Call to Free Heelers

[Smellytele]

If they do not fit I would give them to you since that is how I got them. You live nearby so should not be hard to meet! Thanks for the pointers!

That would be awesome. Oh and stay away from the bumps for awhile until you get the hang of it.

 

[ts01]

... What kind of feet do you have? Scarpa is usually for narrow high arch feet and Garmont usually fits a wider foot. ( I say usually, because I believe Scarpa changed their last recently, at least for their NTN line ).

Correct - My (fat) feet fit just about the same in Garmont 75mm boots (Ener-G) and Scarpa NTN boots (TX). My kids have skinny feet like their mom and wore Scarpa 75mm boots and fit better in Garmont NTN. Go figure. (But you can fudge it a little with moldable linings.)

 

[dlague]

+1

Good ski and bindings to learn on. If you need new boots, get a T2 or higher grade boot. Don't be lured into a T4 level. What kind of feet do you have? Scarpa is usually for narrow high arch feet and Garmont usually fits a wider foot. ( I say usually, because I believe Scarpa changed their last recently, at least for their NTN line ).

What kind of feet? We are getting a little personal now! Just kidding! I have wider feet so Garmont may be the way to go!

 

[Cannonball]

Teleing in bumps is easier on my legs then groomed Intermediate/expert trails This is because you don't actually have to push yourself back up to transition to the next turn. Let the bump help. As you go through the bumps let gravity help and just extend your legs with your body at the same height.Basically let the ski and boot fall with the slope.

Totally! I absolutely loved being in the bumps on tele. One piece of instruction I got was "imagine that you are stepping over a log as you transition through a bump". It was an epiphany. It truly feels like you are almost effortlessly 'walking' down the bumps.

 

[ts01]

Totally! I absolutely loved being in the bumps on tele. One piece of instruction I got was "imagine that you are stepping over a log as you transition through a bump". It was an epiphany. It truly feels like you are almost effortlessly 'walking' down the bumps.

In my dreams! It's easier in soft spring bumps but in general I can't link more than five or six tele turns in bumps (or trees) before reverting to parallel. I can and do tele turn everything else - steeps, ice, crud, groomers (!) - but bumps kill me. And I've always been mystified by the bump skiers on tele gear who stay LOW. I never thought about keeping my upper body down and just extending legs, as Smellytele suggests. I suppose one of the reasons I get tired and lose my rhythm is doing too much with my upper body.

Tell me more, telebumpers. Hands? Poles?

And to the OP - Get comfy with p-turns on freeheel gear too; unless you are racing there is no rule requiring 100% tele turns. In the real world one of the coolest things about freeheel gear is the many types of turns it opens up, mixing it up is fun. This is not just my excuse for bump-flailing; two of the masters agree. Check the subtitle of Paul Parker's book - http://www.amazon.com/Free-Heel-Skiing-Techniques-Conditions-Mountaineers/dp/0898867754, or take a clinic with Dickie Hall -- http://www.telemarknato.com/index.html -- or just watch his "Joy of Telemark" video -- http://www.freeheelgranola.com/tips/the-joy-of-telemark-improving-your-skills .

 

[dlague]

In my dreams! It's easier in soft spring bumps but in general I can't link more than five or six tele turns in bumps (or trees) before reverting to parallel. I can and do tele turn everything else - steeps, ice, crud, groomers (!) - but bumps kill me. And I've always been mystified by the bump skiers on tele gear who stay LOW. I never thought about keeping my upper body down and just extending legs, as Smellytele suggests. I suppose one of the reasons I get tired and lose my rhythm is doing too much with my upper body.

Tell me more, telebumpers. Hands? Poles?

And to the OP - Get comfy with p-turns on freeheel gear too; unless you are racing there is no rule requiring 100% tele turns. In the real world one of the coolest things about freeheel gear is the many types of turns it opens up, mixing it up is fun. This is not just my excuse for bump-flailing; two of the masters agree. Check the subtitle of Paul Parker's book - http://www.amazon.com/Free-Heel-Skiing-Techniques-Conditions-Mountaineers/dp/0898867754, or take a clinic with Dickie Hall -- http://www.telemarknato.com/index.html -- or just watch his "Joy of Telemark" video -- http://www.freeheelgranola.com/tips/the-joy-of-telemark-improving-your-skills .

I have homework?!

 

[ts01]

I have homework?!

No work needed. It's play.

All I'm saying is p-turns are OK too (and the experts back me up).