My Quest for the Best All Mountain Telemark Ski

A few years ago, I was in my mid thirties and was ripping the mountain.

I remember that I could ski quick turns in tight trees, jump off (small) cliffs, rip throught moguls…

THIS IS WHAT TELELAMRK IS ALL ABOUT.

But in the last 4-5 years, I’ve considerably slowed down. I don’t get the same feeling, the same ripping feeling.

I’ve done a series about the telemark ski evolution and it made me realized that telemark is a feeling and what ever the era of equipement, it remains FUN

But this latest generation of ALL MOUNTAIN SKIS just doesn’t seem to work for me.

Or did I just get older?

Are alpine skiers just getting better and I can’t keep up anymore?

Is it me or the equipment?

This descent in my confidence to ski all terrain, rip and turn heads started when I tried the Black Diamond Helio 95mm in 2018. I choose a smaller size at 173cm instead of the 178cm I’m usually going for.

I have a friend who had the Helio 105 in a shorter lenght and he liked it a lot, praising the small size to manoeuvre in tight trees.

Well the Helio 95mm in a short size didn’t work. At all.

For general information on ski selectrion I have wrote a blog on the subject here.

This blog will only be covering problems for resort oriented all around, all mountain ski in this blog.

Fat skis used for powder do not suffer from those issues.

These are my evolving thoughts as of March 2022.

 

This is the story of my quest to find the best All Mountain Telemark ski.

Note: I have a prodeal with Black Diamond Equipment like most industry professional. I can have prodeals with most ski manufacturers but I’ve been skiing BD for 14 years because they serve me well. I still pay for most of my skis.

This is my story, my skis, the thoughts shared here are mine and reflects my experience:

Skier: Rene-Martin
Year telemark skiing: 26 

Weight: 200 pounds
Height: 6.1 ft
Days on snow: 100 days a year (around 60 resort skiing, 40 backcountry)

In the resort I ski Le MASSIF:
800m vertical drop Eastern Canada snow of average 6m of snowfall
I would say this is about  30% on hardpack groomed runs
40% of somewhat chopped snow/moguls/tree skiing
15% powder. Always in tree skiing where manoeuvrability is key
15% pur ice that gets your knees to hurt

My Experience with ski brands and testing.

First, I’ve been telemark skiing for a 25+ years.

I’ve tried hundreds of skis over the years.

Some years, around 2004-2006,when telemark was at it’s peak of popularity, I would even go at test events to review telemark skis for specialized magasine.

Nowadays, telemark demos are hard to find.

But I work as a ski patroller at Le Massif where about 20 of us are on telemark.

So even in recent years, I’ve tried a lot of different setup.

Atomic, Volk, Rossignol, Nordica, Blizzard, Salomon, Moment, Dynastar, Armada, Xalibu at almost all Black Diamond skis in the last 14 years…

Even with all this testing, I don’t consider myself a great tester. It takes me some time to identify what works in a ski or a binding.

With years, I’ve become better and better at identifying what works and what doesn’t.

THE QUEST

All Alpine skiers are going faster today, it’s easier than ever to ski powder, to carve. We can see that alpine skiers have really gained from modern ski shapes.
I want a great all mountain ski that performs well in bumps, trees, and somewhat carve on hardpack. Powder is a bonus.

I’ve been looking for a ski that works for telemark in the 85-95mm range. That’s the width of the ski under foot.

Most skis under 90mm are just too stiff and mainly aimed at carving. The industry calls them all mountain skis or front side skis, but really it’s meant to ski 75% on groomers and occasional powder, chopped powder. No moguls, no eastern tree skiing where there’s always bumps, powder or chopper powder

Most 90 to 95mm skis are oriented for light touring. Those skis like the BD Helio 95mm not only have gone stiffer and stiffer but this combined with the lightess makes the skis very unstable for the variaty of snow a resort have. It’s just not damp enought.

There are skis that works but in general, for me at least, I have not found a perfect all mountain telemark skis for a LONG time.

And it made me think, what is the greatest all around telemark ski I’ve ever tried?

Tua Excalibur?
K2 World Piste?
Rossignol Big Bang?
These skis where great but are from another era. Boots where smaller and softer, binding where neutral or barely active.
No one can argue that todays telemark equipment has brought performance to another level.
NTN for sure but also AXL binding have changed the game
Those skis mentioned above worked really good. But the mid 90’s early 2000 skis are not the best skis I’ve own.
I remeber that before active binding, skis wider than 90mm were hard to manage.
So what is my favorite all mountain telemark ski in a recent era?
It’s got to be between the BD Aspect 2010-2011 and the BD Warrant 2012-2013.
I really loved these skis and still regret selling them. (I’ll buy them back Jeff)
Black Diamond Aspect 2011 - @skipass.comWarrant
These skis have nothing special really. The shapes are pretty classic. No crazy numbers. No rocker, no tapered tip…
But nobody is making a ski that looks like that!

In 2021-2022, I have:

  • a slalom ski at 65mm (165cm long) mounted on NTN freeride
  • a GS ski at 63mm, 170cm on freeride
  • a BD Impulse 98mm, 180cm on a Meidjo 3 with alpine heelset
  • A BD Helio at 115mm, 186cm on a meidjo 3 with alpine heelset (I use it only to guide in BC)
The race skis, slalom and GS are specialty skis and only use them on groomers. (I can get by on moguls with the slalom but it’s not the best)
The 115mm Helio is backcountry use exclusively. And whatever the conditions, I pretty much always go with this one. This ski is AWESOME and I’ve been skiing it since 2017. The trend is 105mm skis which I really don’t like. They’re too wide to be nimble and too narrow to float.
Obviously the Helio 115 are awesome for backcountry skiing but they are just too big for resort skiing.
These 3 skis are specialized skis and are no brainer. They do what they are supposed to do, carve or ski powder. But I can’t really patrol the whole mountain on them
telemark ski Quiver 2022
So this year, for the all mountain ski, I tried the Impulse 98.
I wanted to go back to a damp ski, with some weight. (4kg)
It’s got a nice radius at 18m in the 180cm. So it should be okay on groomers.
98mm is a bit wider than I’d like but It’s not so much wider than the Warrant that I liked so much back in the days.
But still again, this year, I am not ripping like I use to. The Impulse delivers in a lot of snow condition, but it’s slow to turn moguls and a bit too wide to really carve on groomers without hurting my knees.
Maybe it’s too heavy?
And I’m still not ripping like I use too.
And this tought still comes back.
Is it me getting older?
Can I still ski 800 vertical meters, charging in moguls?
Because of this lack of feeling in the bumps, I’ve spent a great amount of time practicing my carving in the last two seasons.
I really like carving. It’s a great challenge.
The carving skis I have are so fun and it makes the technique so much easier than any all mountain ski can.
Carving skis are meant to carve.
But this is not what I like the most about telemark.
And all the days that I’m patrolling, I need to be able to ski all conditions and all terrain. 50% of the runs are moguls or tree skiing.
Let me tell you that a carving ski is the worst in anything but hard pack groomed runs
This season, especially, I was quite desperate to find a great all around telemark ski.

Here are the PROBLEMS with modern MID FAT skis

1. Shallow Rise Tip

Problem: the spatulla doesn’t rise enough. Note: Fat skis used for powder do not suffer from this issue.

In 2018, I thought that the small size combined with the tip rocker of the Helio 95 was the problem.

The tip rocker problem was easily identified. The tip only lifted a few cm of the ground and the telemark squat would frequently make the tip dive in a bump.

RMT00615

I could make it work but I needed to keep my telemark lead change VERY small. Like less than a boot long. And I needed to be very active to get the skis to manoeuvre around moguls. It was a nightmare.

So I sold the ski to a smaller skier and thought that was that. Well over the years, I’ve realized that there is actually 4 shape changes that have impered our ability to telemark on modern all-mountain shape.

My Quest was only starting.

 

2. Stiffer Tip

Problem: stiff tip combined with a shallow rised tip makes the tip catch in bumpsNote: Fat skis used for powder do not suffer from this issue.

The next year, I went for a narrower ski, the Black Diamond Route 88. I picked them the right lenght at 178cm.

I moved away from carbon as I realized that it was too light for resort skiing and also that it was just too stiff.

This solved the tip diving problem, ouf!

But even if the ski was ok in moguls, ok on groomers, ok in powder, I still wasn’t ripping like before. For the story, the last ski that BD made that worked for my was the Aspect that was produce in 2014-15. After that the Link, the Helio, the Route all had the same problem.

Stiffer and stiffer tip mixed with a shallow rise tip really kills the energy tranfered to the back ski in a telemark turn.

 

 

Telemark carving

See how low the tip is barely off the ground.

 

You have to think of the back ski as a second point of balance. When turning, we are puitting our skis on edge. On the front ski, our weight is distributed on the whole edge of the ski. It’s centered.

On the back ski, using any modern active binding, our energy is more transfered half way between the center and the tip. We can even see my back ski lifted of the snow in this image.

Screen Shot 2022-03-30 at 7.54.51 AM

Now if the spatula doesn’t rise a lot or if it’s too stiff, it will catch a lot more into things.

But there is more!

3. Rockered Tip

Problem: the ski has no energy to give back to the skier. Note: Fat skis used for powder do not suffer from this issue.

Again, telemark skiing, we transfer  half way between the center and the tip of the back ski by the boot-binding combo. If it’s too rockered, the energy is lost in the ski shape. Tradional shaped skis have camber to give energy to the ski. When pushed, it wants to come back into it’s original shape. With a tapered tip, we are pushing the ski into it’s designed shape, just making it rounder, and the ski is not going to give any energy back.

rocker ski image

4. Tapered Tip

Problem, the shape of the tip changes the radius of the turn on the back ski. Note: Fat skis used for powder do not suffer from those issues.

The final factor is the tapered tip. This is when the max wigth of the ski is not at the top of the spatula. On hard pack snow, this changes the way the arch of the edge conduct the ski. It’s like if your back ski had a big belly.

Basically, they move the widest part of the ski toward the center. This has many advantages. It reduces mass at the tip, thus reducing swing weight, it creates a shorter turn radius without a super large tip that becomes bulky and clumky. But for our back ski while telemarking, it reduces grip and edge control. A bit of tapered tip is not a problem, but laterly, ski company have increased it on some models to become a problem.

ski tip tapered

 

And these 4 problems  are not exclusive to Black Diamond. In the last 5 years, almost all brands are going in this direction

There is worst.

This is not working for telemark inbound as an all around ski. If you are like me and ski moguls, tress, powder, groomers, ice, this shallow tip rise and stiff tip is just deadly, rocker and tapered tip definetly doesn’t help. I found that this is NOT a problem for fat skis aimed at powder.

But why are the manufacturers going for those kind of shapes then?

You have to understand it works of the alpine turn. It works really good.

It took me a while to understand that.

THE SKI I WAS WANTING FOR

Watch the video above. This is me trying the Bishop Gonzo.
I had try this ski in it’s first version. I haven’t ask, but I think this is version 2 or 3.
I remembered it being a good ski. But at the time, I was focus on the binding and it was a really great snow year. So I ended up skiing the 100mm Chedi a lot.
With the bishop, I can ski the bumps like I want to. I can charge.
I can turn heads again.
I know this is kinda cheezy, but this is such a great feeling.
And I love the feeling of charging in moguls.
And it can turn quickly in a tree run.
And it’s ok the carve.
Oh and it went way better than I thought in powder. I’d say it was better in powder than on the groomer.
The tip still exited on top of the snow at every turn. This is a definite suprise has I don’t remember this from version 1.
This is the best telemark all mountain ski I’ve tried in a few years for sure.
Hope this helps
Rene-Martin
If I’ve helped you in any way, consider helping me by becoming a patreon here

 

My Passion for Carving on my telemark

Telemark carving

One of the most difficult techniques to master is

Carving on Telemark Skis.

Compared to moguls or steep skiing, I feel that carving is a more complex technique to master.

And in the last 4-5 seasons, I really focus on improving my carving.

I’ve been carving for 20 years but the ability to carve on any surface and slope is definitely still a challenge. I would say that my first passion as always been powder tree skiing. Then, I spent a lot of time in moguls,it is only in later years that carving has become a real passion.

I’m lucky enough to have probably the best technician in Canada, Denis Vezina, teaching at my home resort. He represents Canada at Interski. His telemark technique is flawless, and he has the ability to dissect my skiing better than anybody. His knowledge has allowed me to improve significantly my technique.

Here are the things I think I’ve changed or improved over the last five years. Note that these are tips are what made a difference for me. It’s areas I focussed and that has given me results.

If you want more general tips on how to carve, check this post here.

Telemark Carving Skis

OK first I got real carving skis. One GS and one Slalom ski that I mounted on NTN Freerides. This is a game changer for sure, especially my  Salomon slalom with 13 m of radius.

Here are my quiver for 2022.

From left to right:

Black Diamond Helio 115 (2020-21) with Meidjo 3 and alpine heelset. Powder skis used almost exclusively in the backcountry

Black Diamond Impulse 98 (2021-22) with Meidjo 3 and Alpine heelset. All Mountain skis that I mainly use for resort skiing, ski patrolling, slack country.

Dynastar Speed Course Comp 64 GS skis (2007) with Rotofella NTN Freeride (with switch plate)

Salomon X-RACE 65 (2013-2014) with Rotofella NTN Freeride (with switch plate). This is the ski I use the most to focus on my carving.

telemark ski 2022

 

 

Those two skis although older are SO much better on groomed snow than any skis I’ve ever tried. Really, it’s cheating compared to a 90mm modern ski.

Both hold an edge like crazy and speed is not a problem.

I use the Salomon the most. I love the short radius feeling. But I will spend a lot of time of the Dynastar GS ski in this season to try to master this beast of speed. It’s crazy how you need some serious courage to really push a GS ski.

I have them mounted on the NTN Freedom which are Okay but I’d love a more progressive binding such as the Bishop BMF 3 or even a Meidjo 3 with its incredible lateral stiffness.

TELEMARK CARVING TIPS

Outside Ski

Telemark skiing in all conditions, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to stay balanced in variable conditions such as moguls, powder and I was a big proponent of having your body weight distributed evenly 50% – 50%. I still think that this ability is great in a lot of situations but for carving I’ve definitely moved away from that to focus on 70% on the front ski which in terms of technique is described as being the outside ski to the centre of the turn.

There are many reasons why this is helping, but the main reason is definitely edge pressure. The other one is the way you can increase your angulation.

70% is just a mental reference, and I have never measured the actual percentages. And there is a limit to how much pressure you can put on your outside ski to keep your telemark stance efficient and balanced. Finally, I would say that the weight distribution varies during the turn and depending on turn shapes, so I could say a lot more on the subject.

Rotating the femur

This was a new concept for me

I am very good to angulate from the knees and I love to use my back knee to create a good edge angle. But this tip uses the biggest articulation in the body and for this reason is super strong to oppose the forces of carving.

At the start, when I feel that I’m strongly edging, I will focus on rotation my femur on my outside leg (front leg). This will help a lot to create opposing force to the turn and to start turning. I’m still exploring this feeling so more to come in the future.

This can only work if you have a good weight distribution, meaning that you need 70% on your outside (front ski). So here is another reason why overloading the outside ski is great.

Early Edging

Focus on horizontal extension at the start of the turn to get the new lead change edging as fast as possible.

I did understand the advantages of horizontal extension, but I now understand the advantages of an earlier extension to gain earlier edging.

I focus on the moment of release at the end of a turn. This needs to be a combination of letting the skis go under you into the new turn a bit passively and to put pressure immediately on the new outside ski (this will become your front leg). This weight shift is the key to get the early edging and this allows the skis to bend into the carving arch sooner, creating a nice constant turn.

So really the goal is to preload the ski to arch sooner so that when the pressure builds up in the turn, the ski is already in the right shape to push against the snow. I would say that this is the key to start carving in steeper terrain and at higher speeds.

FYI, this early edging is right before the femur rotation I talked about above.

Breathing

Focus on breathing out at the end of a turn.

This tip has helped me tremendously and it was the first tip that Denis gave me that I was like: Okay, this guy really knows his stuff.

Telemark is a lot about coordination. To breathe out at the end of the turn as many advantages. First and foremost, it helps synchronize the most important part of the turn, the lead change. I feel that by exhaling at the end of the turn, it gives me a timing and rhythm to consistently start the sequence of the turn.

Second aspect might be psychological, but it works for me. Actually, it works really well. I feel that by breathing out, I have more room to angulate at the end of the turn. Try it, it’s fascinating. It’s like if my body is freer and it gives me a last little movement to really help close the turn.

Closing the turn means that you slow yourself by completing the circle of the turn a bit more like if you were going more uphill. (This is just a figure of speech as most often we don’t literally go uphill.)

I like to play with the breathing out speed, exhaling slow on long radius turns and exhaling super fast in short radius turn.

Different angulations

Breathing leads me to talk about different types of angulations.

Explain briefly, angulation puts your mass over your edges by moving your upper body in a C-shape. You can angulate from the knees, from the hips and the spine.

For this article, I want to focus on hips vs spine. I never understood that there was a difference between the spine and the hips moving to counterbalance the forces of the turn.

This year Denis was focusing a lot on my hips moving at the start of the turn. He then told another participant in our clinic to stop using the notion of squashing an orange into your rib cage. This is what I will call spine angulation.

This is a tip given by Mike And Allen famous Telemark Tips book.

I was surprised by Denis comment and we didn’t get the chance to talk about why he gave that telemark skier that tip.

But it struck me that this was actually two separate movements.

So I started to experiment. At slow speeds, moving only the hips is definitely not working as it’s just too big of a body part. On the opposite moving only the rib cage into the hip bone (Spine angulation), squashing an orange is not strong enough at higher speed and is a more complicated movement for steeps than simply moving the hips.

So here is where I stand and that I’m experimenting with. I now start the turn focusing on moving my hips, like if I was sitting inside the turn. This movement focusses on keeping my upper body straight and to angulate more as the turn progress. This is what I call hip angulation. It typically happens between the start of the turn and a bit pass the fall line at the middle of the turn.

At one point I will be limited on how much I can angulate from the hips, and depending if the turn needs more angulation, I will then start to arch my spine, moving my chin over my outside ski. This will get my spine to arch more and more and to cork my upper body over my edges. This is where the tip to breathe out actually helps create even more of this spine angulation.

Sharp Edges vs Race Sharp Edges

I’ve always known that sharp edges are important but this next tip is the real cheat code.

Getting new skis every year, I know that sharp edges are a game changer. Over the years, I’ve gone from sharpening my own skis carefully, to sharpening then very crudely, to not sharpening them at all.

You have to understand that as a ski patroller the chances of hitting a rock during a day are very high. So the dedication to keep edges sharp are mostly a waste of time.

Having dedicated carve skis have changed that.

The Cheat code I’m going to share now is definitely not for everyone.

Read this carefully, you need to be very confident and skilled to do this safely. But Oh my God, what a change.

I started to have my skis sharpen at an aggressive angle like ski racers.

ski edge angle

Ski manufacturers typically have angles that will enable the average skier to perform on any terrain. Those angles are the base angle of 1 degree and the side wall angle of -1 degree. Technicians usually refer to this side wall angle saying 89 degrees.

I went from a side wall of 89 deg to an angle of 88. This per se will not make major improvements.

I went from a base angle of 1 deg to an angle of 0.5 deg.

This combination is the cheat code. Edging as become SO easy. The difference is CRAZY. Really.

But it comes at a price. Your ability the slip in and out of your carve is drastically reduced, meaning that your skis will want to edge and to stay on edge. To reduce that, you can unsharpen the edge at the tip and tail, but in my mind, it defies the reason why you got them to sharpened this way.

Racers will even go to even crazier angles such as 87 and 0 degrees, which I am not ready to try. This is how they succeed in staying on their feet when completely off balance on crazy steep icy slopes. Because you can clearly see the off balance is supposed to make them fall.

AAAAAH Now I know how they do it.

Here is a progression I would suggest trying as you improve your skiing.

All levels of telemark skiers who want to carve: Keep your edges super sharp, sharpening them every couple of days on the slope. If you can, use a diamond stone after every day on the mountain.

STEP 1: You want to start to learn to carve on green runs, keeping both skis arching and leaving two tracks behind you – » keep your edges at 89 and 1 deg which is the manufacturers recommended angles, unsharpen the tip and tail about 10 cm.

STEP 2: You want to start carving on blue runs, keeping your skis arching and leaving track behind you in good grooming condition. – » Keep your edges at 89 and 1 deg but do not unsharpen the tip and tail.

STEP 3: You want to start carving on green  and blue runs in hard-packed conditions (not icy yet) -» increase your edge angle to 88 and 1 deg (or 88 and 0.7 deg if your ski tech can do that) do not unsharpen the tip and tail.

STEP 4: You want to start carving aggressively on blue and maybe black runs -» increase the edge angle to 88 and 0.5 deg. do not unsharpen the tip and tail.

STEP 5: you want to race and carve aggressively no matter what – » well I’m not there yet and I would use caution here advising you on something I’m not familiar with. Maybe it can come back in the future and keep you updated.

I would suggest you take these steps very slowly, maybe trying one setting for at least one season.

Also, changing edge angle will remove a lot of metal on your ski edges, using them prematurely, so make sure you don’t go back and forth too many times.

Did you like this kind of format of blog?

I understand that this is not going to help as many telemark skiers than other lessons I’ve given. I give you my perspective, what I’m working on and what I have improved lately.

Leave a comment if you have any question or to share your perspective on carving on telemark.

 

Modern Telemark Ski Selection and Problems

I have tried and tested dozens of skis with the years.

I’ve been sponsored by Black Diamond the past 13 years, but I’ve still tried a lot of other brands.

In this article I want to talk about what you should look for/ avoid in your quest for the right telemark ski, whatever the brand.

In the last 5 years, more and more skis have early rise tips like shown. These tips can be great on big powder skis but don’t translate well to piste, all around skis.

RMT00615

I think the design is popular on alpine setup because it reduces ski vibration that they call chatter.

For us telemark skiers, the back ski gets a lot of pressure transferred to the tip when we flex in a telemark turn. From this, if the tip curvature is not big enough, like we see on all-around skis (95mm and less), I have found a lot of tip dive.

Telemark modern ski guide

Here are the ski categories I like and the use I make of it.

All Around skis (80mm to 95mm) For inbound, usually ski patrolling

I will look for:

  • 90mm underfoot
  • 15m-16m radius
  • reduced rocker
  • traditional tip shape
  • underfoot camber
  • Don’t take them short even if you want to play in the trees

Weight is often not important. I will mount these skis with a full frame binding like the BMF from Bishop or the Outlaw X from 22Designs.

I use these skis to rail turns on groomers, ski trees, bumps, all inbounds, with some quick outbound laps.

It’s been a couple of years I have skied a perfect ski in this category.

In the last two years, I’ve tried the Salomon QST 90, the Nordica EnRgy 90, the Nordica Enforcer, Atomic Backland 95, Black Diamond Helio 95, Black Diamond Route 88, Bishop Gonzo.

My favourites were the Salomon QST and the Bishop Gonzo.

My all-time favourites  were the Black Diamond Warrant (2013) and the Black Diamond Aspect (2012). See the Philosophy section to learn why

Backcountry Telemark, Touring skis (100mm to 120mm)

I will look for:

  • 110-115mm underfoot
  • lots of rocker (350mm+) soft shovel. I don’t mind the early rise tips for big powder skis.
  • some camber underfoot, avoid full rockered ski (banana shaped ski are not the best for telemark)
  • tail: not a lot of rocker  and stiffer . If you lose balance and end up in the back seat, it will be harder to bring back.
  • radius is absolutely not important but it is usually around 18m- 22m
  • Weight is definitely important and I will aim for around 3 kg per pair.
  • Don’t hesitate to go longer than you are used to. 5 to 10cm longer is my general reference. The big rocker will still make the skis quick. In the end, it’s all about the float you need in the deep days.

My favourite all-time in this category are the new BD Helio 115. The old version called the 116 was already my favourites but the new 2020 version is just a notch better in variable snow conditions, the Achilles heel of big light skis.

Philosophy of modern skis, and the telemark turn

These are just the guide lines I found in the last years.

On piste All-Mountain experience.

We see more and more telemark skiers on piste with wide skis. I’m one of them.

Going back to old set up last year, I realized that we are going too wide.

Reducing the ski width for inbound skiing has enabled me to ski with ease, in moguls, carving, even in powder. Yes, I went slower in some conditions but in general, it was the opposite, I could go a lot faster, especially on hard pack and in moguls.

I fell in love with a pair of Salomon Slalom ski, with 67mm underfoot and 13m radius for carving. I had the best feeling in years on piste with these. Of course they didn’t allow for variable terrain shred, so this is not the solution for an all-around ski. Still, I found feelings I had forgotten, carving each turn like crazy.

I will be looking for a true all mountain, good for the condition we get in the East. Carving, moguls, trees. The Icelantic Sabre 89 would be a ski I’d like to try.

Touring Experience

I tried 2 versions of BD Helio 105. These skis are great. They are good in all conditions, jack of all trade, quiver ski for snowy condition. But I really like the wider skis. 115 is so much more fun.

I will still try some 105 skis in the next few years because I can, but if I had one backcountry ski to get, I would go 110-115mm underfoot, light skis.

Some exceptions.

Ski shapes and intended use vary so much. There is one for everyone.

I ski manly East of North America with one occasional trip out West for the big mountains.

If I was out West year round, I would have a 100-105mm ski for inbound and the same 110-115mm for off piste

Also, I have a Bishop Chedi I really like. this ski doesn’t fit in any of the categories I explained above.

  • It’s not light,
  • It’s not wide
  • It’s a 100mm ski, full camber,
  • with a long radius.

In short, it’s a boring ski.

But it just works. A bit like the BD Warrant I mentioned above. Those kinds of skis seem to work really well for telemark. (Or at least, my style of telemark)

Last word about lenght.

Skis lateral stiffness has increased in the last few years and people are tempted to try shorter, wider skis. For me, this has never produced positive results.

For reference here are my skis lengths. I’m 6’01” / 200 lbs or 185cm / 90 kg. The ski lenght will vary depending on the ski category

slalom racing carving skis: 163cm

GS racing carving skis: 170cm

All mountain skis: 178 to 180cm

Powder, touring skis: 184 to 188 cm

2021, Year of Backcountry Telemark

Yep,

Oh, by the way, this gear selection is often what you guys ask advice about.

This year, I will talk more about my backcountry telemark set-up since it’s this one that I will change this season. Because of the pandemic, this is probably going to be the biggest season ever for earning your turns, so it might apply to you as well.

I can tell you right away that after a very satisfying set up last year, I will go back to what has worked for me in the last few years.

In this post, I share my touring set up.

Disclaimer: I don’t pay for much of the stuff I receive but I can choose pretty much all I want. And I can surely say whatever I want about the gear I use.

Backcountry is the essence of telemark. Skin up, ski down, I first tried in 1996-97 in the Chic-Chocs.

Equipment has evolved and the 2020s should bring a very exciting era. Today’s telemark gear needs to be compared to alpine touring. This industry has made giant leaps in the last 5–7 years and the question is now can a telemark skier keep up with an alpine tourer. This is one of the reasons a lot of people have switched from telemark to alpine setups.

This has been my quest for the last 10 years, trying to keep up with my alpine friends in the Backcountry. Today’s equipment is almost on par, thanks to the binding manufacturers.

My setup for this season is the Helio 115 (now OK to mount with a telemark binding) with the Meidjo. I will keep my Crispi Evo WC boot for a 3rd year.

I received this setup late January 2020, so I’ve actually skied them quite a bit.

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Telemark GEAR

Here is what I use and also some alternate choice I think are good options.

Binding

Because of the NTN, you have to choose to go 75mm or NTN before anything else when you build up your touring kit.

If you go 75mm, I think the Voile Switchback is your only real option. This binding is light, provide a free pivot and the feeling of the downhill will satisfy all the 75mm lovers out there.

If you go NTN, you definitely have to go with a TTS like binding or as Pierre Mouyade, inventor of the Meidjo, calls this binding family: TTN. Telemark Tech Norm

Those bindings are the go-to options for touring. I suggest you choose from the original TTS, the Lynx or the Meidjo.

Pins hold the front of the boot, giving the best ROM (Range Of Movement) and resistance-free stride. This alone makes telemark able to keep up with the alpine tourers.

If you go with a TTS like binding, you will have the freedom and Range Of Movement (ROM) to hike uphill like any alpine tech binding.

All we are missing is the ROM of modern alpine touring boots. I’ve heard that Scarpa is working on a new NTN boot that should provide this but it’s not yet ready.

Still the combo of boots, binding and ski makes for a very decent kit to enjoy the backcountry. And I will say that it’s never been better.

I chose the Meidjo. I will change from the 2.1 to the 3.0 when I receive them. Notice that I have the Alpine Heel Set.

Two years ago I skied a 50-degree chute north of Whistler-Blackcomb. Conditions were perfect, 10 cm of fresh snow, avalanche hazard was low, stability tests were negative. The snow was somewhat dense, coastal like. I don’t get the chance to ski couloirs like that in the winter very often. So I charged the first 10–15 turns, tele-skiing in the wider funnel-like entrance. The couloir then narrowed and the center had slufted down. The 10 cm turned into trashed, irregular, firm snow in the center and soft, dense on the sides. It was really hard to keep my balance between the transitions from the snow sides to the center hard pack irregular snow. Skiing down suddenly became a real life or death experience. I tried a few turns, alpine skiing without locking my heel. It was even harder as I entered the sides, I was losing balance forward. I tried a few turns telemark skiing and the center of the couloir was a real challenge to hold the edge in this super steep couloir. Long story short, I stopped on the side, made myself a nice platform and locked my heels in the Alpine Heelset. I skied the rest of the couloir not in an elegant way but felt a lot safer than the few turns I had just made.

On the pros, the Meidjo is the most complete binding for me.

  • The skiing is just great. Solid laterally, it transfers power like crazy.
  • Its tension is highly adjustable to get the telemark feeling you want. It won’t beat the super stiff Freeride or other full frame binding like the Outlaw X or the BMF but it can be stiff enough to race with.
  • There is a release system!!! And the release system is reliable. It’s not 100% nor are any alpine bindings.
  • The step-in is quite easy (improved on the 3.0 – can’t wait to try)
  • The combo with the alpine heelset is still releasable. And it keeps the same release values.
  • It’s very easy to go from telemark to ski and back. This means that I can telemark most of the time but if I feel that I need it, I can alpine easily.

The Cons:

  • The walk mode is not the most user-friendly.
  • Bindings are prone to icing in the second heel cup, it’s easy to get rid of it but it builds up in spring conditions
  • Not the easiest binding to install
  • The brakes are not for me, just too easy to break (new version this year so this could change.

 

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Boots

This is the missing link. While today’s boot are durable and perform very well on the down, we don’t have the same modern walk mode as alpine tourers. Their boots are significantly better for climbing. You have two routes from here in my mind:

Stay in 75mm boots and choose, light, flexible boots that will provide ease of walking. You will be missing the power to drive the big modern fat skis

Go NTN and use stiffer, higher boots. Here, you will carry more weight, have less ROM. Your stride will suffer but the way down is going to be as good as any modern alpine tourers.

Seventy-five millimeters boots are getting harder to find but Scarpa T2, Crispi XP are very good options.

My Choice: Crispi Evo WC for its stiffness, the fact that it has the tech toe inserts and the heel tech inserts.

The Pros:

  • wrap around liners for stiffness
  • has the tech toe inserts and the heel tech inserts.
  • Very durable [look at the sole after two full seasons.
  • just a solid driver

On the cons:

  • heavy boots compared to alpine touring equivalent (like all telemark boots in this category)
  • old walk mode mechanism compared to alpine touring equivalent (like all telemark boots in this category)
  • clips are not the easiest to undo. This is not a deal breaker, just something to get used to.
  • The liner is not the warmest.

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Skis

The Helio 115 are my go to this season

Last year I was on the Black Diamond Helio 105 with the Lynx binding.

I really liked the combo and it’s one of the lightest setups I ever had.

For me the 105 is a very polyvalent ski that I brought guiding and ski patrolling, inbounds and backcountry. Of course you need snow for this ski to be fun but I liked how skiable it was in other conditions. If you want one ski, this could be it.

This year, I will go back with a wider ski. The Helio 115. Good news the new Helio revamped line-up is now telemark recommended. [BD actually removed the “not recommended for telemark” tag.] This ski is just a great size for powder. I like to guide with it, it floats, it’s playful, it’s just an incredible ski that gives me the most fun.

105 was a bit too skinny at times, and I just didn’t have the same fun. It worked great, but not as fun. It’s the old saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Because I have a few options to choose from, I want the big boy in the line-up for 2020-21.

The Lynx binding by 22Design is also a great choice that I strongly recommend. Good value, simple design, light, efficient. Step in was not the best for me but I learned that 22Designs have changed a toe piece since my version (I think I had a pre-production version). You can look at my full review on YouTube if you wish.

I will still ski a lot more set-ups like the Bishop’s 100 mm Chedi and their super good binding, the BMF, a few racing skis with the Freeride, a few older 75mm setups.

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Skins

I have used exclusively Black Diamond skins (and Ascension skins prior to that).

In 20+ years, I’ve had maybe 15 to 20 different pairs.

My go-to are the GlideLite Mix.

They’re just a good combo of lightness, placability and grip. These are the important factor for me. Oh and one super important quality is to be able to unglue the skins when they are packed glue on glue.

Last year, because of limited availability when I got my new Black Diamond Helio 115 at the end of January, I had to go for something new.

Skins are a simple product when it works well but it’s a real pain when it doesn’t

I bought a set of Pomoca Pro S-Climb skins.

Pros:

So far, I like them. It’s about the same as the Black Diamond GlideLite but with a better glide. Not a great difference, but noticeable.

Cons:

There are two metal wires that comes in the box. The White is not strong enough, they bent on me and then the modified shape affected how well they stayed in place.

They could just fall off the skins. I changed for the other all gunmetal ones and the problem was solved.

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I will probably add a set up in December or January. I will probably go with a 22Design binding and a more biffy setup.

Not sure what to get? you can look at my Modern Telemark Ski Selection and Problems post coming up soon

 

22Designs Lynx Telemark Binding Review

This is a review of the Telemark binding Lynx from 22 Designs.

A Telemark tech binding made to go touring.



In this video, we are going to be evaluating how it skis, the step in step out, the durability, the tour efficiency and a little comparison with the Meidjo Binding.

The Lynx binding is the latest binding in the 22Designs line up.

22Desings is reputed to build durable bindings, from the HammerHead, Axl, Outlaw X and now the Lynx.

This Lynx binding is made for touring but its telemark descending abilities are quite good as well.

I have mounted my Lynx Telemark binding on the Helio 105 from Black Diamond. Note that Black Diamond does not recommend mounting telemark binding on this ski. If you do, you will void your warranty.

TTS the norm for touring on telemark

The Telemark Tech System family of binding includes the original TTS from OMG, the Meidjo from The M Equipment and now this binding, the Lynx from 22Designs.

The GOOD

Simply put, these bindings are the best at going uphill, touring, skinning. The low resistance of the low tech pin at the toes create this effortless range of movement that no other full frame telemark binding can beat.

So what makes the Lynx stand out?

First, the design of the binding is very innovative with the back link composite construction. This fibreglass link is strong, light and creates good power transfer when skiing. This is really what makes this binding incredible in my mind.

The Lynx binding skis really good. Laterrally, it transfers power edge to edge really good. As you can see in the video, I even tried the Outlaw X to compare bindings. Ofcourse, the Outlaw can be set stiffer, but the engagement and the latteral transfert are on par.

Tension adjustability is one of the most important factors in a modern NTN binding. The fact that you can adjust the Telemark Tele Vector is great, you can dial the amount of activeness you want from three positions, just like on the AXL. Also, you can’t adjust a screw to had or remove tension on the spring, but the addition of a spacer in the spring allows for some adjustability.

When you combine the tele vector and the spacer adjustment, this binding can be adjusted to almost any rider preference.

The BAD

There is not much to say about the bad of the Lynx.

In general it performed really well, was durable, and the design is very good.

I am having some problems stepping in, and I need to be in touring mode all the time, locking the front low tech for my pins to hold my boots.

22Designs is sending me a kit to solving this problem and the 2020 binding shipping now should not have this problem at all.

Also, the second heel anchor didn’t engage all the time and I had to force it in manually a few times.

If you are on the market for a low tech touring binding, I do recommend the Lynx from 22 design as a valid option.

It’s simple, efficient touring, skis really well and should up your game in the backcountry from any full-frame binding.

The Telemark History Ep2: The Evolution of skis and Bindings

This is my Telemark challenge for the season, going back in time with set ups from four different eras.

We will go from the 80s super long skis to today’s wide boards.

Telemark skiing has evolved so much and I’ve kept updating my gear all along.

I want to go back in time and see the advantages we might have lost along the way, or the benefits I get from the modern set ups we enjoy today.

For the 80s set up, we have the Atomic 210 cm ski, with a lot of camber, mounted with the Chili binding from Rottofella. Then, I found my original telemark skis and binding. It is the Karhu Hardbody 203 cm mounted with Rottofella 412, a front-loading binding. I will ride both skis with a Vasque leather boot.

For 90s setup, I have the X-scream from Salomon, a parabolic ski, with the very popular Voile release plate. I also have the Rossignol Big Bang, mounted on the Rainey SuperLoop binding. This ski/binding combo is mine and I have skied it 5-6-7 years, can’t remember. I will ride the Garmon Veloce with these skis.

For the 2000 setup, I have found the Karhu Kodiak, mounted on the 22designs Hammerhead. This is a short ski for me, but it should edge and carve very well. Not in the video, I will also add a Black Diamond AMP ski mounted on a Black Diamond O1 binding. This is a fat ski, very good for powder. I feel that this is the era where people started to buy more than one set up, and choose according to conditions. I will ride both skis with the super-powerful Crispi XR boot.

For the 2010 to today setups are all NTN based setup. We have the Black Diamond Route 88 mounted on the Bishop BMF-R binding. This is my day-to-day patrol ski. I also chose the Helio 105 from Black Diamond mounted with the 22designs Lynx. This is my setup for backcountry telemark and the one I use telemarking in the Chic-Chocs. I might also show you a few other setups I have that are different for that era, plus a surprise. I will ride those with the Crispi Evo WC telemark boot check out the full series for more fun on the telemark history gear review.

 

Telemark Gear Evolution Ep.1: Boots

This season, I will try to go back in time.

I will ski set ups equivalent to the ones I had 20+ years ago moving forward

in time to what I’m skiing today.

If you are a member of my newsletter, you know that I’ve started to mountain bike over the summer and this really inspired my to search for learning patterns.

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This is just a just chalenge I gave myself when I found those beautiful leather boots.

And my goal is to become good enough to patrol in those before the end of the season.

Here is the Equipment I will use:

Set up Vintage:

  • vasque leather boots.

Early 2000 set up

  • Garmont Veloce

2010 set up

  • Crispi XR

2020 set up

  • Crispi EVO WC

I will gatther skis in the next few days and present the different setups.

Every week I get emails asking me about changing from a 20 year old setup to something new and for my advice.

I want to reconnect to those feelings and share my thought

It’s just that, for me, I’ve always changed gear and I remember skiing crazy lines at Whistler on my Tua 70mm skis, with my Scarpa T2’s and I want to know if gear really makes us better.

BMF Bishop Full Review

Bishop BMF Review 1-2

Last season I spent a very good amount of time on the Bishop BMF bindings. I tried the NTN and the 75mm versions.

 

The Bishop Moto: THE GOLD STANDARD IN BADASSERY

Well, that’s true. Their products are badass.

Coming from the very Burly Bishop Bomber was truly a very reliable, biffy binding. It had a very good reputation and thus a following.

Came the NTN revolution and now, the Telemark Tribe need to have NTN boots and binding, right?

Flexibility

Well, the Badassary Mojo is more than that, the BMF comes in an NTN or 75mm option.

They have created the most flexible binding on the planet.

  • You can choose 75mm or NTN
  • If you were to change from 75mm to NTN in the years to come, you can send the binding back to Bishop and they will modify it for you at a reasonable cost.
  • This binding fits all boot sizes. OK not all sizes but there is no small or large option, the BMF can be adjusted from boot sole 270 to 346mm which is about size (mondo 22 to 31) This is really nice for reselling your stuff or replacement parts
  • Plus, you can get a switch plate to easily swap your binding on many skis.

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Skiability

This is the real question and it took me 5 minutes to say that I really liked this binding.

In short, it skies great. It’s powerful, there is no dead zone and the amount of adjustability makes it a great choice for anyone but the purist who want a true neutral feeling

Trying both options is an eye opener. Really!

To a point where I want a go back to 75mm.

BMF 75mm

Okay not full time but still, I had so much fun.

First off, the 75mm is just a great option that skies really good. It’s powerful yet you can adjust it the way you like, to get a more neutral feeling.

Plus, when you think about it, this 75mm binding is the holy grail of 75mm binding. Well almost.

  • You can a great skiability
  • You get brakes
  • you can an incredible step in

This is what resort skiers have been asking for decades.

As for no dead zone, that is something 75mm bindings have always struggled to achieve. The way this binding is engaging the boot is superb for the experts telemark skiers that demands a reliable balance in all the phase of the turn.

BMF NTN

The NTN version is also a very good binding that delivers a lot of punch. I quite enjoyed them and this has rapidly become my go to binding for the resort.

The real big difference over the competition is the ease of the step in step out. It really is better than anything else I have tried.

For this, I will mention that boot has an impact on this so take this considering I’m skiing with the Crispy Evo WC. But honestly, this is the closes we have ever been to the real step in of an alpine binding. Having a binding with a brake, that you can easily step in and out is such a joy when you are working as a ski patroller. It really makes my days easier.

Touring or not touring

As binding have become more and more active, you need a resistance-free mode to walk around the mountain. The Bishop offers their binding in the R version (stand for Randonnee) or the 3 (for non-touring.

This is really great because if you don’t need the touring option, you can save some money and weight and get a traditional binding.

But if like most of us, you end up adventuring in the backcountry, they offer a touring, resistance-free mode. Okay, it’s still a full frame binding, but it’s the best there is. It’s got a great ROM that the Outlaw X according to my tests.

Durability

Like I often say, I’ve never had a telemark binding not fail on me. And the BMF did have minor issues. Watch the video above for in depth description of my problems. But, like most companies, this problem was fixed during the season and I think it’s safe to say that this is one of the most durable bindings on the market.

Final Thoughts

Bishop has nailed it. Really.

If you are looking for a resort binding, if the step in step out is something important look no further, the BMF is just above the competition.

It skis very well in both 75mm and NTN version, it’s super flexible and will last you a long time.

The only thing still missing is a release binding. For that, you will have to look at the Meidjo which as the most sophisticated one on the market (Just my thoughts here, no hard data showing this)

Just to be clear, I still think the Outlaw X is a viable option. The 22 design Outlaw X only real disadvantage is the step in with a brake.
The price is still a major bump. At the time of posting, the price for the BMF-R is 699$ USD vs the Outlaw X at 399$ USD.

So you will probably use the switch plates and all the flexibility this binding as the offer.

 

My Teaching Philosophy for Telemark Instructors

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Hello Telemark Tribe,

 

I was contacted by CANSI, the Canadian Association of Nordic Skiing Instructor to write a paper to my fellow instructors. Unfortunately, it never got published so I taught I could share it here.

Here is what I wrote for my fellow teachers.

 

When I teach telemark skiing, my number one objective is for every student to retain a clear learning objective and to know precisely how to achieve it. 

Too many times, I have taken the wrong approach by trying to have my students find instant results with advice such as: “Do this, move like that…” Sometimes it works. But often, it does not.

As telemark skiing instructors, we want to give our students several tools to achieve a given movement. Our goal is for them to be confident in the way they improve.

Introduction— The Absolute Telemark Way:

Every time I meet with students, I want to know two things: What they feel good about (their Positives) and what they want to improve (Their Objectives).

 

The positives

First, I will ask them about their experience, their strengths and what they have improved on recently. My goal is to quickly assess their mental game, because learning starts in one’s head. I am looking for positive thoughts. I will ask about things that they feel good about:

  • Types of terrain (groomers, steeps, trees…)
  • Types of turns (short, long, speedy or not…)
  • Types of telemark stance (low, active, high…)

I only ask specific questions if they cannot seem to bring positive ideas. I want to know what makes them feel good before what they want to improve.

If they are new to telemark skiing, I will ask them about their skiing or snowboarding abilities, or other sports they practise. 

 

The Objectives

Subsequently, I will ask them about their expectations and what they hope to improve.

All this takes about three minutes. If I have a large group of students, I will shorten this part and go for a direct question:

“Describe your telemark skiing experience and comfort level.”

Once I have compiled everyone’s input, the lesson starts. 

I could go many ways from here, groups, first timers… But for this article, we will use the example of a one-on-one lesson with an experienced telemarker searching to improve.

 

Initial Approach

We start with a warm up run. I will lead for the first third of the way. Then, I will stop to see how my student is doing. I will then let them take the lead so that I may assess these points:

  1. What is making them waste energy?
  2. How is their body balanced?
  3. What path or choice of lines do they make going down the mountain?

I want to integrate the student’s requested areas of self-improvement to what I observe and apply it to a specific type of terrain. 

 

The Path to Improvement

People like to know promptly what you think of their skiing. I will often stop my students before the end of the first run to give them immediate feedback. If you both see eye-to-eye, their confidence in your teaching skills will be boosted.

Be forthcoming in your evaluation but, formulate it so that they feel their past efforts were not in vain. Remember to remind them that what they are doing is working for them. 

“If you do something and you feel it’s working, then it’s working. If you feel like you are doing something wrong, then it’s most likely wrong.”

It is that simple!

 

Then, introduce one thing that they could improve on. It has to be related to their learning objectives. It does not have to be directly related. But it needs to be brought up as part of their progression plan. For example:

“I see that you have good balance and that your telemark stance is solid. This is good because it will enable you to gain more rhythm, make tighter turns in the steeps like you talked about achieving. One of the keys to really improve your rhythm is how you use your hands.”

BOOM! 

 

You just reminded them of their positives, you have pointed out a possible solution for them to reach their goals. The direction: better rhythm, and the way to get there: your hands, are clearly pointed out. 

You now have their full attention. They will focus on doing precisely what you suggest, knowing that it will lead to them achieving their goals.

 

Building a Plan

This is the “easy” part. This is what we do as a telemark skiing instructor: Build a series of exercises that will get your student to discover new movements, thus getting them to where you think they should be.

Here are a few things that make a plan work regardless of the selected drills:

 

Share the Plan Before Doing the Exercises. 

Take a minute to explain to your student the expected outcome of your plan. 

What will they gain? If the exercise is about hand movement to increases pivot or rhythm, tell them. Relate it to the end goal; Hands = one step closer to their objectives.

 

Move Quickly From One Exercise to Another. 

Do not stick with one exercise, even if it is working. If it is working, find a variation. If it is not working, find out why and try to address it in the next exercise. 

Find “Ah! Ha!” Moments. 

If you feel that your student has had a great gain, celebrate it. Talk about the success. Try to integrate it to their skiing.

 

The Psychology of Learning

 

Remember the moment you learned something new and how you felt about your past struggles, your previous failures and successes? That is the teacher’s challenge!

Now that your students have been working hard for an hour or two, get them back to something they feel good about: terrain, types of turns, body position…

 

Finish With a Positive. 

Find a way to reveal their original skills at the end of the lesson. Link the newly acquired skills to their original positives. If you did it correctly, your student will feel like they have improved one or more aspects of their telemark skiing technique. They will know what to work on to keep improving. They will associate their learning to you, the instructor.

The worst scenario is a student leaving the lesson more confused than before. They will feel frustrated because they just do not get it. 

Or worse, they will think that they have to learn something completely different because they had it wrong all along. This mindset will not lead to a quest for improvement.

 

Remind yourself the following:

  • Everybody learns at their own pace.
  • Everybody can execute something in the way their mind tells them to; But the mind has to send the correct instructions.
  • You are responsible for the message in their minds.
  • Practice remains the number one factor for improvement.
  • There is more than one road to progress. 
  • Remember that your taught approach is not the only way to success.

 

Finally, you have to remind your students the number one rule of learning:

“If it feels good, it probably is. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.” 

Because you finished the lesson on something that your student already felt like they were good at, the positive effect will create a good mental state to keep working and improving. 

 

But there is more to it… It is called proprioception!

I will talk about proprioception next time. In the meantime, you can Google it if you are curious.

That’s it for now,

René-Martin his a certified telemark instructor. He is the creator of Absolute Telemark. You can book a private lesson here