Why do people Telemark?

Frankly, I never understood why someone would purposely use an inferior binding and a ridiculously inefficient technique.

Follow-up question, why is it that many/most telemark skiers just aren't very good?  You would think that only an accomplished skier would take up such an arcane pastime but that's clearly not the case.  So many people skiing with telemark bindings have terrible fundamentals.  They don't face the fall line, they drag their uphill pole, they skid every turn because they don't know how to use their edges.  Sure there are some that know how to ski but they're the exception.

Skiing of all types isn't really all that efficient.  Staying on the chairlift and riding back down probably uses less energy and might be just as fast.  Sex the old fashioned way isn't that efficient either. Something with test tubes can probably produce more children more quickly, with less energy wasted.

Life isn't all about efficiency. Sometimes fun has to be considered.

If your underlying message is that you don't think telemarking is fun, that just proves that people are all different.

With regard to the level of skiers teleing and alpining - IMO a few years ago teleskiers (at lift served hills) were great skiers who had moved on from alpine, for a new challenge. It seems like now you definitely see more pure beginners. I think gear improvements are making it more popular.

I'm not a great skier. I came to tele from nordic and have never alpined. One thing I like about it - I can ski with my wife (she's on alpine gear now) and we can ski together and both be challenged. I guess the inefficiency works for us.

Props for the way this idea was presented this time.

I have seen some rippin' teleskiers at Gore.

I like watching a good tele skier when I see one. I know next to nothing about it, but I'm told theres many different types of turns. Those dropping a knee on every turn, making it look easy are cool to watch. It looks like it takes more physical effort then alpine.

Harvey44 wrote

  Sex the old fashioned way isn't that efficient either. Something with test tubes can probably produce more children more quickly, with less energy wasted.

Welllll, the costs inherent with test tube fertilizations will far exceed the costs of " hey baby, want me to get ya poppin?"

Harvey44 wrote

If your underlying message is that you don't think telemarking is fun, that just proves that people are all different.

Since those that completely suck invariably come from a "nordic" background  how would they know it's more "fun" than something they've never done?  

(Edited for gratuitous snarkiness.)

Highpeaksdrifter wrote

I like watching a good tele skier when I see one.

So do I.  It's like seeing a Yeti.

Highpeaksdrifter wrote

I know next to nothing about it, but I'm told theres many different types of turns.

  Actually there's just two:  Silly and stupid.

Highpeaksdrifter wrote

It looks like it takes more physical effort then alpine.

So does walking around with a piano strapped to your back.


BTW, this thread is somewhat tongue-in-cheek.  But I'm certainly not the first one to notice that people on telemark equipment often don't know the first thing about skiing.

I saw this guy dropping the knee off highline...this picture is from near the cave this fall

The tele turn is total flow and groove once you get the hang of it. Bumps/moguls become way smoother and you have the ability to flex and extend in ways you never can on alpines. Plus with stiff boots and shaped skis, it's quite easy. I wouldn't tele if I had to ski on 200cm skis and leather boots.

I'm not sure if this link will work, but here is a video of me skiing Whistler-Blackcomb for my 40th B-day last March. The only boards my wife and I brought out Whistler from NJ were our teles. Legs never wore out the entire week. There are a lot of people who tele really well, you just have to know who they are or where they ski. Tele'ing well is like anything; desire, practice and skiing/lessons from experts. Try it, you might surprise yourself in a positive way!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsLFReXt2gw

free the heel ... free the mind . ive been skiing with freeheels for 20 plus years .started on leather lace up skinny double camber skiis. i ski the WHOLE mt nobody waits for me.obviously lingerlonger is in a totally different ability level than anyone else. so narrow minded perhaps even bigoted

I truly believe some of the tele skiers at Gore are some of the best skiers on the mountain.  LL just gets off on stirring the pot.  I am envious as I am a fixed heeler that does dabble in the back country(fisher back country skis with leather touring boots).  I used to have three pins set up on my old Dynastar Omesofts(I climbed and skied Alpine Meadows with them) that I would ski at Brodie (yeah it used to be a ski area) but never got into the serious equipment.  AT probably intrigues me more because I like the earn your turns part of it but the finances keep me from a new quiver(the gear source had a nice pair of Salomon Lords with an AT set up, but I never found out what they wanted for them...Jeff?).  I wonder where LL is going in the Selkirks...probably some internet cafe in Nelson

I think most people who love to tele probably do enjoy the range of movement that the gear allows. Even James who admits he doesn't really see the appeal, admits that I LOOK like I'm having fun when I get into bumps of natural snow.  I actually think that in the kind of conditions we skied at Hickory this past weekend tele was an advantage. The alpine skiers and the one snowboarder I saw looked to be working hard.

lingerlonger wrote

Harvey44 wrote

If your underlying message is that you don't think telemarking is fun, that just proves that people are all different.

Since those that completely suck invariably come from a "nordic" background how would they know it's more "fun" than something they've never done?

I didn't say that I thought telemarking was more fun than alpine skiing, just that it was fun. I've only skied fixed heel a couple days, so I don't have a real basis for comparison.

Snowballs LOL ... I may have chosen a bad analogy for the efficiency argument.  I guess it depends if you include the cost of engagement rings and real estate in the "hey baby, want me to get ya poppin?" method!

Ugh.

This is such an obvious troll that I don't even think it's worth my time.  But . . .

Telemark skiing is a choice.  Like Snowboarding, wearing a helmet, or drinking alcohol, you can choose whether to do it or not.  If you don't like it, there's an easy solution: don't do it.

But don't bother the people who do it (or are trying to learn).  You probably suck at skiing, but you don't see me complaining about it, do you?

sudsnbumps wrote

I truly believe some of the tele skiers at Gore are some of the best skiers on the mountain.  

Ain't that the truth!

"You would be correct, Mademoiselle."  Poetry in motion, ballet some say.

However, some of my best friends are knuckle-draggers, problem is, only they can turn on a dime, when I need more time. (I'm an Alpinist, I'm afraid)

How do they do those things they do?  

They have the aptitude and passion for their Snowsport, it goes with the toes, or heels.  What works,... works.

It all goes downhill, preferably in the fall-line, if you're so inclined, go left, then right and ease your mind.

So, do what you do until you best it and leave the rest until you are ready and seek some new and worthy test.

As for me, I enjoy the steep and deep and try not to bark up the wrong tree.

Ski You Later, Safe Home.

there are many alpine skiers with much inferior equipment  and technique.snowboarding has many downsides also to me .how ever i dont group and discriminate .tele bindings make getting around so much efficiant.

lingerlonger wrote

Frankly, I never understood why someone would purposely use an inferior binding and a ridiculously inefficient technique.

Follow-up question, why is it that many/most telemark skiers just aren't very good?  You would think that only an accomplished skier would take up such an arcane pastime but that's clearly not the case.  So many people skiing with telemark bindings have terrible fundamentals.  They don't face the fall line, they drag their uphill pole, they skid every turn because they don't know how to use their edges.  Sure there are some that know how to ski but they're the exception.

It would seem you know a lot about crappy tele turns----do you tele??

I don't and have no desire to learn. I will say that one of the best rippers I've ever skied with was a tele skier, the dude just rocked.