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Ah, Telemark skis.
Nothing, save for cross
country skis, causes
more confusion than talk
of these mythical
creatures. The closest
most skiers have come to
a Tele ski is catching a
gentle whiff of that
furry-faced local guy
with the “broken
bindings” as he rips
past you on the hill. No
more, we’ll have you
straightened out in no
time.
So…………what exactly are
these things?
Skis, dummy. No, no, the
answer is a little more
complex than that. Much
like their Alpine
cousins, there are a few
different flavors of
Telemark skis. Much of
what you know from the
stiff boot alpine crowd
will hold true for
Telemark skis as well.
There are fat skis,
skinny skis, soft skis,
stiff skis and about
every combination of the
aforementioned. With
that said, let’s talk
about the three most
important things for a
Telemark ski: width,
shape, and flex.
You like fattys don’t
you?
So, width is pretty
obvious. The ski is X-mm
wide in certain places
on the ski. You’ll see
the ski’s dimensions
quoted as 3 numbers.
These numbers give you
the tip/waist
(underfoot)/tail
measurements. Skis keep
getting fatter and
fatter, and this allows
each to specialize in
certain snow conditions.
You will see the skis
broken up into 4
categories: narrow/hard
pack, mid-fat, fat, and,
well, real fat.
The hard pack skis
usually have a fairly
narrow waist
(underfoot), generally
less than about 75mm.
These critters are
fairly stiff in
comparison to their
fatter buddies, and
being narrower, they are
quicker edge to edge.
This means that you can
transition from one ski
to the other quickly.
The more time you are on
your edge, the more
control you’ll have, and
the faster your
“tele-beard” grows
(ladies are not exempt
from this). They tend to
not do as well in the
fluffy new stuff, but
thrive in snow that
looks like the corduroy
pants of the quiet girl
that works at the coffee
shop. Additionally, for
you kids that like to
ski bumps, these skis
are for you. Quick short
turn radius skis are
great in bumps. Some
standouts in this
category include: K2
She’s Piste & Super
Stinx.
The mid-fat skis are a
little bigger (really?)
than the hard pack skis.
They are generally
considered the all
around skis. They do
well on hard pack, and
are decent in new snow.
They are usually around
73mm to 79mm underfoot.
They are great skis for
areas where you get big
infrequent storms
followed by glorious
high pressure and
bluebird days. Consider
these the SUVs of the
Tele world. Some
favorites around here
are the K2 World Piste,
Schi Devil, and the cool
new G3 Ticket.
Next up are the fat
skis. These are like
linebackers; fat, but
amazingly quick for
their size. They are
generally 80mm to just
under 90mm underfoot.
These are skis that are
noticeably big when you
see them. It’s not
uncommon for these to
have 125mm+ shovels on
them. They are great all
around skis for areas
that receive their
annual snowfall in many
small storms. That means
there is usually some
powder to be had
somewhere. These skis
are still okay carving
on the front side,
skiing from powder stash
to powder stash.
Describing their carving
prowess is like
describing a 1986 Chevy
with a 3 inch lift in
Indy car terms; it
doesn’t translate well.
Nonetheless, they can be
great all around skis.
Some shop favorites
might be: K2 Work Stinx
and the Atomic Kongur.
Last are the “Jabbas”.
These are big fat skis.
These things are
monstrous, sporting more
than 88mm of underfoot
powder love. These are a
great choice for a
second pair of skis for
those days that are
deeper than your
freshman Philosophy
professor. Some wide
examples of these are
the Black Diamond
Verdict and the K2 Hippy
Stinx.
More Shape than a Van
Gogh
We have grouped the
shaping of Telemark skis
in roughly three
categories: not a lot, a
lot, and a whole lot.
The “not a lots” are
what tele skis used to
be back-in-the-day.
These have narrow tails
and usually slide or
release quickly from a
turn. Because of this,
they are for making long
radius turns. If this is
your gig, then look for
something with less than
31mm of sidecut. You’re
not going to find much.
Next up are the “a lot”
skis. These will
actually turn, not slide
through a turn, thus
they are the most
popular. These skis have
a sidecut from around
32mm to 37mm.
The “whole lot” bunch
are the carving specific
skis. These little
sports cars will turn
faster than the girl’s
head in The Exorcist.
Bump skiers or people
that like skiing right
down the fall line will
love these things. When
you add a stout flex,
well, just make sure you
eat your Wheaties before
you hop on one of these.
Gymnastics - How
flexible are you?
Ah…….. Flex. If you want
to get a tele-skier
worked up, all you have
to do is disagree about
the way a ski flexes.
First off let’s get a
few things straight;
flex and stiffness are
not the same thing. Skis
flex longitudinally (tip
to tail) and torsionally
(edge to edge). How much
or how little the ski
flexes is a reference to
its stiffness. Softer
flexing skis don’t
perform as well as
stiffer skis in anything
but powder; side edge
hold in soft snow is
about as useful as a
screen door on a
submarine. On the
upside, a soft ski is
great to learn on and is
less demanding to ski on
physically. A stiff ski,
on the other hand, will
hold an edge better on
hard pack to help you
reach a speed close to
that of the space
shuttle on re-entry.
Manufactures have
learned that tele skiers
are particular about
flex and have figured
out ways to alter it.
Nowhere is this more
evident than in women’s
skis. Women apply
pressure to a ski
differently than a big
hairy dude does.
Surprised? No wonder
you’re single and
reading about skis
rather than skiing with
your, well whatever you
have. There is a
difference between men’s
and women’s skis. The
difference is primarily
flex and weight. Since
ladies tend to be
lighter, the
manufactures soften up
the skis a bit.
So…………..the three things
you should check out on
Telemark skis are width,
shape, and flex. So have
at it, grow out your
beard and free your
heels!
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