Telemark skis are a unique form of ski that have been around for about 150 years. They are used as downhill skis and feature a heel that does not lock into the ski bindings, providing the skier with more freedom and range when changing directions on the mountain. The legs are often held in a flexed-forward position to adjust the turn radius of the telemark skis. Even with this difference in construction, telemark skis have many of the same features of other types of downhill skis.
Length and Width
The length and width of any ski is its most important feature when you are comparing across multiple types of skis. Choose the length of a ski in proportion to your own body height and weight -- taller and heavier individuals will want longer skis than those used by shorter and lighter persons. Longer skis also tend to run faster on snow, while shorter skis are more adept at carving through sharp turns. The width of the skis should correspond to the width of your boots and the bindings used, but you may also want to use wider telemark skis in soft snow and reserve more narrow skis for packed and hard snow.
Sidecut
The sidecut is the measurable difference between the width of the ski's waist and the tip and tail. The smaller the waist, the greater the sidecut, and this makes it easier for a ski to carve out sharp turns, although it also reduces the ski's top speed. A sidecut generally measures between 12 and 20 mm on a telemark ski, which has a more significant sidecut than most other skis. Deeper sidecuts tend to be preferred on packed snow, where it is more important to keep the edges of the ski in constant contact with the ground.
Flex
Telemark skis often feature less flex than other skis, meaning less pressure between the rider and the ski is required to flex the skis into an arc. Measure flex by standing the ski on its ends and pushing down vertically to view the flex occurring. When you release this pressure, the flex will also determine how quickly and forcefully the ski snaps back to its original positioning.
Camber
Camber is found in all downhill skis -- this is the arch in the ski as it runs from the tip to the tail. In telemark skis, the camber is often very minimal. Camber is much more useful in touring and cross country skis than downhill and telemark skis, and although there are variations in camber among telemark skis, it is usually not important unless you are a specialty skier looking for a very specific use of the ski.
Member Comments