Can you use telemark skis for touring?

Telemark and AT (Alpine Touring) gear are all the rage these days. They’re proliferating at ski areas as fast as in the backcountry. The latest gear is half the weight and twice the performance of what you might expect. With one setup, you can comfortably tour the Sierra backcountry and hit the steeps at Squaw Valley.

Is telemark skiing harder than alpine skiing?

It was still a workout, but when you enjoy it and do it right, tele is easier on your knees and no harder on your quads than aggressive alpine skiing. As counterintuitive as it sounds, the forces generated by the turn help lift you out of it.

What is the difference between alpine and touring skis?

Alpine ski boots have been designed to deliver optimum control and performance for downhill skiing. These boots work with any Alpine DIN binding. Touring Ski Boots. Touring boots are all about saving weight and are made of lightweight plastics, buckles and liners.

What is the advantage of telemark skiing?

Learning to ski on telemark equipment improves your overall skiing ability. It forces new skiers who are inclined to lean back onto the center of their skis and sharpens their balance and agility. The boots also tend to be more comfortable and easier for new skiers to walk in.

What does touring mean in skiing?

Instead of using ski lifts or other means of transportation, ski touring involves going uphill using skins, a piece of fabric attached to the base of skis to prevent them from sliding back when climbing up a slope. Before skiing downhill, skins are removed.

Does anyone telemark ski anymore?

There are still a few thousand telemarkers in America, but that number probably won’t ever increase. My favorite theory is that by trying to become equivalent in performance to alpine gear, telemarking rationalized itself out of existence.

Can you downhill ski with touring skis?

This is a big plus if your tours involve long approaches and technical ascents. There is, however, a notable trade-off in downhill performance. Heavier touring skis generally do a much better job of handling speed and difficult snow.

Should touring skis be shorter?

In general, we advise our customers to size alpine touring skis a bit shorter than a alpine resort ski. This helps reduce the overall setup weight for uphill travel and allows you to have more maneuverability while skiing in variable backcountry conditions.

Is telemark the same as touring?

The primary differences between telemark and alpine touring (or randonee) skiing are in the binding and boots. The telemark binding locks down the front of your foot, and has an adjustable cable on the back that is loosened for rolling terrain, and tightened to keep your heel down for descents.

Should I get telemark skis?

Telemark gear is good for entry-level backcountry skiers, mainly because the equipment is durable, dependable and easy to use. Telemark is appealing to many women because it requires more finesse and grace than alpine skiing or snowboarding, which may suit their desire to winter recreate in a new and interesting way.

What’s the difference between Telemark and at ski touring?

Over time, Ramer’s binding matured, randonnee (European alpine ski touring “AT”) bindings appeared, and tele gear quit breaking. Reared on the steeps, many skiers in our area of the Rockies, including myself, stuck with AT gear. We didn’t give up telemarking, but we had no interest in being tele heroes.

How are telemark bindings different from alpine bindings?

Free-heel bindings still dictate a right and left-hand ski, an archaic detail that prevents swapping skis in the field when an edge gets trashed, and gives you one more detail to worry about when you’re putting your skis on. What’s more, tele bindings now mimic alpine bindings of old, replete with cables and toe irons.

What kind of Boots do you wear on Telemark?

After over 15 years of touring on telemark gear, I had gone over to the “dark side.” Here I was trying out a pair of alpine touring boots attached with Dynafit bindings to some Atomic skis that used to be mounted with cable bindings for dropping knees.

What’s the difference between alpine touring and Atomic Skis?

Here I was trying out a pair of alpine touring boots attached with Dynafit bindings to some Atomic skis that used to be mounted with cable bindings for dropping knees. The difference was immediately noticeable. The advantages of an alpine touring (AT) setup when it comes to ascending are obvious from the get-go.