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Telemark vs. Touring

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Due to the lack of appealing snow in Champoluc last week, El Sophstero, Nick and I thought we'd give telemarking a bash. It was highly amusing.

We're all reasonably competent skiers with reasonable balance so it turned out neither as hard, nor as hard work as it looks. Highly recommended!

It also occurred to us that it might be a decent alternative to trying to develop a touring/downhill alternative. (See prior threads) come the revolution when we eventually do the natural thing and relocate to the alps. (Nick has done so already).

As you can now get tele bindings for touring (see here) what does the SH collective think?

Can I now write off the Garmont "Adrenaline" purchase and go for tele kit? We will, of course, need to learn how to ski the things off piste though! Which might be a different matter!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
David Murdoch, the wife & I telemark from time-to-time. The advantages are massive. But... when out touring when I get to the top I like to charge down the otherside as fast as possible and I'm just too much of a wimp to actually commit to telemarking on a powder day. All my telemarking friends give me a hard time for this, as soon as there's more than a dusting I'm back on the alpines, and telemarking in powder is meant to be 'la source'... But I don't wanna miss a second of it learning how to free the heal in a foot of pow when everyone else is out there stealing my lines.

Now I've written that I've decided I will commit this season.

It will certainly solve my break problem on my Prophets, I should just put Linkens on them... Twisted Evil
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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?
parlor, cheers! And good luck with the season. I have to admit that I reckon the learning curve in pow should be reasonably quick, and as generally my touring experiences (limited I will admit) in Europe have involved "other" snow conditions I think it might be the way forward.

I also felt that it was a more natural way to ski and gave better stability on ice than alpine (especially as weight was near equally distributed).
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David Murdoch, I love carving a telemark turn, it's the best feeling... It's improved my alpine skiing too. Try leaving your poles behind too, weird at first but so good for your technique... Right. Sorry, but I'm off to have some of that... Very Happy
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
David Murdoch, I've never telemarked but want to give it a try sometime, it does seem like telemark gear has turned a significant corner.

I can see the telemark bindings with touring mode making a big impact in the states, it will take a longer to get europe telemarking again simply because it is very much on the margins of the sport here - a small but dedicated following I think its called.

Don't dump your AT gear just yet, I don't think either G3 or Black Diamonds bindings are going to be avaialble to the average punter this season and even then its a brave man that buys into a new touring binding model in its first season.

Did you try prallel turns on the telemark gear? there seems to be some in fighting in the freeheel world about it.
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rich, do it, I guarantee you'll enjoy. I'd always wanted to try it and conditions were just so uninviting for piste skiing.

We were worried a couple of times that all we were doing was "parallel" turns in a tele position. And yes, a few "hockey stops" were required to avoid the turtles. When needs must...
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Never telemarked, what are the advantages and can you tele bumps?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
DB, advantages? Hmmm, you'd need to ask someone who knows. You can apparently ski bumps but our 3 hours didn't see us getting to that advanced a level. Was still having a bit of trouble over-rotating shoulders.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
I have never tele-marked, nor will, knee problems. However i'm told by my physio that tele-ing is excellent for undoing ski based knee problems. Compressing and closing the kne joint when skiing then opening and stretching it when tele-ing. Good on you, it'll keep you going longer guys. Kinda Vigara for male skiers knees. Twisted Evil What??!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Twisted Evil
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
SMALLZOOKEEPER,

Do you know if biking with clip pedals gives the same positive effect on the 'old knees'?

PS Forgot to say earlier I'm running a touring setup with Adrenalines, Freerides and a pair of Völkl SnowWolfs. They performed much better than I though on piste yesterday and in the bit of wet powder I experienced on the descent from a tour on Thursday (it was a low tour due to the high level 4 avalanche risk). I'm a but worried that most of my other kit will become redundant, the real test could well be St Anton the week after next.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I have lots of friends who find Telemarking easier on the knees than alpine skiing.

We had an ex-marine stay with us last year who was taught to tele in Norway with the Navy. He turned up all proud to be a lone telemarker but only did for 1 day because of the huge number of great telemarkers in Verbier. Normally the Scands.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
rich wrote:
David Murdoch, I've never telemarked but want to give it a try sometime, it does seem like telemark gear has turned a significant corner.


Did you try prallel turns on the telemark gear? there seems to be some in fighting in the freeheel world about it.


General consensus on Telemark Tips is that parallel turns are just another tool in the tele toolbox.



Re the knee question:
I have a sporadic dodgy knee, but find far fewer problems with tele skiing than Alpine skiing , or running for that matter. Something about the tele stance building up the small muscles around the knee and thus helping prevent problems.

Dont know about the touring thing. I have to confess that at present I am strictly a lift served tele skier. When I have mastered coming down the mountain I will worry about walking up it!!

Parlor Just for the sake of openness - I post on Dark Summer as Telegenic.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Whoops - forgot to add that Black Diamond also do a tour mode tele binding.

http://www.telemarktips.com/FirstLook7.html
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
ermmm - surely all tele bindings are suitable for touring ? Puzzled Isn't that the point wink
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
ski, Yes you can tour in a standard telemark binding but its more energy sapping than using an alpine touring setup especially when uphill kick turns are needed. Telemark bindings have springs which are for downhill use but work against you uphill, this is, the lack of DIN type release modes and weight are the main reasons they've fallen out of favour with tourers. The holy grail is a step in telmark binding with a free pivot mode for uphill and alpine type release modes? all weighing less than a dynafit (less than 1kg) and completely bomb proof. Not quite there yet but pretty damn close.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
rich, Good points - it's just the Luddite in me railing against new technology. For me the part of the joy of telemarking is that the equipment is very simple, and still (just) quite lightweight.

DB,yes you can tele bumps - great fun


David Murdoch,

Quote:

I have to admit that I reckon the learning curve in pow should be reasonably quick


based on my experience Puzzled ... hmmmmmmm
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
ski, he he he.

Well we got ourselves sorted on hard pack and ice in a fairly short time? What's more difficult? (We can all ski alpine off piste competently...)
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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?
Dave J, I'd have guessed if you said Dark Summer... Twisted Evil
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David Murdoch, It's all about equal weighting of the skis (as in Alpine)....on hardpack this doesn't matter so much rolling eyes . If you've skied alpine, you'll be used to having lots of weight on the lead/outside ski Twisted Evil . In soft snow both skis must be evenly weighted, perhaps with more on the back/inside ski rather than the front snowHead . Have fun snowHead


n.e thoughts on a snowheads tele meet ?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I've been skiing with Tele gear exclusively now for the last 3 years and enjoy the variety. In fact most of my skiing time is still alpine technique because my quads just aren't strong enough for full time tele turns. Probably because I'm not yet teleing efficiently enough yet and possibly because I'm skiing on quite stiff carvers.

I carn't ski as fast, carn't jump as high, carn't do 360s as quickly and find the offpiste more difficult than on alpine bindings, buts its nice to switch turns along the way.

I have Fritchi Skyhoy bindings which are virtually as solid as alpine bindings. Just got to remember not to get the weight to far forward !
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ski, thanks! I will let you know how I/we get on as we're planning on incorporating it into our regular ski activities. We've all skied quite a lot of HP and I think we're quite dynamic when it comes to weighting. The truth will out in practice of course!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
rich wrote:
ski,
The holy grail is a step in telmark binding with a free pivot mode for uphill and alpine type release modes? all weighing less than a dynafit (less than 1kg) and completely bomb proof. Not quite there yet but pretty damn close.


And getting closer.

See linky
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