Welcome to the world of telemarking. We hope this simple introduction will give you a sense of where you are and the steps you might consider to begin the life-long quest for the perfect telemark turn.
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The telemark turn requires the freedom of the heel - the unrestricted ability to move as our body was designed to move without the imprisonment of a locked down heel. Weight is equally applied to both skis with the downhill ski forward and the uphill ski back.
Telemark skiers were the original skiers born of leather boots and wooden skis. Over the years the desire for more and more power produced generations of skiers with locked heels until cross country skiers and alpine skiers began searching for a better middle ground. A technique and style of equipment that was comfortable for walking and solid for turning with the minimum of technology.
- Today's skis are lightweight cousins of the high performance alpine skis
- Plastic telemark boots are like alpine boots but flex at the toe
- The stance is similar to the alpine stance but the downhill ski is pushed forward and the uphill ski is pushed back and both knees are dropped.
- Bindings are simple attaching the toe of the boot to the ski with a clamp or via a cable pushing down from the heel
Once you have some equipment and a comfortable standing on your skis find a very gentle slope and allow yourself to fall down uphill, leave your skis downhill from your position and push yourself back up on top of your skis. Practice sliding down the hill in the telemark position with your backside above your rear heel and your nose, and front knee above your front toe. Practice sliding and changing which ski is the lead ski as you would walking. The more weight you apply to your lead ski the faster you will turn.
So much further to travel and so little time to get there. Ah the temptations abound to just buy your way to nirvana with better skis, bigger boots - but no! Consider this sage advice.
Are you interested in on-piste (groomed slopes) or off piste (ungroomed) advice?
On-Piste Advice
- Keep your skis closer together
- Tuck your rear knee in behind the lead knee
- Finish one turn and immediately start another
- Focus on equal pressure on each ski
- Slide the back foot forward
- Press with the big toe (lead ski) and the little toe (rear ski)
- Face down the hill
- Practice the telemark position
- Try tightening and loosening your boots
- Ski without your poles
- Practice small, quiet turns
Off Piste Advice
- Stay on top of your skis
- Keep your skis closer together
- Tuck your rear knee in behind the lead knee
- Finish one turn and immediately start another
- Extend upwards between turns and contract during turns
- Press with the big toe (lead ski) and the little toe (rear ski)
- Allow yourself to get sucked down the fall line
So many of us live our entire lives here ever searching for the elusive perfect telemark turn. Here are some great tools to continue the search.
Are you interested in on-piste (groomed slopes) or off piste (ungroomed) advice?
On Piste Advice
- Slide the front ski back
- Pole plant downhill
- Find your perfect stance - try high and low
- Practice aggressive angulation (downhill lean) as the slopes steepen
- Concentrate on carving your skis rather than skidding through turns
- Follow a better skiers tracks
- Practice short, fast turns
- Feel the anticipation of the next turn by practicing "hockey stops"
- Allow your skis to move faster - never stop.
Off Piste Advice
- Bounce your skis through the turns
- Allow your skis to move faster - never stop
- Face down the hill
- Practice aggressive angulation (downhill lean) as the slopes steepen
- Concentrate on carving your skis rather than skidding through turns
- Enjoy and evaluate your tracks
- Feel the rhythm
- Bounce your skis through the air as if it were snow and through the snow as if it were air
- It gets easier a little faster
You are probably just reading this information to check if were are wrong cause you know just about all there is to know about the telemark turn so here it is just to review of course....
On-Piste
- Extend upwards between turns and contract during turns
- Punch your uphill hand downhill
- Practice aggressive angulation (downhill lean) as the slopes steepen
- Ski the trees or gates
- As your torso twists one way let it twist your skis the other way
- Practice jump turns
Off-Piste
- Stay relaxed
- Make short, fast turns
- Ski the trees
- Bounce your skis through the air as if it were snow and through the snow as if it were air
- Ski one big ski not two
Congratulations - you made it - and what a fine trip it was. You don't need the advice that relates to on-piste or off-piste because you understand that they are both the same. You are at one with the snow and feel its every subtlety with heavenly bliss.