 Poster: A snowHead
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Did a half days tele taster last year and really enjoyed it, hard, knackering and back to square one but strangely addictive. So now thinking getting a tele setup for the new season.
Any hints or suggestions, what to get what bindings or boots..I'm 6"4 16.5stone and have a variety of fat 182-191cm skis for alpine, what ski length would i need, is length or width as important? what should i look for in a boot? NTN looks interesting but is it ideal for beginners?
any advice would be great. ta.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi, Nice that U have find telemark  NTN for beginner,,? No, its expensive and a little different,, about skis, think alpine, boots,, what did U want? only ski pists, offpist,, backcountry? climbing summits? or all,,, when I now what U want with your telemark skiing it will be more easy to give you a good answer,,
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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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well i think that depends on how i progress..I think maybe piste to start with for deep snow i'll probably still go to my Alpine setups anyway.
Robust and progressive i think is the name of the game at the moment
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OK,, I will say that the best for U is to think alpine for skis, but minimum mid 100mm for a little deeper snow and slush, boots for example Scarpa T-1, and U will have good stability in your turns, feel free to ask more,
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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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Ta, any recommendations for bindings particulary for the heavier skier, as some of them look a bit flimsy...especially as a beginner will zero finesse!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There is one for U, Rottafella Cobra R-8,, I use this binding on 3 pair skis from easy touring and even my Rocker, but its whould be a great choice even for a beginner,,
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papasmurf, hello and welcome to the weird and wonderful world of telemark.
IMHO you need;
1. Lllama hat- you must make this yourself from appropriate material
2. Goatee beard
OK OK I'll be sensible.
I am just a few seasons ahead of you.
It is tricky as unlike alpine gear you cannot easily test skis with tele bindings and anyway as a beginner - but with a good skiing background -you will improve quite quickly.
I fell into an easy trap- I bought some skis on ebay for cheap- good skis - but they were too long and too stiff- I found them very tricky.
But I kept the bindings (Cobras) and put them on my old alpine skis. This worked really well. The skis were my Salomon Foils which are quite soft and very easy to ski. I have broken the bindings- this is common I think- or else why would every tele shop sell binding parts? Cobra rods break- the solution is to either be prepared to ski down on one ski/make an improvised repair- or carry spare rods - or better still carry a rear assembly (2 rods and the spring, lots of people do this I am told).
I have now moved the bindings to another pair of skis - some secondhand Line Prophet Flies (my current Alpine skis being Prophet 90s n the same length so the skins for them fit and they are a similar ski).
So;
Why not use one of your old alpine skis- the easiest to ski- this will be about right.
Get some second hand bindings- Cobras - try ebay- and some spare rods (Braemar Mountain Sports) and/ or a spare rear assembly.
Getting the binding mounted is either easy (if you visit Chamonix and go to Otavalo when the very nice ski tech is in - he will do it speedily, expertly, be friendly and charge about € 15) or next to impossible / take ages/ trips across the country / unpleasant. Unless you live in one of the very few towns in the UK with a ski shop that sells and knows about tele gear- ie Aviemore.
Boots trickier still- T2s are the beginners norm. They are now very expensive. Scarpa sizes are odd and look at the Telemark Pyrenees web site for details. I bought mine new just before the pound tanked against the euro- but they were still just about the most expensive boot in the shop. Buying on ebay might be possible but would be perhaps a gamble.
Telescopic poles if you don't have them already.
Brufen - bucket loads- take this before each days telemarking it works wonders- you might even be able to walk upstairs and use the loo unaided (this bit is deadly serious).
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papasmurf, Boots - they need to fit - Scarpa T1 good place to start. Bindings - NTN or Hammerhead.
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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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go ntn, you'll likely get there eventually anyway converting from alpine, better value to go straight there (i went 75mm first but have since gone to ntn and love it, i'm pretty heavy, a converted alpiner, still on a learning curve at tele). A big plus for ntn is the ability to swap bidings between skis, bringing your entire quiver into the mix (granted you can make any binding swapable these days with inserts & plates etc). certain of the ntn boots also have dynafit inserts making them pretty versatile too. ntn bindings are due sublte update for the coming season (possibly a little weight shedding but definitely (and maybe only) a colour change - so you'll get some good deals on existing models. And certainyl there are some good deals on boots around this time of year, maybe restricted sizes, and not for long more either as new stuff will arrive in a month or two i guess
I converted pretty much as you want to (big lad, similar dimensioned skis etc.), and if i had to do it all again, would've gone straight to ntn - though you dont know what you dont know until you dont know it!
For skis, go as wide as you like but perhps not quite as long as you would alpine (though you wouldnt go shorter than the shorter in your current lineup - as you learn you'll find what's comfortable for you). Ski lengths these days are all to cock anyway with early rise, rocker, etc. Definitely use your existing skis though, perfectly fine for the job, it's no coincidence that manufacturers have stopped doing "tele-specific" skis (apart from a few ultra-light touring style / XCD type skis).
and the best part....
FANDAN LOVE TELLYMARKERS 
oh yes!
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Cheers for the Advice, Already have the silly beard..so one step there already!
will have a look round Sport conrad and telemark pyrenees if theres any deals to be had
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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papasmurf,
but which advice!
I tried NTN and didn't get on with it at all and NTN kit is just about the most expensive gear you can buy- about £1000 for boots/skis/bindings.
Also Cobras can be shifted between skis if you buy some spare mounting plates (Breamar Mountain Soprts again) - for a fraction of the price of some NTN plates (although you needs tools to move the binding and it a little fiddly).
I suppose it all depends on how flush you feel- for many here I'm sure will think nothing of a complete new set up and others would quite like to tinker even if they could buy new kit without raiding the kids school shoes fund.
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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.
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barry, you have lost some of your sole!
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I'd probably go straight into NTN if starting from scratch I think, assuming buying boots & bindings new. However the choice of NTN boots is not unrestricted and you might have a better chance of picking up duckbill stuff second hand (as people upgrade) just to get the feel of it.
I think you also need to be able to commit to giving tele a serious go - I've always dabbled with the odd day here and there but never committed enough to leave alpine kit at home. I think a holiday when you're naturally going to be skiing with people less experienced than you is ideal opportunity.
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Poster: A snowHead
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papasmurf, Let's try to make this a bit clearer.
Not all tele bindings are equal... this will have a big impact on your progress. Roughly I would put them in this sort of order.
a) Least expensive - least supportive - 3 pin 75mm type bindings - pretty unbreakable thou.
b) More expensive, more supportive - cable type bindings - Riva, Cobra etc. Breakable.
c) More expensive (again) cable bindings - cable routed underfoot - Hammerheard, O2. Hammerheads are very unbreakable. Supportive and active (meanining you get help with flexing your back foot)
d) More expensive again (?) 7TM - similar to ski as the Cobra - but has a release.
e) NTN - has some release. Suits a modern (tall) stance. Step in.
Hope that helps.
Ditto fatbob, as soon as you can ski on blues - pack the alpine gear away for a bit. Bumps are a very very good fun !
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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papasmurf, you'll need a big nobbly stick an' all (a "Lurk"). The kids gettin it on with some heritage - just got sent this new clip, you need to get gear that makes you ski like these lads - I'm switching back to 75mm 
http://vimeo.com/27234093
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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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Cheers guys, definitley some food for thought..NTN seems a winner but it don't half cost..plus I got a long list of other kit to purchase this year..hhmm
Luckly I live Switzerland at the mo, so I can plan to put a lot more time in then if it was just a holiday..which is one of the reasons I've finally given it a go.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I take it the colour codes on the springs on NTN are just another way of saying soft and medium?
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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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Yup, go with the blues (medium) at your size. Fair bit of adjustment to be had with em. I've read a bit about folk having to fiddle a lot with them to get the right feel but I just went with manufacturers recco (on the chitty that comes with), and found em fine
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If you want to become a full time tele-whacker then certainly go NTN.
BUT... if you want to telemark just for giggles / change of scenery / new challenge then a stiff 75mm cable binding will be perfect (and much cheaper).
Everyone knows that Telemark is dumb anyway 
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fatbob, totally agree with the only taking tele gear and skiing with people who are less experienced (ie family ski holiday with young kids- or boys ski holiday with occassional skiers)
ed
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barry, they are quite good really. Oviously would be impossible on NTN!
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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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ed123, yup, reckon that'll be my excuse
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FAQ
so ntn definitely not in the 'most expensive' category (though fair enough it's at the high end for tele)
