![]() ![]() The history of snowsports is a convoluted web of incremental breakthroughs and simultaneous discoveries, as utilitarian methods of transportation became sports and pastimes. If there doesn’t appear to be any practical benefit to telemark skiing, then why does it exist? To understand its status as a seemingly vestigial organ, we need to look at how skiing has evolved through time. They may say something like “I get more face shots on powder days because I’m down closer to the snow,” but often they also want to stick out from the pack: “Free the heel, free the mind.” You can roll your eyes all you want, but if someone’s having fun on tele gear, there’s not much sense in arguing with them. Usually, a tele skier’s justification will sound a lot like someone who still shoots film photos or listens to vinyl. If you ask a telemark skier, they probably wouldn’t own up to either of those explanations. So why would anyone choose to add an intense quad workout to their supposedly “fun” ski outing? Well, some folks like to show off their perfectly chiseled thighs during the warmer months, others are just masochists. Personal trainers and telemark fanatics may quibble with my comparison: a proper telemark turn isn’t quite as deep as a lunge you might see at your local 24 Hour Fitness, but the point stands: the added effort of each individual telemark turn adds up to a lot more work. How many individual turns do you make over a day of skiing? Setting aside the sharp metal edges and slick snow surface, just doing that many lunges in a gym would be an incredible exertion. Does that sound easier than a telemark turn? It is. As they initiate a turn, they lean forward down the fall line and place pressure on the shins of their boots, but their heels don’t lift, so they aren’t doing a lunge for each and every turn. What Are the Differences?Ĭontrast this with an alpine or downhill skier, who has both heels and toes connected to their skis. I suggest you log off, tune out, and get out there to enjoy the snow…after finishing this article, of course. The point is that people will argue indefinitely about why the sub-discipline they’re passionate about is superior. ![]() Like many similar discussions, there’s a grain of truth to each side’s arguments but the only way to truly lose this fight is to get so wrapped up in being correct that you lose sight of what really matters: skiing is ultimately about fun, and as long as you’re having fun on the snow, how you attach your feet to your skis is in service of that goal.ĭoes music sound better on vinyl or digital? There’s a debate to be had over the quality of early digital recordings, but the end goal is listening to great music! Are manual gearboxes obsolete in the age of the dual-clutch transmission? Some people care about more than how long it takes to change a gear. It’s a long-simmering stand-off that’s mostly good-natured-despite what you might read online.īut what is telemark skiing? How is it different from alpine skiing, and why do certain skiers ardently prefer one style over the other? To answer these questions, we have to trace the history of skiing through the years and learn a bit about how the design of ski gear has changed along the way. However, if you want a more baroque controversy, a war waged with muddy bumper-sticker slogans and derisive hippie-bashing, the undercard fight to follow is telemark skiers versus downhill skiers. When it comes to debates about snowsports, the decision to opt for skis or a snowboard is perhaps the most infamous. ![]()
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