My telemark story
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 8:20 pm
Hi everybody.
I just want to share my telemark story.
I skied downhill for 28 years and loved it. They in the late 90's, I watched a Roger Miller film while skiing in Yosemite,
It changed my life. There were three skiers, a snowboarder, an alpine skier and a Telemarker. They were skiing impossibly steep slopes but I was fascinated.
The next day, when we went to the ski area, I rented a set of telemark skis and hit the slopes.
The top of the bunny hill looked like Everest to me. I didn't know how to turn and it took me almost an hour that I could have done in 5 minutes on Alpine skis.
I was so hooked that I only tied Alpine skis one time in the intervening years. I rented a pair in Utah, skied for half a day and turned them back in to use my tele skis.
Part of my journey was skiing at Mt High in So Cal. I met Mitch Weber.
He became my guru.
I took many lessons from him at Mt High and Big Bear and even climbed MT Baden Powel with him and skied down (one of the best experiences of my life).
I lost track of Mitch when he moved to Mammoth but kept on skiing.
In fact, it was at Mammoth that I had a telemark epiphany and finally got into deep turns.
This went on for many years and I took my wife out and introduced her to skiing (but not tele).
But, alas, age and a hard life caught up with me.
Back surgery and knee replacement put an end to my skiing.
I also seemed to lose my sense of balance after contracting Covid a couple of times.
Getting old sucks. The alternative sucks even worse.
Keep skiing, it makes your life so much better.
I just want to share my telemark story.
I skied downhill for 28 years and loved it. They in the late 90's, I watched a Roger Miller film while skiing in Yosemite,
It changed my life. There were three skiers, a snowboarder, an alpine skier and a Telemarker. They were skiing impossibly steep slopes but I was fascinated.
The next day, when we went to the ski area, I rented a set of telemark skis and hit the slopes.
The top of the bunny hill looked like Everest to me. I didn't know how to turn and it took me almost an hour that I could have done in 5 minutes on Alpine skis.
I was so hooked that I only tied Alpine skis one time in the intervening years. I rented a pair in Utah, skied for half a day and turned them back in to use my tele skis.
Part of my journey was skiing at Mt High in So Cal. I met Mitch Weber.
He became my guru.
I took many lessons from him at Mt High and Big Bear and even climbed MT Baden Powel with him and skied down (one of the best experiences of my life).
I lost track of Mitch when he moved to Mammoth but kept on skiing.
In fact, it was at Mammoth that I had a telemark epiphany and finally got into deep turns.
This went on for many years and I took my wife out and introduced her to skiing (but not tele).
But, alas, age and a hard life caught up with me.
Back surgery and knee replacement put an end to my skiing.
I also seemed to lose my sense of balance after contracting Covid a couple of times.
Getting old sucks. The alternative sucks even worse.
Keep skiing, it makes your life so much better.