 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
I'm an advanced normal skier looking for a first pair of telemark skis. I've done a week of telemarking and loved it on blues and reds, but need to sharpen up on the harder runs and off-piste. I'm thinking of getting some Salomon Lords for 'normal' skis and would be intending to telemark with similar uses (ie mix of piste and powder/freeride). Would Salomon Lords work with telemark bindings, or do I need a specific ski, and what sort of dimensions should I be looking at?
(6 feet, 75-80kg)
And at risk of opening a can of worms - is NTN worth it?...
Thanks in advance
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Eddd, Welcome to  's.
Just about the same rules apply to ski selection for Tele and Alpine. You have three options (cheapest - first)
1) Fit an adaptor plate to the Lords, then you can ski the Alpine or Tele (this would be 75mm norm - not NTN). Spyderjon who posts here has a stock of those. I assume the Lords are a 'Flat' ski - i.e. no integrated binding.
2) Buy another ski, and mount 75mm bindings on them.
3) Buy another ski and mount NTN on them.
I'm a bit lighter than you (60 kg)... I have a pair of Xwing Furys (similar dims to the Lord ?) which (admittedly based on a couple of hours in Hemel) seem to do all that you are asking of them. I have Hammerhead bindings.
My choice would be something around 90mm underfoot, with enough sidecut to have a reasonable turn radius. I like my Hammerhead and Scarpa T1 setup, but I've not skied NTN yet. Hope that helps.
You might want to look at this thread too http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=54240&highlight=
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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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Eddd, you can telemark anything. But telemark bindings make it difficult to get/keep flex in the skis and also lack lateral stiffness - making it harder to edge on ice / hard snow.
For that reason, tele-specific skis tend to be softer flexing, but torsionally stiff. The general advice is to ski something a little softer than you'd choose to alpine. Most of the better telemarkers I know are on Rossi B83s or similar. (I have Movement Hypes and Icelandic Nomads.)
I'm not sure I agree with ski on option 1 being cheapest. I considered doing that, but when I priced everything up the maths just didn't stack up.
Length - whatever you feel comfortable alpining.
I've been skiing in Scarpa T2X boots with Hammerhead and Bomber Bishop bindings. They both work well - although, I probably prefer the Hammerheads over the Bishops.
I tried NTNs the weekend before last and am just about to convert. My boots are winging their way from Italy as I type. (Hopefully!)
I'm changing because of the lateral power is superb and the bindings are much more active through the whole turn. But, and it is a but, I'm told that they're not as good for freeride.
Really, the only way of knowing would be to try them. If you're around or can get to Cham then Otatvalo rent out both 75mm and NTN kit.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Pete's in St Anton also rent out NTN kit - I don't know of any others who do in the alps, but then again I didn't need to search further after I went to Pete's.
However, you may find it difficult making objective comparisons between NTN and 75mm after a week's telemarking - the difference in feel between telemark bindings (even different 75mm ones) is significant, and you'll also have different boots and (probably) skis - I expect trying any different binding/boot combo from what you've currently skied on will feel significantly different, and hence worse.
My view is NTN is here to stay, as it's in it's 3rd season, and the major issues (which were more to do with the boots than the binding) seem to have been sorted. As you're starting out you're in the happy position that you can buy NTN kit without having to replace both boots and bindings
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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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Eddd, hello again
I sound a bit like you.
I bought some movement freeheel skis with rottefella cobra bindings on ebay (about £120). Used these with some new T2X boots- but for me after just a few days tele they were too long/stiff/fast and not right.
So Kept the bindings, sold the skis and put the bindings on my old salomon foils- which are perfect. As other posts have said- try a softer flexing ski than you use for alpine skiing (I used foils for quite a while alpine- but they are too soft to go fast).
Also; At least 1 shop in Sass Fee rents NTN.
Otavalo in Cham is a great shop and they will mount tele bindings quick and for cheap!
FlyingStantoni, if you are changing to NTN please let us know what they are like.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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ed123, it'll be interesting to try them on my own skis.
The only "problem" with Otavalo is that most of the rental skis are "somewhat freeride" oriented and the ski attached to the NTN bindings was something I'd skied alpine and didn't like then 
Fortunately I'm now (only just) a good enough telemarker to be able to tell the difference between the boots/bindings, which I loved, and the skis, which I hated even more than when I tried them last time.
I'm probably getting old, but it was a joy not being the last person to get their skis on. I don't have "friends" who wait you see...
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and another thing - just seen some G3 tickets advertised. would 182 be too long for me, being used to 175 alpine skis, or would i get used to it fairly quickly?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Eddd, they really are for experienced telemarkers- stiff and hard to get round. They are now also very expensive new- over 500euros.
I think you night want to think about ski length. My Freeheels were longer than my usual alpine skis. But with tele- and the tele stance- the skis lengthen- as it says in the really cool telemark tips book 'think one long ski'. So when you tele turn the length of the skis you are using increases. So if you use a longer ski it ends up really long- and you will never get the tips round.
When I swaped skis to a shorter softer ski for tele it was much much better.
I think this is why there are a few really positive reviews for the Icelantic Scout- which is about 145cm or so with a short turn radius- when used for tele skiing. I'd love to give them a try.
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I don't think the 'think one long ski' idea has any bearing on the length of ski to use. That concept may have some bearing on the overall swing weight relative to your centre of gravity (or it may not, depending on the timing of your lead transition), but what matters more is the force required to flex the ski, which shouldn't vary much between alpine and tele.
I've been most impressed with the Movement Climax, which works well for me in pretty well all conditions. I've got them in 170; I'm similar dimensions (177cm, 80kg, and ski fairly aggressively), and I almost always go with the second longest available length for any given ski
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