Telemark Skiers, I need your help!

Free you heel and ski fo real!

1996 Dude at my local resort ripped on them and was able to get face shots when I wasn't

Everywhere, Home mountain Sun Valley but on the road more that home during the winter


Frustrating, I would say 2 years till comfortable on all terrain


Daily

Tele skiers don't give a fuck, and they will tell you too. They are the loudest group of people calming not to care.

The Tele Nationals (fun race) no comps on the free heel.

Name: CJ Coccia

When did you begin telemark skiing and why?
- i began tele-ing in 2011 (i believe). up until then i had only snowboarded but in the later seasons began to lose appreciation for it and found myself making the trip to the mountains maybe 3-4 times a season. a friend i skateboarded with regularly had gone through the same thing and had picked up tele-ing about 4-5 years prior and at some point convinced me to give it a try. my first day was during the opening weekend at copper, and man it sucked... i broke a pole, fell in the lift line trying to skate, sweated way too much, and raised concern in about every ski patroller, volunteer, or yellow jacket i passed. towards the end of the day i think i made one turn with a dropped knee (worst style). after that afternoon, i got home, opened a beer, and posted all of my snowboard crap on craigslist.


Where do you ski?
- i ski all around Colorado, but Copper always has a special place in my heart =).


What was your learning curve like? Amount of time to feel comfortable? Struggles you may have come upon?
- i think for everyone this is very different. i know people who have tele-d for 4-5 years and they still can't make the turn right, and others that pick it up very naturally. i was lucky enough to pick it up fairly quickly in about a season. and by pick it up i mean link fairly strong turns on most clean runs. it took more another 1-2 seasons to really start feeling somewhat OK about being in the bumps and trees. it helped a lot to have a friend who was willing to yell at me for my whole first season until i got it right. i think one of the biggest struggles one may have is not engaging the turn correctly.. many like to refer to this as poodling. this is essentially sticking your back foot way behind you and not pressuring both skis equally. it looks bad and you have no control. it helps a lot to learn around somebody who knows how to tele so they can pick out if you start to do this and help you get back into a better form. biggest thing i was told to do when learning was "butt to boot". this forces you to not poodle and ski low. eventually once you get it, you can start skiing taller if you want.


Have you had any injuries or life threatening experience while telemark skiing, whether touring or at a resort?
- completely shredded the ligament in my thumb a few seasons ago falling in the park. had to get surgery to re-attach the ligament. oh, and a lot of bruised ego.


What would you define telemark skiing culture as and how does it differ from the rest of the skiing culture?
- i think telemark culture is no different or offset from alpine than a park rat is from an AT head. we are all different and we all see our skiing in a different way, it doesn't matter what bindings you are riding. i think there is some appreciation among tele-ers for people who are ripping, but again.. that is shared in alpine too. i guess telemark skiers do share a wealthy bundle of jokes to make fun of our own community though... HOW MANY TELEMARK SKIERS DOES IT TAKE TO SCREW IN A LIGHTBULB? 4, ONE TO SCREW IT IN AND 3 TO TELL HIM HOW GOOD HIS TURNS LOOKED.


Have you ever participated in freestyle skiing or competitive racing on telemark skis and what was that experience like?
- i haven't... look to Dylan for that one! my buddy did win a race at eldora and was crowned as the fastest tele-er at eldora 2 years ago.. i don't think it got him laid though.


Feel free to explain anything else you wish about your experience as a telemark skier, good or bad. Personal stories are welcome or deeper insights as to what being a skier in general means to you and your lifestyle.
- i have never alpined so i have no idea what the other side of the fence is like. i know i love skiing and my form happens to be tele at the moment. it has revived my love for the mountains and the communities that accompany it. it offers so many chances to dork, whether on groomers, steeps, trees, or park. and for me that is what it is all about. if you can find something that you can rely on to make you happy.. that is all you need.

#telemarkNS

TerritohreeHey, so I'm writing a paper cross referencing telemark skiing and my training in modern dance on a cultural, physical, and psychological level for my movement in culture class. If you've ever telemark skied, even just tried it, please answer these questions either bellow or in my inbox. Thanks so much!

Name:

Austin

When did you begin telemark skiing and why?

Last year, I got used skis for christmas. I had always wanted to try.

Where do you ski?

Holiday Valley NY

What was your learning curve like? Amount of time to feel comfortable? Struggles you may have come upon?

The learning curve was very frustrating, as it is really strange. It took a solid day to become comfortable doing it, Once you get the mindset of what to do its sick! Sliding out or not kneeling down enough in my turns happened a lot.

Have you had any injuries or life threatening experience while telemark skiing, whether touring or at a resort?
Nope.

What would you define telemark skiing culture as and how does it differ from the rest of the skiing culture?

Far more chill haha, its pretty badass once your good at it. The guys and girls at my local hill that shred are amazing to watch and they are always smiling.

Have you ever participated in freestyle skiing or competitive racing on telemark skis and what was that experience like?

I've never done any competitions

Feel free to explain anything else you wish about your experience as a telemark skier, good or bad. Personal stories are welcome or deeper insights as to what being a skier in general means to you and your lifestyle.

Its awesome, its are crazy workout and its a blast once you've got the hang of it. I enjoy regular skiing far more, just because i've been doing it for longer. I would definitely change to tele skiing eventually, just not yet lol.

My name is Kayla.
I began telemarking when I was 10 years old because my dad is a badass backcountry telemarking guru in the Wasatch. I always thought it was kind of cool and both of my parents did it, so I gave it a shot.
I ski at Brighton, Snowbird, and Alta.
Learning curve sucked, only because I didn't dedicate myself to it for a while. I half-assed trying to learn for the longest time, and finally really put myself into it and started getting results. By age 13 I was super comfortable telemarking (and not just making parallel turns) in any terrain and joined the Alta Freeride Team as the only telemarker. Keeping up with those fucks made it better. Learning curve in park has been more frustrating, but again- dedication has made it come a long ways.
Light injuries, yes. Life threatening experiences, no.
The telemark culture varies where you go to see it. The old school tele culture is wild and free, old salty fucks who don't care and just want to have fun. Then you find that niche of super stuck up dweebs who think they're cool because they're different (nobody likes them). And then there is an emerging new telemark culture that in my mind is really no different. We're down to earth individuals who like to ski and rally just as much as the person next to us. Just because we're telemarkers doesn't mean that we need special treatment or attention.
I've competed in the alpine big mountain circuit as a freeheeler and it was ridiculously fun. I was not judged any differently, and just had a good time skiing and competing with friends. Will be joining the tele big mountain comps this year if they're hosting them again.

Skiing has been a lifestyle for it. I've grown up in it with family, competed in it with friends, and I think that I've successfully found my comfortable niche, just skiing for myself. This will be my 13 season as a telemarker, and I don't see that changing any time soon. People ask me why I do it, why I add more work for myself, and honestly it's just fun as fuck and I don't suck at it. Bringing telemarking to new levels, breaking boundaries and doing things that haven't been done before freestyle-wise, that's what I love.

Name: Taylor


When did you begin telemark skiing and why?

I began telemark skiing in 2002 or 2003? I was about 8 years old. My dad has been a telemark skier since the mid 1980s. He got me onto telemark skis as soon as my feet were big enough to fit in the smallest kids telemark boots that were available.

Where do you ski?

I have had a season pass at Alta for as long as I can remember. I have also had a season pass at the Canyons and skied quite a bit of park a few years.

What was your learning curve like?

Amount of time to feel comfortable? Struggles you may have come upon? I honestly don't remember the learning curve a whole lot. My dad just kind of let me do my thing and I picked it up pretty quick.

Have you had any injuries or life threatening experience while telemark skiing, whether touring or at a resort?

I fortunately have not had any major injuries or life threatening experiences telemark skiing.

What would you define telemark skiing culture as and how does it differ from the rest of the skiing culture?

I think that the telemark ski culture seems to be a more tight knit group of people. Some people say that telemark is dying because AT skiing is taking over. Personally I don't believe that. I have been mostly a resort skier my entire life, and I telemark because I love the feeling of the telemark turn, not because you can walk up hill easier. I can make alpine turns on telemark gear and honestly for me its boring. Yes, I do make alpine turns but telemark turns are 10 times as fun to me.

Have you ever participated in freestyle skiing or competitive racing on telemark skis and what was that experience like?

Freestyle skiing yes, to me I see no reason as to why I have to be on alpine skis to ski the park, ski switch, or drop cliffs.

Feel free to explain anything else you wish about your experience as a telemark skier, good or bad. Personal stories are welcome or deeper insights as to what being a skier in general means to you and your lifestyle.

I honestly wish that everyone would give telemark a try. Learn the feeling of a telemark turn, if its not for you its not for you. I like telemark skiing because its fun to me.