 Poster: A snowHead
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So we all know that tele is seriously cool - anyone that can tele with style is pretty high up in my estimation.
I'd love to give it a go but with only limited snow time each season, I'm reluctant to spend my holiday trying and failing!
So:
a) is it as hard on the thighs as it looks, i.e. how many hours would I need to spend in the gym to even attempt it?
b) how difficult is it to pick up?
c) do standard ski schools offer it as a taught technique?
I haven't been to ski school for ages so was thinking of a couple of one-on-one refreshers but also considering having a go on the tele thing.
Anyone have experience of trying to pick it up?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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zammo,
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Anyone have experience of trying to pick it up?
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Yes, started last year. Bought the following kit: Fischer Boundless nordic touring skis (this years model can be found here: http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=1_65_69&products_id=233 ). I've got a waxing model rather than the crown model. I fitted them with Voile 3pin and cable bindings on a release plate (similar to these http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=1_10_19_17&products_id=1353 ). Boots are Crispi CXT which are a low plastic touring boot.
The touring skis are light (about half the weight of my AT skis) can be waxed for kick and glide and are pretty good at kick and glide. They have the same side cut as my AT skis so turn reasonably well. I've used them for nordic skiing and could keep up with friends using track skis though they don't fit in the tracks.
I've also used then on piste at Alpe D'Huez last year. Remember just because you have freeheel skis it doesn't stop you doing parallel turns. Starting from no experience and taking no lessons by the end of last year I could link tele turns down pisted runs if it wasn't steep - ie greens, most blues (I would occasionally have to resort to parallel turns down steep or icy pitches) some reds. I could ski blacks if they were pisted, but didn't attempt any mogulled blacks, though did do mogulled reds. On blacks and mogulled reds stuck mainly with parallel turns. The fischer skis carved nicely down the black to Vaujany for example. Off piste my teleing is abysmal and my paralleling wasn't that good either. Possibly because the low ankle of the touring boot I have makes control more dificult (thats my excuse anyway  ). I'm tempted to get a pair of alpine tele skis and a stiffer higher ankle tele boot and see if that improves my skiing. Though its down my ski purchase list as I want a pair of nordic skate and a pair of classic skis first.
So in summary I don't think tele skiing is that hard to pick up, yes it can be hard work on the thighs, but if I get tired I just resort to normal parallel turns. Lessons wise I have no idea, but I do have the web address of a compnay that runs tele holidays and courses including courses here in Scotland. I'll look it out when I get home tonight and post it next week.
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zammo, the ESF in La Rosiere offers instruction on telemarking, the deputy director Simon Atkinson is a keen telemarker. On the odd occasions that I've tried it I couldn't wait to get back to fixed heel bindings and normal boots, telemarking like doing lunges all day.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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David@traxvax, given that I've had patellar tendonitis for a year lunges don't fill me with too much fear! For 6 months they were the only exercise I was allowed to do!
Still, not sure how my legs would stand up to it on piste.
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And no reflection on Dave Horsley's choice of kit, but if you want to charge around pistes rather than tour, some beefier boots and bindings than Daves will help.
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I wouldn't disagree, though I've had no real problems on nice prepared pistes even steep stuff, with my low and soft touring boots. Where I have found more problems is in the bumps or iffy snow off piste. The iffy snow may just have been my technique though. Was skiing the Aonach Bowl last year - mixture of breakable crust with sections of nice powder. In the telmark kit I got down it mainly wide radius parallel turns and not feeling in control, but didn't fall. swapped to my AT kit where I had no problems to do short radius parallel turns and felt completely in control.
The kit I bought was a bit of a compromise - wanted to be able to use it for nordic touring so it needed to have some facility at kick and glide and be reasonably light, I also wanted it to be easy to turn - which it is. They are interesting skis in that they have a wax pocket for kick and glide yet are the same shape as my AT skis. Bindings wise I'd probaly still go for something like the Voile Hard wires on a release plate. I don't like the idea of a non releasable binding and find that the ability to remove the cable from the boot and clip it behind the heel riser for kick and glide or skinning as it is much easier that way.
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The equal weight on both legs is the main thing, though staying centered over your skis is pretty key too - no heel binding to keep you locked in.
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Thats one of my main faults I don't weight the back ski enough when I'm doing a tele turn.
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Just to a different approach from Dave Horsley, - I have T1s (BIG boots), and Big Easy skis (which were BIG when I bought them), mounted with Non-releasable bindings on risers.
For Alpine touring (ie skinning) the set up is fine (bit heavy) - but they ski everything 'cept ice really well (shame I don't). For downhill only - to start with just about any pair of old Alpine skis will do, with tele bindings nailed on.....
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FAQ
Answers to your q's shortly... 
To telemark properly, it is quite unintuitive for someone with an alpine background - for the following reasons;
