Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Did some skiing last week up on Washington and Tuckerman Ravine. The Ravine was characterized by late-season runnels, which are basically sluff/slush/corn paths that repeat over themselves and get very deep-- waterslide deep. One could easily fit inside and a viewer looking over the top wouldn't notice the person. Almost impossible to ski. However there was good skiing on the snowfields up high and they were still linked up with the Bowl.

You can see the Runnels here in a late afternoon photo climbing up the Chute coming down south snowfield. I realize I have a tight stance. Is this OK? I love how the ski bending is captured in this picture Traversing for a better line under the ice-- a stupid move that one makes when one doesn't have children to care for at home, also I only stopped under bare rocks I just like this picture END OF THE LINE. TERRIBLE. HATE THIS.

We had an adventure getting down via some bushwacking attempting to find some more sweet turns. We found no sweet turns, and had to downclimb this chimney. We threw our bags down, mine got stuck. There's a 15'+ gap on lookers-left that sucks under the cliff. The snow is completely rotten, non-supportive of weight, and undermined. All of this was terrible idea.

wow, from the Alps to the Whites, I"m totally jealous, looks like a great day, your stance looks perfect. I guess we can't avoid 80 degree days in spring anymore, will have to learn to like the runnels & stuff.

It's not New England backcountry without a good 'schwack! it's always seems like a good idea at first....

Cannatonic wrote: It's not New England backcountry without a good 'schwack! it's always seems like a good idea at first....

Fortunately, my buddy brought beer for both of us. Makes the schwak go better, as always!

Where were you skiing? Your stance looks great to me and your excursion seemed to vary between the entertaining and the 'character building'. Thanks for the pictures

groughsurfer wrote:Where were you skiing? Your stance looks great to me and your excursion seemed to vary between the entertaining and the 'character building'. Thanks for the pictures

Mount Washington in northern New Hampshire. Highest point in the US northeast at 6,288'/1916m. It's part of the Presidential Mountain Range inside the White Mountain National Forest. Tuckerman Ravine is a steep glacial cirque on the east side renowned for it's spring skiing and is a total circus, which is part of its charm. Until recently the summit had the highest surface wind speed ever recorded at 231mph in 1934. The weather is almost always awful. Wonderful place!

Thanks for the kudos on the stance. Learning tele in a vacuum over here and always happy to get some advice and tips and critiques. Thanks to my buddy YOUNG ZEUS for the great pictures.

Your technique and style look so effortless and smooth! Rotten snow sucks. You obviously worked hard for your turns. Thanks for posting photos/adventure

Woodserson wrote:Thanks for the kudos on the stance. Learning tele in a vacuum over here and always happy to get some advice and tips and critiques. Thanks to my buddy YOUNG ZEUS for the great pictures.

Good for you for still getting out there. Your stance is good as far as fore and aft, and it seems to be working for you. The only suggestion I have is to open it up a little. I think you will like the feel and realize the benefits of skiing with your skis about hip width apart, and at your skill level it will be an easy change to implement. It enabled me to feel each skis edge independently as opposed to skiing both skis as one. If you work on this next season I think it will be the tool you need for the headwall at Tuks. When you did the P turns there was your stance open?

lowangle al wrote:
Good for you for still getting out there. Your stance is good as far as fore and aft, and it seems to be working for you. The only suggestion I have is to open it up a little. I think you will like the feel and realize the benefits of skiing with your skis about hip width apart, and at your skill level it will be an easy change to implement. It enabled me to feel each skis edge independently as opposed to skiing both skis as one. If you work on this next season I think it will be the tool you need for the headwall at Tuks. When you did the P turns there was your stance open?

OK-great. Thanks! I agree that this is my problem, I think. I would like a bit wider stance also. I have a few things going on- my ankle naturally roll in and I'm slightly knock-kneed and also I come from the now-older alpine A-Frame Stance. So I think everything tightens up width-wise. I'm going to have to work on this consciously and see what happens. My Alpine P turns are different, I'm more athletically stanced albeit with the A-Frame. I still have trouble tele turning most slopes above 40degrees. (35-38 seems to be my upper end).

I have some pictures of my Alpine skiing from years ago but here's me skiing below the headwall last week in P-Turn but obviously in my tele gear.
Anyway-- I think the season is pretty much over. Gives me something to chew on for next season!

Don't open nuttin......Throw away those fat skis and get Nordic....Kick the snot outta Tucks on long high speed skinnies with double camber for frosting...Vote Trump while at it!!!!! TM