Back country skiing dilemma - which technique? (part 2)

[bpressnall]

Funny film! As a Telemarker, I can't argue with you. Telemark is more difficult. Some people like that extra challenge and some don't. When my friends say, "Lets ski that run, it has the best snow", I'll bail and go ski breakable crust instead. As far as weight, my back country setup is lighter than most AT gear, but most folks lug that heavy shit around now days.

[equinesport]

lol this made me laugh! However, I am a telemark skier and do a lot of skiing in the mountains. Is AT really practical for going really long distances though or more just for climbing hills and going down? Just curious because I want to get into more extreme stuff like the Wapata traverse and such. But awesome video all the same!

[telemark7449]

OK. So I understand there is this rabid group of telemarkers who insist their technique is superior to parallel in getting down the hill. Well, I've been telemarking for over 35 years, ever since its revival in Crested Butte and elsewhere, and have never heard a fellow free-heeler make this claim. If it were true, Bode Miller would use it, wouldn't he? Rather, it's the feeling of dancing down the mountain, that parallel has never been able to duplicate, that ensures our loyalty.

[JHMLibera]

Why would anyone go out and buy randonee gear when they are perfectly happy with their tele gear and can parallel any time that they want to?

From the gear curmudgeon

[cbotr]

Why would anyone want to telemark ski these days, anyway. AT gear is lighter and easier AND releasable. Yeah, I've heard em all, "randonee? That's french for can't tele, isn't it?" It's french for "get outta my skintrack, sucka" Really, I don't see the point of telemark anymore, unless you think it looks cool under the lift.

[cbotr]

Why would anyone want to telemark ski these days, anyway. AT gear is lighter and easier AND releasable. Yeah, I've heard em all, "randonee? That's french for can't tele, isn't it?" It's french for "get outta my skintrack, sucka" Really, I don't see the point of telemark anymore. The industry took something beautiful and made it heavy and clunky and obnoxious. Save it for under the lifts.

[philacoudre]

yeah... stoopid FRENCH -though I'm french canadian- how much of a puzzle it is to figure out terms... DANMFFFfff

Should the Industry sit down together and level things out, shouldn't they? (is syntax ok here? Excuse my english and correct me if you will, thx)

[NMCRITERGETTER]

I AM A AT SKIER NICE!

[pavo11111]

nice :))

[GSDirtboy]

Great vid! I lol more than once. Regarding technique... I parallel as well on my tele gear as I do in alpine gear. Trying to be as integrated in my other sports as well. I've glued cleats on the bottom of my Birkenstocks so I can use them on my triathlon bike. :)

[GZVidz]

The bottomline:

Who gives a sh#t what anybody else thinks. They're not gonna carry your ass up the hill. Do what works for you!