The Knights Templar of XCD World Conference

Dylan as the Knights intended him:



Simple, intimate, unhindered... pure.

It would be easy to be a Knight if all skiing was like the Norwegian video. Nice open moderately pitched six inches of fresh kinda bowl skiing. Even XCD by their rules could be overkill for that. Looks like fun.

So about 30 years ago I was skiing at a Hinterlandian bump with my then alpine racer nephew and his buddies. If I was Knight, it would have been then, in the heyday of Telemark up here. The hill rented tele gear, I was without, so ended up on 210 XCD GTs, rental leather boots and who knows what poles. My nephew reported later that as they waited patiently at the bottom for me to flail down the bump run, his friend observed that "some guys seem to really go out their way to make life difficult for themselves." I have never forgotten that. It could be a motto for the Knights.

Anyway, the Knights need to man up and revert to wood and leather. Metal edges are overrated. Bamboo poles FTW!

I have discovered a disconnect: do the Knights realize that their pro-model skis are all too phat?

http://templarskis.com/

In particular, this one:

http://templarskis.com/?product=the-knight

Well I think the problem is you were trying to ski Alpine terrain on XCD gear.  That's just dumb... unless you are like a 9+ on that other thread.

XCD is low angle and mellow.  It's not TGR hard chargin', dick swingin'.

XCD is drinkin' a beer on the porch with the acoustic guitar, not crankin' the Marshalls at the club.

XCD isn't resort skiing by any means.

XCD is about the personal journey, not showing your friends how cool you look on your new phat skis.

XCD is about sayin' fuck the guy who says "some people just make it hard for themselves" because XCD skiers don't give a fuck what he thinks.

And PS, those skis aren't Knight skis... stole the name.  Knights of XCD had been in business for many years prior.

Knights are good with wood too.  Bamboo is fine.  Synthetic boots are not out the realm as well as long as they allow your foot to move free.

If you can't do a full Nordic stride, then how is it XC?  It's not-XC, D.  Capiche?  The day you see a XC track skier in a hard shell plastic boot is the day I guarantee the Knights change their ruling.

Telemark and XCD used to be kinda the same thing.  At some point that diverged.  PInnah knew this (if you don't know who Dave "Pinnah" Mann is, then... well... sheesh...).  He knew XCD was the weird ground in between track skiing and Telemark.  He also went against he Knights in that he called Excursion class boots XCD, but he also denounced them as being even remotely XC related.  Well Dave had a website so a lot of people got the idea that plastic was XCD... even though he didn't really endorse it.  He just made people aware the there were light, low cuff plastic boots available that are every bit telemark boots with less buckles and lower height.  An Excursion/Libero/T4 much more closely relates to a T2 than it does an Alpina Alaska (a current leather XCD boot).  And you can take an Alpina Alaska and go track skiing, and even skate with the NNN version, and not even notice much impedance other than the added weight.  You can't say the same for the E/L/T4.

Anyway, that other TR made me think of the Knights.  I thought maybe this forum was ready... but maybe not.

Yo, Sir Mike of the Knights, hear my confession: I have been sent by Ullr to pull your chain, thereby testing your fortitude and dedication to the Way of Pow. The Pow is strong within you but the Knights have steered you into a course of single-minded dedication to their methods. XCD is a potent combination of skill and technique but it is only one way to slide on snow. In the Way of Pow there are many ways. I believe that the denizens of NYSB are open to learning lessons from the Knights but, for many, the Nordic roots are not as strong. Learning these lessons will take some time.

As the guru of XCD himself said:

 

Steve Barnett wrote

And no matter what gear they’re on, or what type of tour they’re doing, everybody has a good time.

Hahahaha... I'm a very serious guy SBR.  Don't ever forget that!

Gee... I think I said about 20 different ways no one, even the Knights, care how you slide on the snow...  they only care that if you are going to call it XCD, you keep some semblance of XC in there.

And lest you forget, you don't get to just be a Knight.  To be a Knight, they must choose you.  You can choose to follow the wisdom, or you can do whatever the hell you want, nobody gives a flyin' flock.  Again the Knights only care about preserving XC in XCD.

I've skied Alpine and track set and skate XC... but to me they were too popular and rigid and the fun was gone... well I gave them up.  I didn't even know about the Knights then.  I just wanted to do something new and different.  Like I say, I didn't seek the Knights, the Knights found me.

My mind is open and my heel is free... I'm only telling the lore of the Knights to remind you crazy, overstimulated DH focused skiers that there are more ways to slide on the snow than the ones that are popular.

hmm.  I've been too busy skiing to notice this silly thread.  It's all skiing. The knights are myopic weenies. I could XC them into the quagmire they crawled out of.  Not just XC, but XCD.  Jeez... That's all I've been doing since '83.  Leather? Sure. Plastic? Yup. Plasticized Leather...that too. All good.  Methinks the knights are so busy on the interwebb that they have gone blind from mental masturbation.. F-tards.   They should make a pilgrimage to Norway.  There they can try to pass off there misinterpreted vision of skiing and see how far they get.  Not far, say I.  I've been there.  You Knights have no friggen clue.  NONE..   In fact, the whole delusional idealology behind your tunnel vision seems to be derived from some random vague memory of someone's opinion on equipment best forgotten.

Just Sayin'...

TD.  

Ouch.  A lot of hate in that post TD.

I'll pass it on to the council...

TD, Possibly in your blind rage of hate, you missed this major point:

I'm amazed to see that after all these years, the XCD concept is still not clear for most people. I think that's why, after several years of radio silence, the Knights are back and more active than ever to clarify this and protect the XCD dogma. I can definitely feel the Knights resurgence and the reason behind it.

Should you care about whether your skis and boots are XCD? Should you care about whether you're doing telemark or XCD? Absolutely not. Fun is the only thing that matters. You're not a hotter skier because you're doing the XCD thing instead of just telemarking.

XCD = XC gear: Leather shoes, no buckles, no cables, no plastic. Just fun.
Telemark = Everything else. Just as fun too.

MikeK wrote

TD, Possibly in your blind rage of hate, you missed this major point:

I'm amazed to see that after all these years, the XCD concept is still not clear for most people. I think that's why, after several years of radio silence, the Knights are back and more active than ever to clarify this and protect the XCD dogma. I can definitely feel the Knights resurgence and the reason behind it.

Should you care about whether your skis and boots are XCD? Should you care about whether you're doing telemark or XCD? Absolutely not. Fun is the only thing that matters. You're not a hotter skier because you're doing the XCD thing instead of just telemarking.

XCD = XC gear: Leather shoes, no buckles, no cables, no plastic. Just fun.
Telemark = Everything else. Just as fun too.

Hook,line and sinker.

That was too easy.

The punter Knights are about to get schooled by the Birkebeinerne.

We're on a mission from Ullr, as commanded by Odin Himself, Greatest of the Aesir.  

Hey I'm no Knight... Keep that lurk to yourself!

Telemark Dave wrote

And I thought my XCD Ultras were well-used.  Nice, TD!

MikeK wrote

Hey I'm no Knight... Keep that lurk to yourself!

Well, in all honesty, the only one likely to get hurt by it is me.  But I haven't done any stooopid things for a while so I'm due.

Thanks Jeff.  Actually they're in good shape, compared to my Merrill Snowfields. They're slippers. I bought the Heirlings used a few years ago for $20.  1/2 size too small, but without foot beds, and clipped toenails they're tolerable. Lots of sentimental value, as my first pair of Teleboots in 1983 were pretty much the same boot.  

Oh, and Mike, the Lurk came from Sweden, carved from a birch from Norway.. I got it in Vemdalen Sweden in 1991 while I was competing at the World Tele Championships...  So it too has great sentimental value.  Time to rock it again.  

Asolo Snowfields?  Possible my favorite piece of gear ever. 25 years old, still in use, skied them during Jonas.

Telemark Dave wrote

Well, in all honesty, the only one likely to get hurt by it is me.  But I haven't done any stooopid things for a while so I'm due.

Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this, but that was probably the funniest post of the year.