Canadian Ski Marathon

[wabene]

There is a group here in town known as telemark skiers who congregate at a local little resort on Thursdays for "Tunes and Turns". Live music, beer specials and 50¢ wings. They don their heavy tele set ups, plastic boots and fat skis, ride the lifts ski down and drink and party. I'm not sure if any of them spend much time on more Nordic equipment, covering distance, earning turns. This is a kind of telemark skiing. It seems further removed from the original than this more Nordic inspired forum. It wasn't until the last century that skiing was done for purely recreational purposes. In the past it was a practical part of northern cultures. Locomotion. Thrills to be sure, but not as the sole focus.
I love covering ground, using tele in all conditions and equipment, earning my turns. It reminds me of when my main passion was sailing. I'd spend much time at the marina which was populated in the majority by power boaters. We shared much in common but also were different. The wind is free and so is the snow.

[mikesee]

Because the forum is more about the people than the topics. I realize that I'm the one who started this somewhat off topic thread, but one of the things that keeps me coming back to this place is that folks are stoked on human powered skiing in all kinds of ways.

OK, so if I want to discuss fly fishing or snowshoeing or fatbiking -- because I do all three in winter, and sometimes use XC trails to access my favorite spots -- then by your logic it's OK to start a thread here discussing any of them?

There is a slippery slope to that logic.

I clicked on your thread because I read the title and was intrigued -- and then I read the post and was disappointed to find yet more XC content that has -- at best -- tangential relation to telemark skiing.

[mikesee]

As my Welsh family would say- English sucks-

"Telemark"→ a region in Norway that is older in its identity than the country of Norway.

"telemark"→ a Nordic downhill turning technique- often attirbuted to Sondre Norheim, but definitely much older than old Sondre- a turn that CAN BE DONE WITH ANY NORDIC SKI BOOT (i.e. does not require modern rigid "telemark" boots and bindings).

"telemark"→ a modern downhill skiing discipline (and clearly possessed by a very proud and obsessive culture), relying exclusively on Nordic-downhill "telemark" boots and bindings so that the "telemark" turn can always be used- even when the conditions are more suited to a different turning technique .
...........
Modern telemark downhill skiers do not own the rights to the telemark turn- anymore than skiers from Telemark do.

Thank you for listing and explaining the three most common uses of the term telemark.

Do I need to similarly point out to you how a group of people largely skiing on edgeless, double camber, reverse sidecut skis along prepared tracks with lightweight, no ankle support boots -- in Canada -- are not in Norway and not making turns?

[wabene]

Plenty of metal edged side cut 'round these parts

[fisheater]

What does the CSM or the Birkebeiner have to do with telemarking?

Going a long ways on XC trails is great! Or even a short ways! Camping is great! So is getting a room!

But none of the above really have anything to do with telemarking.

Why do topics like this come up here?



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Mike,
I live in Michigan, close to home 350 vertical is good. Back in my younger chair riding days my ski buddy and I didn’t have any trouble hanging out west. Now my close to home sking is on the I enhanced 250 feet of vertical variety. Unless I have powder, it’s trail skiing on twisty trails with double camber skis. I can assure you I make Telemark turns, and I value those turns. I’m a Telemark skier, and Nordic touring is the way I scratch that itch. I rarely ride chairs, my skiing buddies have quit skiing they are too old. I trail ski, and I point them downhill when the snow allows. I travel within a days drive to mountains and ski and ski down. However I don’t intend to jump on any planes, so I will not be skiing those western mountains. It doesn’t make me less of a skier, I don’t bypass the steep when it’s available.
However I do appreciate other aspects of Nordic skiing, because a lot of my skiing is now kick and glide. It’s all Nordic skiing. Quite frankly I have more of a kinship with some of these other types of Nordic skiing then I do with guys skiing AT gear. Even at 61, AT to me means it’s too tough to Telemark. Well some steep, exposed, icy, terrain could very well be most safely skied on AT gear, mostly guys are using it because it’s lighter and easier. I have never seen you question why AT posts are on the other site. Maybe you could show the same respect for some of the different perspective here. Especially since you are a multi day tourer. Certainly you can find some commonality with some of the Nordic multi day tours here. I’m not trying to bust your chops. I respect what you do. I would just appreciate if you could respect a different side of Telemark. In closing I would hazard to guess the guys that win the Canadian Ski Marathon know how to carry speed throwing some Telemark turns down some of the steeper sections. I mean they are racing in the Quebec backcountry?

[mikesee]

Mike,
I live in Michigan, close to home 350 vertical is good. Back in my younger chair riding days my ski buddy and I didn’t have any trouble hanging out west. Now my close to home sking is on the I enhanced 250 feet of vertical variety. Unless I have powder, it’s trail skiing on twisty trails with double camber skis. I can assure you I make Telemark turns, and I value those turns. I’m a Telemark skier, and Nordic touring is the way I scratch that itch. I rarely ride chairs, my skiing buddies have quit skiing they are too old. I trail ski, and I point them downhill when the snow allows. I travel within a days drive to mountains and ski and ski down. However I don’t intend to jump on any planes, so I will not be skiing those western mountains. It doesn’t make me less of a skier, I don’t bypass the steep when it’s available.
However I do appreciate other aspects of Nordic skiing, because a lot of my skiing is now kick and glide. It’s all Nordic skiing. Quite frankly I have more of a kinship with some of these other types of Nordic skiing then I do with guys skiing AT gear. Even at 61, AT to me means it’s too tough to Telemark. Well some steep, exposed, icy, terrain could very well be most safely skied on AT gear, mostly guys are using it because it’s lighter and easier. I have never seen you question why AT posts are on the other site. Maybe you could show the same respect for some of the different perspective here. Especially since you are a multi day tourer. Certainly you can find some commonality with some of the Nordic multi day tours here. I’m not trying to bust your chops. I respect what you do. I would just appreciate if you could respect a different side of Telemark. In closing I would hazard to guess the guys that win the Canadian Ski Marathon know how to carry speed throwing some Telemark turns down some of the steeper sections. I mean they are racing in the Quebec backcountry?

The "other site"? Would that be Backcountry Talk? Do you really need me to explain why I don't have a problem with AT posts on a site devoted to backcountry skiing?

I have lots of respect for nordic skiing, largely because I do lots of it. Which qualifies me to recognize that K&G is not tele, and why skis with no metal edges being driven by ankle-high leather (at best) boots are meant for set tracks.

If I wear the same pants when gardening as I do when telemarking, does that mean that gardening content is acceptable here?

[fisheater]

No we aren’t a gardening forum. Best wishes to you I mean best wishes, I hope the things you don’t like don’t out weigh what brings you here, because you add to the site.
For me a thread about the Canadian Ski Marathon also adds to the site.