How do you get down the mountain?

[awf170]

Thats the great thing about learning something new...
You become a beginner and all those trails will scare your again!

Learning tele made me appreciate all terrain again.

how long did it take you to become decent at tele..the thing that scares me about it is hitting ice

 

[loafer89]

When I started snowboarding was rare to non-existent in most places. I remember skiing at Killington when snowboarding was only allowed on Sunrise Mountain.

I was just reading an article that said only 39 out of 600 ski areas allowed snowboarding in 1985, three years after I started.

My best friend/skiing buddy tried it at Solitude in Utah last year and he liked snowboarding alot, but he still likes skiing better.

 

[JimG.]

About AT setup, do ski on them almost everyday or just Backcountry..

Can't answer for NHPH, but I use my AT gear for everything, even tight zippers in the bumps in the spring.

 

[tree_skier]

When I was learning to ride - I rode early in the day and skied in the afternoon..
Kinda sucked cause I had to use my ski boot liners stuffed into Sorel boots for snowboarding... Then take them out and use them in ski boot shells...

You guys who ride now have no idea how easy it is compared to 15 - 20 years ago...

I just used my Sorels and generally just borrowed a board from whomever I could when I was learning in the 80's. I also taught many lessons feeling just compentent on easy intermediate terrian because I was the only instructor midweek who could board at all.

 

[ga2ski]

how long did it take you to become decent at tele..the thing that scares me about it is hitting ice

Ice still sucks. Kinda like ice skating on a hinge.

Whether I'm on my alpine or tele gear I'm learning every day. I started on the second day of the season in Nov 2003. I spend the morning on South Ridge at Sunday River. Then we (my wife and I) got bored, so we went to the top of Barker, which was crazy as it was early season. . . lots of "hard pack", bumps and variable conditions. we made it down. The one thing about tele is if you get into an unconfortable condition, you can alpine it. I think it took me about five days to feel comfortable on skiing almost anywhere. Note I had been skiing for 21 years so I had the basic fundementals, it just clicked on day. I learned alot by watching some of the "locals" at Sr and reading Allen amd Mike's Really Cool Telemark Tips Book. Here is a link to what the book looks like: http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD_ID=160913&cid=52905&fp=F

Also if anyone is looking to buy tele gear relatively cheap I recommend www.telemarkdown.com (Although Eric's site appears to be down right now) He lives in New Boston, NH and I have gone there and tried on boots and picked up gear. He is great guy and sells gear cheap.

Still not hooked here are some great videos and pictures:
NET (New England Telemark) Videos: (not responsible for any of my actions or pictures of me) http://homepage.mac.com/netelemark/iMovieTheater15.html
Telemarktips.com videos:http://www.telemarktips.com/Moviepage.html
And Sunday River's movie page (not all tele, just some great movies by Dave P-Q-nes of RSN): http://www.sundayriver.com/video2.html
My favorite:http://www.sundayriver.com/video2.html?url=webQTmed384K_Stream001.flv

 

[ga2ski]

we need to a have AZ day when we all learn how to tele

I recommend going to one of the telefests or contacting Biff at NEtelemark to setup some lessons.

Let me know I'm game to help out as well.

 

[dmc]

Ice still sucks. Kinda like ice skating on a hinge.

No doubt... It really throws me off... I'd much rather tele in crud or pow...

Don't forget - the NATO fest at Mad River is a great place to go and take clinics and demo...

The guys at Telemarkdown are really cool... They have those teleboards that I NEED to try out...
Going to talk them into doing a demo at Hunter next winter... Already cleared it with the mountain..

 

[awf170]

the one thing that made telemarking look so cool is flying through the woods at alta... one of them came flying out of the woods and did a blackflip :blink:

 

[Vortex]

we need to a have AZ day when we all learn how to tele

Good call. :idea: Bob R, did you see this?

I saw it. Filed under Ga2ski has a project. :wink: I don't have a problem with an event. The problem is whom is teaching it. Ga2ski had a good suggestion. We can talk about it in the fall.

 

[NHpowderhound]

Awf asked

About AT setup, do ski on them almost everyday or just Backcountry..

It depends. Most of the time it's the Pocket Rocket/Fritschi setup unless there has been no new snow. They are a bombproof setup and ski like a regular binding & ski. And I can't belive how light they are! That makes up for the heavy alpine boots I still use.
((*
*))NHPH

 

[snosharkrider]

other: monoski is my choice of getting down the mountain.

i tried a snowboard and decided on a compromise!

 

[dmc]

other: monoski is my choice of getting down the mountain.

i tried a snowboard and decided on a compromise!

Wow... I know a guy that does that..
I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with my feet and legs so close together...

More power to ya!

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

strat that what the problem is for me now though, im a good skier so if i want to learn how to snowboard i have to sit in the begginer area for a few days watching all of that beautiful expect terrian

Thats the great thing about learning something new...
You become a beginner and all those trails will scare your again!

When I was learning to ride - I rode early in the day and skied in the afternoon..
Kinda sucked cause I had to use my ski boot liners stuffed into Sorel boots for snowboarding... Then take them out and use them in ski boot shells...

You guys who ride now have no idea how easy it is compared to 15 - 20 years ago...

I started Tele (again) last season. It can really make routine trails "interesting" again. I'm progressing OK, but it'll be a few seasons before I can haul a sled with free heals.

I love alpine (and AT), and probably will never give it up, but a little variety isn't a bad thing. ("Variety is the spice of life, that's what the judge is gonna tell my wife.")

 

[NHpowderhound]

Sledhaulingmedic wrote

I love alpine (and AT), and probably will never give it up, but a little variety isn't a bad thing. ("Variety is the spice of life, that's what the judge is gonna tell my wife.")

Give her the farm but keep the 'Boards'
((*
*))NHPH

 

[awf170]

other: monoski is my choice of getting down the mountain.

i tried a snowboard and decided on a compromise!

what is it like.... looks awsome in powder

 

[David Metsky]

Exclusively tele for the past 12 or so years. I've taken a snowboard lesson, and I enjoyed it, but haven't gone back for the second one yet. I have a couple of different setups for backcountry and lift, but all have done service in both domains.

-dave-

 

[snosharkrider]

awf170: the monoski is a blast in the powder...but what isnt in powder? when the powder gets tracked up a bit though, it plows thru it like its untracked.

the technique is similar like parrallel skiing...except for the double pole plant.

i tried one on a sunday, bought one on the monday after, and now own 2. so i'm crazy!

-jeff

 

[bvibert]

i tried one on a sunday, bought one on the monday after, and now own 2. so i'm crazy!

Just curious, is there a company that still makes them? I hardly see any on the slopes...

 

[dmc]

awf170: the monoski is a blast in the powder...but what isnt in powder? when the powder gets tracked up a bit though, it plows thru it like its untracked.

I remember an old ski video with a guy kicked back and straight lining a steep bowl on a monski.. He was doing at least 60mph... Aboslutley insane...
Everytime I find myself reaching scarey speeds in deep snow I think about that...

I have a friend at Hunter that has one.. I think it's made in France...
I also know another guy that has one but never uses it.. Maybe I'll get him to break it out next year...

 

[skibum1321]

Two planking it