Telemark skiing is dead.

[Peruvian]

I'm getting better.

[Smooth Johnson]

Maybe you would like a lesson?

A skilled telemarker with properly set up gear and strong legs can get plenty of high energy in their carved turns, balanced, not on the tails.

Problem is most telemarkers I see have:

1) ridiculous gear (or improperly set up gear)
2) muscles not strong enough to drive the rear ski properly in a high energy turn
3) poor technique (fake-a-mark)

The only reason telemarking gets a bad rap is it's difficult to do well and most people never get beyond the weak intermediate stage. Plus, when it's done well it's so much fun (and it looks fun). This gets some of the fixed heel crowd who think they have what it takes to give it a go. Generally, they give up before they develop the necessary strength and technique. Then they come on forums like this and bash it 'cause they can't do it.

Preach on, O bushwackerinPA of tele!

[Danno]

The rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated!

[V-rex]

That Michael Cares sticker is awesome. How do I get one?

[ill-advised strategy]

It’s the hot new thing in my town full of granola fairies, now that our ski area sucks balls so you never know when the lifts will or won’t run and somehow the only equipment that never seems to shut off is overgrooming everything.

[chicken feathers]

^Condolences

I actually bought a new pair if T2's this winter, 3pin cables too. You know, prolonging death...

I guess I'm a pretty sick guy

But for meadow skipping its a blast. Haven't touched my alpine gear for a few weeks now.

[Danno]

That Michael Cares sticker is awesome. How do I get one?

There's a whole thread in gear swap.

[jrredho]

This troll-thread topic is killing me. It never fails. Never.

Somewhere Kristin Ullmer is smiling.

Out.

[Danno]

It's also ten years old.

[MakersTeleMark]

It's also ten years old.

So what?

[telefreewasatch]

This thread has my approval.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Telemarking is fun, hard to master without many days. You can’t be proficient with a few weekends a year.

That said, telemarking is like driving an old clapped out rear wheel drive jalopy. Alpine skiing is like driving a super charged four wheel drive dune buggy.


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[Percy Rideout]

Telemarking is fun, hard to master without many days. You can’t be proficient with a few weekends a year.

That said, telemarking is like driving an old clapped out rear wheel drive jalopy. Alpine skiing is like driving a super charged four wheel drive dune buggy.


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Transfering power to the snow while Teleing is the hard part.

[EWG]

Transfering power to the snow while Teleing is the hard part.

No, the hard part is shutting the hell up about the fact that you Tele. Apparently.

[jmedslc]

No, the hard part is shutting the hell up about the fact that you Tele. Apparently.

Lol look! Another dude who can’t tele!

[Conundrum]

I know plenty of ripping teleskiers that just go out and rip but don’t talk about it. I find the folks talking about it are not the rippers. Usually the same folks talking are the same people that have “Mountains please” or “The mountains are calling and I must go” stickers on their smaller SUVs.

Kind of the same for most sports though. Such is life.

[jmedslc]

I find that talking it up has increased our numbers. In the last year alone I’ve seen two converts and have sold at least 3pr of tele bindings for Freeheellife - our local tele shop, the last of its kind in SLC

[snojones]

The funny thing is that I use tele gear but I mostly parallel ski them. I like trees and end up having to climb up out of runs that close out. Having a free heel is great for this.

The thing is that you can ski free heel gear in a parallel stance. Once I got the balance down, I ceased to be able to tell the difference between tele gear and downhill gear. So I got rid of my DH stuff and have skied for years this way.

If tele died it is because the industry killed it! They figured out that there is much more money in AT gear. The bindings cost a lot more money and they only last a few years because they are DIN rated. Insurance companies will not allow them to reuse DIN bindings. So every time you buy new skis you buy new bindings. I have tele bindings that are on their 4th pair of skis. A savings of hundreds of dollars.... so far.

In a sport, which is rapidly becoming too expensive for many people, this is to be expected if not appreciated. And so it is....

[Conundrum]

The rippers I'm talking about just like doing it. They don't care about increasing numbers or growing the sport. They just like teleskiing. And if you can telepine as well as you can alpine, tele is probably for you.

[jmedslc]

The rippers I'm talking about just like doing it. They don't care about increasing numbers or growing the sport. They just like teleskiing. And if you can telepine as well as you can alpine, tele is probably for you.

That’s cute.

I like ripping with a tele posse. Having cute ladies dropping the knee is even better.

Michael cares bro...and yes we do it because we love the turn. Alpine skiing is boring.

[Danno]

The funny thing is that I use tele gear but I mostly parallel ski them. I like trees and end up having to climb up out of runs that close out. Having a free heel is great for this.

The thing is that you can ski free heel gear in a parallel stance. Once I got the balance down, I ceased to be able to tell the difference between tele gear and downhill gear. So I got rid of my DH stuff and have skied for years this way.

This is me (except for getting rid of the alpine gear as I haven't had any for decades).

The rippers I'm talking about just like doing it. They don't care about increasing numbers or growing the sport. They just like teleskiing. And if you can telepine as well as you can alpine, tele is probably for you.

I don't give a shit about growing the sport, except for the fact that I want good tele gear available to purchase when I need to purchase gear. So I want the market to be robust enough that some manufacturers still exist.

[jmedslc]

This is me (except for getting rid of the alpine gear as I haven't had any for decades).



I don't give a shit about growing the sport, except for the fact that I want good tele gear available to purchase when I need to purchase gear. So I want the market to be robust enough that some manufacturers still exist.

This is one reason to grow the sport. If 22d doesn’t sell enough bindings and scarpa doesn’t sell enough boots each season they will cease to make the gear.

I’m an avid vocal supporter and when I worked at the local big box coop I would routinely send ppl to freeheel life. Since Black diamond stopped selling telemark gear, freeheel life is our only tele shop in town. If we don’t keep kids buying the gear the sport will indeed die.

Got to say though it was refreshing to ski at Alta bird last weekend. I saw probably 20 or more telemark skiers young and old shredding around. Michael smiled.

[Peruvian]

I don't give a shit about growing the sport, except for the fact that I want plenty of cheap, used tele gear available to purchase when I need to purchase gear in another 5-10 years. So I want the other telemarketers to buy new shit and sell me their old shit.

FIFY

[Danno]

^^^^

true story

[Conundrum]

That’s cute.

I like ripping with a tele posse. Having cute ladies dropping the knee is even better.

Michael cares bro...and yes we do it because we love the turn. Alpine skiing is boring.

Did I touch a nerve? You are a tele skier working in a tele shop. Of course my comment touched a nerve.

I think you're proving EWG's point here.

Maybe our tele paths will cross someday. I hope they do. I'll buy beers and make fun of tele skiers while I'm taking off my tele boots. Or maybe you'll be tele'ing and I'll be locked down. Maybe my smoke show of a wife will be tele'ing with us, or maybe she'll be on alpines too.

Ya'll have heard the joke about tele skiers screwing in a light bulb right?

Danno-I hope manufacturers keep making cool stuff. You guys get on the rooftops and preach the gospel.