In the 1970s and 1980s, according to Peter K., people were there, ready willing and able to venture into the virgin stashes of powder and glades, but technology was lagging. Skinny skis don’t float in powder – period. The determined back country skier at the time was forced to hop or jump to make a turn. Although some individuals experimented with using downhill skis this did not help much, because most alpine skis were designed for racing and were engineered to be very stiff.
I was really amazed when Peter told me that during this period, while telemark specific boots were developing, getting taller and stiffer, they were still mostly made of leather. Finally, in 1992, Black Diamond and the Italian boot maker Scarpa teamed up to make the Terminator, an all plastic boot that would provide the longevity and durability and stiffness not possible with leather.
About this time, skis were also evolving in the downhill alpine sector with more flexibility designed into the ski, gearing it to the non-racing recreational skier.
Of course, the mid 1990s saw the introduction of the alpine “parabolic" ski with the sharply defined sidecut in the midsection, which greatly aided parallel turns. As Peter puts it, all these technical developments were not lost to the tele skier. Manufacturers listened to their needs and focused on telemark specific construction and improved cable bindings. The development of the wider, more flexible telemark ski made classic telemark turning less of an athletic endeavor, and gave the determined telemark skier what they needed to go where they have never skied before.
In the last five years Peter and JoAnn have seen a tremendous increase in new skiers trying the sport and experienced skiers upgrading their gear. In fact the industry trade group, Snowsports Industries America's (SIA) 2003-2004 sales audit found a 86% increase in telemark gear sales. Rossignol , Atomic, K2, and Volkl are some traditional manufacturers now competing for sales with hard core back country ski makers headed by Black Diamond, Karhu and G3. Scarpa, and Garmot provide most of the tele boots.
Check Out Telemark Skiing Gear
Take a look at the current skis, boots, and bindings available for telemark skiers: Telemark Skiing Photos.
Get Ready to Stoke
The popularity of telemark skiing at lift-served ski resorts has raised the profile of the sport to a degree where the sighting of telemark skier no longer raises eyebrows. In fact it has led many, like myself, to look into the sport to perhaps broaden the variety of skiing, Although I never get bored skiing, I can see pushing the envelope – a little. Peter K. put my mind at ease when he said that they do make releasable telemark bindings. Be aware, however, that most tele bindings are traditionally not releasable.
Peter notes that Telemark is really an advanced form of skiing. He recommends that a person trying teleskiing for the first time should be, at least, a confident intermediate skier. Rent equipment first, from a reputable ski shop with a staff knowledgeable about telemark skiing, and take a lesson from a professional. If you like the sport, buy your equipment where you can get it serviced. Packages are usually available at most Telemark ski shops.
Most 'Tele' shops also have demo skis and older models available for sale at a considerable savings. Some, such as Mountain Travelers, have an online store with bargains available for shipment.
If you decide to take up telemark there are variations available such as all back country which means climbing uphill with "skins," lift served tree skiing is another option, and twin tips for the parks are available. Peter and JoAnn say telemark skiing can take you to new heights and the sky is the limit - literally.
Mountain Travelers is located on Rt. 4 in Rutland, VT, and is a full service freeheel skiing, hiking, biking and kayaking store. Stop in, say hello, and ask Peter and JoAnn any questions you might have. Be advised if it its Wednesday in winter with snow on the ground you will probably find them tele skiing, but hang out - they’ll be back.
