they're regulars at WG. One friend lives next door to WG. Once I got stuck up there on a Sunday afternoon when a big storm closed all the passes out of the basin before the ski areas closed for the day. No one could leave. The hotels were all full. Luckily I had an 8,000-pound heated 4x4 camper van. They next day the roads were plowed open and everyone left. I thought it was going to heaven -- deep fresh snow and the place was deserted. But all the ski areas stayed closed for two days to dig out from the storm. I tried skinning up the pistes but they kicked me off the property.