Tele Skis

[VTSkier]

Hi Gals:
Anyone have advice on what to buy for a beginner tele ski and of course a women's specific would be sweet. How about the length too? Do not want to spend big bucks so last years model would be good too. Plan to check out the ski swaps this month too!!!
Would love to join up with any of you on the slopes. My mountain is Mad River and I ski there during the week a lot!!

Think Snow!!!

 

[abc]

Welcome to the board!

I can't help with your question. I'm about as beginer as it gets: one lesson!!!

You're in a great place, though. If there's a "home mountain" for tele skiers, MRG is IT!!! I meant to go to the tele-fest last winter but it conflicts with my out of town trip. Unfortunately, if the fest is around the same time, I'll again be out of town on another trip...

 

[schudz]

I'm taking up tele this season also and the advice I got on boards was to go relatively skinny. If one is learning in-bounds, I've been told that the skinnier skiis will help us feel the turns rather than fight against the equipment. I'm 5'6, 150ish, and am going to give it a go on 160s.....Good luck!

 

[tradygirl]

I just started telemarking last year and I'm on 174 K2 Dawn Patrols. They are pretty fat underfoot (89), and defintely made more for powder and backcountry. I already owned them (I had them mounted with AT bindings), so I didn't really have choice on length. I demoed and borrowed a bunch of stuff last season before deciding to keep my K2's, and I think that if I was buying new tele skis, I would go much shorter (I tried 167s and I really liked that length). I'm 5'9".

I figured that I wanted a ski I could grow into, even if it was a little difficult for learning. My goal is to eventually tele in the backcountry, so I wanted a soft, wide powder ski. I think if you are specifically going to be skiing groomers, a short ski with lots of sidecut would be really great. I would definitely buy used since there's tons of stuff out there that would work great for cheap. Keep an eye on www.steepandcheap.com too - they close out black diamond and K2 tele skis all the time.

 

[abc]

I think if you are specifically going to be skiing groomers, a short ski with lots of sidecut would be really great.

I thought the whole point of tele is to go backcountry touring, isn't it?

Why have the heels free but to skin uphill? Lifts are great learning aids at the begining. But that wouldn't be the point if one is limited to only skiing inbound! Why not just regular skis, which is a whole lot easier to learn and whole lot more fun to rip down the hill!

My backcountry venture started at the skinny end, x-c skis with metal edges but soft boots. I'm progressing to hard boots and wider ski to be able to tackle the more challenging descends the like of Tuckerman Revine and such. In the process, filling the chasm between alpine and x-c with tele setup geared for backcountry tours on high angle slopes, both ups and downs.

Unless one wants to dedicate a specific "learning ski" for inbound telemarking, I have a hard time getting past that idea of inbound specific tele ski.

 

[altagirl]

There are loads of people who only tele inbounds. I don't tele often, but when I do it's almost always inbounds - I have an AT setup for touring. (AT gear can be lighter and more efficient than tele gear).

Anyway - tele is because it's fun, it's a different challenge, the tele turn just plain feels good... the boots are comfy, your feet stay warmer because your foot moves....

I would actually go a little longer, even for groomer skis, just because the last thing you want is to drop into a turn and have your rear tip go behind your front tail and get crossed up. Just my 2 cents - I'd make sure the length is enough that when you're in a lunge the tip is still beyond the heel of your boot. But I'm not an expert telemarker or instructor or anything - that's just my experience.

My one and only tele skis are 179 Hippy Stinx.

 

[Pequenita]

In defense of in-bounds tele-skiers, I know a handful of people who shifted to tele setups to keep skiing interesting during family ski vacations with three-foot tall skiers. One of these days I'll take a tele lesson...