Telemark Skiing Equipment

With or without the word "Telemark" on the top sheet, most Alpine skiers will have great difficulty in distinguishing their Alpine skis from a Telemark ski.  In the days of dedicated Telemark skis, they were nearly always based on a successful Alpine ski but any pretence by the major manufacturers at making a dedicated Telemark ski has now evaporated.  The manufacturers used to say that their Telemark versions were made with more rounded flex patterns to take account of the fact that Telemark skis are weighted mostly from a single point (the ball of the foot). The Alpine ski flex tends to be flatter and stronger in the middle to take the greater forces imposed from nailed-down fore and aft alpine boots.  You'll find that skis suitable for Telemarking now can be found in all ski categories but the first and sometimes the only visual clue about suitability in the brochures is the lack of an Alpine binding in the picture.  Dimensionally you won't see any difference between an Alpine ski and a dedicated tele ski and sizing the ski to fit you will be the same as for Alpine.  This means that choice of ski will be influenced by many of the same factors that guide you to the correct Alpine ski; your weight, skiing ability and whether or not you are an aggressive skier.  When deciding which Telemark ski is correct for you, things start to get more difficult.  There are perhaps three ways.  The easiest and safest way is to visit a ski shop that specialises in supplying Telemark gear.  Word of mouth is another (could be a bit hit and miss or at best unreliable) or you could read ski magazines.  One US magazine does a Telemark skier’s buyer’s guide each autumn reviewing only Telemark skis, reviewed by Telemarkers for Telemarkers.   

As always it’s best to first decide what sort of skiing you’re going to be doing most.  There are four or five categories and as ski design evolves so do the names of the categories.  For 2011-12 the Telemark categories appear to be Powder - big wide skis to keep you afloat.  These have not only the least amount of side cut but some of them may be even wider in the middle!  If you see the word “Rocker” or “Reverse Camber” in the blurb, these skis will have a lift forward from the middle for easy turn initiation.  Don’t expect these skis to ski well on hardpack.

The next category is “Big Mountain”.  These are for the expert aggressive skier used to shredding icy couloirs or plummeting off cliffs.  The category that fits most European conditions and most skiers is probably the "All-Mountain".  These are the skis designed to do everything and with to-day’s ski widths, they should float well in powder too.  If you’re one of the growing band of skiers that prefer to take to the jumps you’ll need to check out the twin tips of the “Park” category.  A category name new to me this season is “Search and Destroy”.  These skis are for off piste Telemarkers who want to earn their turns.  Light enough to ease the ups and solid enough to shred the downs. 

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.  The Bob Tails have been available for several seasons and the general reaction is that these skis may not be the new sliced bread.  Most people trying them for the first time are not enthusiastic.  Adjustments in technique are said to be a requirement but those who are prepared to persist, rave about the results.  The original Bob Tails are reputed to have had a stiff double camber, far stiffer than most Telemarker have come to expect and this could be one of the reasons why they need some getting used to.  Another reason for them not catching on may be that once again boots, bindings and skis from the big manufacturers have made incremental gains which have wiped out many of the advantages of the Bob Tails.  The latest skis are just easier to carve and the new meaty bindings allow greater forces to be exerted on the edges through the newly improved boots.  But the real enthusiast with bucks to spare would surely want a set of unusual skis which are not off the peg.  These are handmade skis where you can design your own top sheet and even choose the dimensions.  

Scotty Bob is not entirely out on a limb because asymmetric skis are not exactly new. I've found one reference for asymmetrics back in 1987.  Other manufacturers clearly accept the concept of asymmetrification because a new but small crop of asymmetric skis appeared in the recent catalogues. There are no big chunks out of the tail but these less radical asymmetrics have more side cut on the outside edges than on the inside edges helping to equalise the different radii that the inside and outside skis cut.  Making skis asymmetric is of course only one in a basket full of ingredients that goes to make up a good ski so it's important to get the right mix.

We can be cynical about the so-called breakthrough's put forward every year by the manufacturers about ski design but there are undoubtedly incremental improvements made annually in various aspects of ski development.  Whilst the skis themselves don’t look very different to the ones you have now and no amount of flexing the various options in the shop will tell you how they ski you can be pretty sure that your new purchases will produce a big wide smile all the way down to the lift.

It's perhaps in the Telemark binding where the greatest innovation and development can now be found in modern Telemark equipment.

The very first binding a thousand years ago was a birch root version of the cable binding and several modern Telemark bindings still use the same principle.  Based on the simpler touring cable binding described earlier, modern Telemark cable bindings have evolved so that cable tension is now applied by compression springs in small tubes and the cables have been replaced by hard wires for greater rigidity and stability.  With the best "cable" bindings you'll have a range of interchangeable springs in different stiffness' to suit different snow conditions and skier's preferences.

Other new innovative cable binding makers', route cables under the foot rather than round the sides of the boot.  These bindings produce a feel all of their own and may attract those Telemarker preferring a more active binding system.

Active - Neutral Bindings - You'll come across references to "active" and "neutral" bindings from the manufacturers and from those in shops selling tele gear.  It's a topic that's one of the most important.  Unless you end up with set-up of boots and bindings that puts you in the Goldilocks zone (not too active and not too inactive) for your build and the sort of skiing that you want to do, Telemarking will be more difficult to master than it needs to be.  So what does all this mean?  Quite simply a totally "neutral" binding will have no resistance as your heel comes up on your rear ski.  Attach a pair of skis and lift your leg up. The tail of your ski will dangle in the snow if it’s neutral.  At the other extreme is a very "active" binding.  Don a set of these and now lift up your leg.  This time the tail of the ski will come up with the boot despite that free heel.  Only a small gap will have opened up between your boot heel and the heel plate of the ski.  This "active" binding will have so much forward resistance that nearly all the foot bending will be done at the boot bellows.  Only when this is taken up, will the binding springs come into operation.  Now, it's the bit between those two extremes that provides endless possibilities for the binding manufacturers not only to decide on the degree of resistance but also to introduce smooth and progressive resistance as the boot heel lifts.  So why is this important?  If your set-up is too active you may physically not be able to overcome the force of the binding springs and/or boots and be able to get into a comfortable Telemark position.  Also if your set-up is too active and you like to ski the powder, the tips of your skis will dive below the surface of the snow as soon as you drop into a tele.  On the other hand if your binding is totally neutral and you ski only on piste, getting enough force on the edges to carve fast, hard turns will be very difficult.  Your weight, strength and boot flex (see above) will also have to be factored in to get the right result.

Some bindings already offer the possibility of dialling in different settings to suit skiers of different weights and to cope with different snow types.  With the old cable binding the only difference that a Telemarker could make to the resistance was to crank up the cable so tight that it often resulted in the binding screws being pulled out on his first turn.  Thankfully those days are rapidly disappearing.

Some bindings provide a multiple choice pivot point.  By moving the pivot point backwards or forwards under the toe, you can change the "active"/"neutral" balance.  This allows maximum flexibility when it comes not only to personal choice but it also allows you to change the balance for different snow conditions.   

Plate Bindings - One route toward a rigid binding was thought to be the plate bindings of which the NTN could be classed as one.  One of the main jobs of a binding is to transmit your body movements through to the ski edges and a plate binding has the potential to do this more effectively.  Other than NTN, plate bindings usually consist of two or more rigid plates under the foot, the front one holding the toe piece and the other plate hinged under the ball of the foot and allowed to lift.  A standard heel clip attachment fastens the free part of the plate to the boot.  The major advantage of plates over cables is their potential for far superior torsional rigidity.  In other words the way in which far more of your turning power can be transmitted to the ski edges.  This is especially noticeable with the rear ski and gives you a better feeling for carving turns.  The true value of any plate binding is in the quality of the hinge bearings.  Any slop produced by wear in the hinge will significantly reduce its effectiveness.  This may be one reason for their demise in recent years.  This factor has been a significant incentive to several manufacturers to demonstrate state of the art engineering with beautiful bright shinny metal bindings.  Others have gone for light plastic.

Free Pivot/Climbing Mode - In addition to being able to move the pivot point to fine tune the active/neutral balance, those that earn their turns by skinning and climbing are also receiving recognition.  For a couple of years now nearly all the manufacturers have been working on or have already marketed bindings that offer a frictionless pivot option.  

For years those with Alpine Touring bindings have had the benefit of being able to release the heel and rely on a pivot just in front of the toe. This pivot point offers zero flex resistance when climbing so that the stride can be longer and the ski tips will ride over the deeper snows.  

Most importantly, you expend far less energy on the climb, arriving at the top feeling fresher.  An active Telemark binding may induce a couple of kg. resistance with each stride.  During the course of a climb this adds up to a significant amount of wasted energy.  The feature also allows you to whip those skis round in tight areas, as do the Alpine Tourers, by using the "snap" turn instead of having to rely on the "kick" turn. The Telemark/free pivot option is switchable; some operated by means of the ski pole or a lever.

 A word of caution; don't expect that all the manufacturers have solved the problem of these levers and catches icing up!

Release - As more and more control is sought by Telemark skiers, with heavier bindings, plastic boots, heavier and wider skis, many skiers have begun to think seriously about the value of their legs.  For years alpine skiers have had the benefit of DIN release bindings on all their skis as standard.  Not so with Telemark.  There are currently three release systems on the market for Telemark skiers.  One comes integrated in its own binding whilst the other two are retrofit systems.  One of the things that one has to balance with retrofit systems is the additional weight being added to your set up.  Not only do you have the weight of the binding but also the additional weight of the release system which could nearly double the overall weight of the stuff between your boot and ski.  It all depends on how you balance the value your legs against the risks involved.

Fixings - The wood screw as a means of fixing alpine bindings to alpine skis is redundant.  One of the perennial problems of binding alpine boots to skis is the "flat" produced in the middle of the ski flex pattern as a result of the toe and heel being rigidly clamped onto a rigid binding. This problem has now been largely mitigated with a range of integrated alpine binding systems that not only allow alpine bindings to be rigidly attached but also allow them to "float".  This means that the long rigid alpine boot doesn't interfere with the ability of the ski to follow a natural, even and round flex pattern. Telemark boots and bindings have never had this problem. The heel's been floating over the ski for the last couple of thousand years.  However what we'll see in future tele skis is the way in which the ski manufacturers work with the binding manufacturers to standardise and improve the way in which the two connect.  Already on the market are a number of tele skis with threaded inserts to accept a range of tele bindings.  Expect to see transverse pins and other alpine integrated ways of connecting binding to ski in the not too distant future so that even the most energetic tele skiers will no longer be able to rip out the wood screws on a big turn.  There won't be any wood screws.   

 The New Telemark Norm - NTN - Here's what it says on the tin! : 

• Symmetrical boot/binding (no left and right binding).
• A new attachment point under the boot yielding better stability and more precise transfer of power.
• Easy entry and exit
• Adjustable binding position in three positions (+ or - 15mm)
• Choice for four different spring tensions from extra soft (neutral) to rigid (active)
• No duckbill sole.
• Free pivot touring function (like Alpine Touring bindings)
• Ski brake
• Release function (sideways, pivoting from the toe)
• The NTN boot is adapted for crampons.
• The NTN boot will fit into traditional Alpine Touring bindings
• Two separate models, one for large feet and the other for small feet.

In 2007 when the first few preview models were tested, this binding was found on piste to be superior to the 75 mm system in almost every area despite some early teething problems.  Nearly all that use NTN for the first time immediately find that carving Alpine turns is a good deal easier and feels more secure.  It feels almost as if you’re in Alpine boots and bindings.  Some coming from the 75mm system say that Telemarking takes a while longer to get used to, especially if you’ve used to neutral bindings.  Some claim that NTN induces a rather shorter stance than with traditional Telemark bindings so that there’s less scope to drop into a lower, deeper Telemark position.  But with boots now offering a range of hard to soft flexes and a range of different springs in the binding, you can make the NTN as active or neutral as you please.

Unfortunately the early NTN Freeride as it later came to be know, didn’t tick all the boxes when it came to earning your turns and taking them on tour up the mountain.  With its weight and only about 30 degrees of free pivot, customers found it lacking on the climbs.  More recently the new NTN Freedom (photo right) has been introduced.  Not only is it 500 gm lighter but the free pivot has now been increased from its restricting 30 degrees to almost 90 degrees of pivot, bringing it much closer to that offered in a ski mountaineering binding.  Other changes such as a lighter heel lift and other improvements to the powerbox make changing the springs much simpler.  The jury’s still out as to whether the loss of all this metal has had a detrimental effect on performance but those touring will probably like the way in which this new version doesn’t allow any build up of snow under the boot or bindings whilst climbing.