Telehiro and B-Tele Discussion

[Lhartley]

I'm sure you probably mention it in your thread, but do you run full sized Gammes matched to your size and weight when skiing games for turns?

[tkarhu]

I'm sure you probably mention it in your thread, but do you run full sized Gammes matched to your size and weight when skiing games for turns?

My Gammes are sized according to Åsnes charts. I am 180 cm / 83 kg, and the 200 cm Gammes are for 180-190 cm / 80-95 kg. They have 50-55 cm long wax pockets at my weight. I like touring gear

[Lhartley]

Nice! I'm struggling to turn my e99's, and was considering picking up a shorter pair. I should man up though

[tkarhu]

IMO, it might have been difficult to get started with b-tele on E99’s or Gammes. I learned b-tele first on 196 cm FTX’s and 173 cm Åsnes V12’s. The FTX’s and V12’s have similar dimensions and cambers. But when you have got a grasp pf b-tele dialed in, the technique seems easy on Gamme and E99 class skis, too. Well, at least on an easy slope of 10+° in nice snow.

[Lhartley]

I feel like this shows the contrasts between the two styles pretty nicely. If I'm correct the the first set of turns are b-tele and he transitions to a-tele (stem). Great video with dreamy Black Diamond (tele sauvage?) Old School teles. Just missing the Norwegian sweater

[Sidney Dunkin]

IMO, it might have been difficult to get started with b-tele on E99’s or Gammes. I learned b-tele first on 196 cm FTX’s and 173 cm Åsnes V12’s. The FTX’s and V12’s have similar dimensions and cambers. But when you have got a grasp pf b-tele dialed in, the technique seems easy on Gamme and E99 class skis, too. Well, at least on an easy slope of 10+° in nice snow.

I don't think B tele will work with double camber skis on packed snow because it takes heavy weighting to get your underfoot edges down. An inch or two of soft snow and it's a different story.

[Krummholz]

FYI - I have created a Tele-B page in the TELEWIKI, taken from Telehiro’s info on his YouTube and webpage.

https://telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6640

[DG99]

Oh my…. A lot in this thread…. Will have to read….

From reviewing that B tele wiki…. I think the crux is he’s changing mental focus from turning to braking, which is normally skidding.

We often think of turning to check speed, which isn’t altogether wrong, turn out of the fall line. However Telehiro stays in the fall line mostly and brakes in various ways.

He does have a high stance, as part of the turn deemphasis. That reminds me of the great Urmas Franosch‘s teachings, he said the tele stance is ideally only for balancing, and not needed for making turns. At least his method, for taking on steeper slopes, resort conditions etc. A lot has been said over the years about where in the turn the lead change happens but Telehiro rightly deemphasizes that too.

All this to get away from the classic big swooping tele turns that get you in trouble on steep slopes.

My two cents!

[Montana St Alum]

That reminds me of the great Urmas Franosch‘s teachings, he said the tele stance is ideally only for balancing, and not needed for making turns.

Agreed. Particularly in bumps, I will often - but momentarily - have 100% of my weight on the ski that is on the outside of the turn with the trailing ski momentarily used to offset my shift in CG. In particular at the moment of "G"-onset as that inside edge begins to engage.
This reduces the "length of the shuffle" required and quickens the pace. I can generate 1 to 1.5 turn per second using this technique.

This was a nice pow day so I wasn't really going for quickness, but it's right at 1 turn per second, I think. Well 12 turns in the first 12 seconds, anyway (Yeah, I know - "NOT ANOTHER MSU VIDEO!" - but I don't like to ask people to take my word for it).

By staying in an extended, upright stance, less muscle (O2) is used, so non-stopping longer runs becomes easier.
This was last year.



This is a bit quicker.
I'm on chemo for sarcoidosis, anemic from the treatments, 71 and partially blind now, so I'm feeling pretty good about this!

https://youtube.com/shorts/V4egjqN_xo8? ... syCkI-D53a
I guess the bottom line is, do what's necessary, mix and match if you need to. A, B, whatever. If it works, do it.

[Stephen]

Where’s the “Thumbs up” button?