Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Let's start a new thread. Post a video of you telemark skiing and others can give tips and constructive criticism on how to improve your form.

Here are a couple of short clips from today. I was skiing s-bound 98s and Crispi Antartics without cables. This was my first time skiing the Antarctics, which are a lot softer than my merrel ultras that I usually ski in, and my first time skiing without cables. I don't plan on ditching cables but I don't want to have to rely on them.

I need to tighten up my stance. Without the cables, I found it hard to pressure the ball of my rear foot without pushing the ski behind me. With a wide stance and a low knee, I can get pressure on the rear ski but it seems not as stable as a compact stance.

https://i.imgur.com/iH9Szv5.mp4
https://i.imgur.com/f1VUPtN.mp4

Take my opinion with a mountain of salt if you like, but it seems to me that not only your rear ski is too far back but also your front ski is too far forwards. I keep the knee of the front ski above the front shoe (ie vertical front shin) at the furthest.

@JB TELE This is a great idea. The clip is a bit short, but other than what you've observed in your self analysis, I think you look good. Conditions are nice. @CwmRaider that seems like really good feedback as well.
In my case, there are a number of technical things I strive to do, even though I often fail in execution. "Tightening up" my stance and keeping that front knee forward of vertical are up there at the top of my list, for sure.

I won’t go into form. I will mention I have both an Alaska BC and an Alaska 75 boot. The Alaska 75 without a cable just is not a great interface for making Telemark turns. In rolling terrain, which is most of the terrain by me, I leave the cable off. It’s my “balance board” training, because everything needs to be perfect. When I get to a bigger hill, I flip on the cables, because I just want to enjoy the turns. The difference is night and day.
I’m sure you see the same difference utilizing a more robust boot. I can say, if I didn’t plan on using a cable, my Alaska BC with NNN-BC bindings is a far superior downhill combination than Alaska 75 w/o the cable. However w/o the cable it kicks really nicely, and especially the Rotte cable with the Alaska 75 makes for decent xcd downhill combo.

I will play!
@JB TELE
*For soft snow and soft boots as you and I are both skiing:
- I have found success with a tighter and more rear-ski weighted stance. Stand barefoot on the floor -> sink a few inches by flexing the ankles and bending the knees so your knees are over your toes -> lift one foot off the floor entirely and sink a bit more so that your heel on the other foot rises a half inch off the floor -> swing the foot in the air forward so it is in front of the foot you are standing on and held unweighted just slightly off the floor. This is basically my telemark stance (almost entirely weighting the rear ski with center of gravity centered over the ball of foot on the rear ski). The little toe on the rear foot is really driving the turn via the inside edge. In reality there is some weighting of the front ski but it really *feels* like zero.
- Bring skis closer together (in the left-right axis). I have been told imagine you are holding your car keys between your thighs. This helps with the concept of turning your 2 skis into one big ski during a telemark turn. Leaving parallel "train tracks" in soft snow during a turn is a bad sign-- skis should come together as one and leave one arc.


Here is me all in cold powder and low angle (all FT62, NNNBC, alfa guard). I'm happy with lower body dynamic in general-- but tend to steer down the hill like I'm on a bike. Would like become more comfortable facing down the fall line and figuring out the upper body dynamics of that (on light gear) for faster tighter radius turns.

clip 1-
clip 2 -
clip 3 -

Awesome thread, so much talk of technique and form but not a whole lot of receipts! I don't trust my gf to film, what's the easiest way to self film?

Edit. I have misbehaved. Cleaning up my mess on this thread in good fairh to the forum.

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I ski alone and don't know a good way to get video. I had this idea as soon as I started learning downhill technique on nordic gear, would be tremendously helpful. Any suggestions on getting decent video of oneself when alone?

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mca80 wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 25, 2024 1:02 am

I ski alone and don't know a good way to get video. I had this idea as soon as I started learning downhill technique on nordic gear, would be tremendously helpful. Any suggestions on getting decent video of oneself when alone?

It looks like JB attached a camera to a tree or something. I think that's about all you can do unless you buy a drone.
I have a nice voice actuated one I got for about $500,000 on a 33-year installment plan (so far). I call it my youngest son.