Tell us about yourself

[MikeK]

Welcome back barkleydog! Had no idea about skiing that far south, but I suppose the elevation helps...

[narayanan]

Hello!

My name is Sergey, i'm from Russia, Moscow.

2007 2009 alpine skiing,ACL injury, stop skiing... I thought that all...
2009-2010 reabilitation, nordic skiing
2010-2011 try to telemark skiing on skin boots and wooden skis... impressive! wonderful!
2011-2014 Garmont Syner-G + Atomic Kontega telemark with G3 Targa - learning, skiing, backcountry, fun!
2014-today K2 skis with HammerHead and G3 Targa Ascent. freeride, ski-mountaneering, backcountry

Locations: Russia, Bulgaria: Caucasus, Khibiny, Siberia, Urals, Pirins

Other: motorcycles, honda, jeep cherokee fan

[MikeK]

Hi Sergey! Welcome to your humble Telemark forum! Please provide us as many pictures as you can from your exotic location! Many of us are in North America and would love to see your backyard.

[Digger]

I'll jump in.

I've been mostly a lurker here, Telemarkeast, Backcountrytalk, and laps through the Gear Swap on TGR since the demise of TTips. I was Diggman on there cuz Digger wasn't available when I registered in the late 90's.

I grew up playing hockey in the winter and waterskiing in the summer. After college I got into Nordic skiing. When you live in Minnesota its love winter or dread 6 months of the year. I started playing with "the turn" while poking around in the woods with my bride. Her mom used to tele. She was Norwegian so it was the only way she knew how to ski.

The epiphany was during a trip to a local hill when a friend of a friend from Colorado was skiing lift served on some metal edged touring skis. His point...tele makes lift served skiing in the Midwest challenging. I had my first true tele rig in 2 weeks. Karhu XCDs with 3 pins and Asolo Snowpines. I was hooked. I got Cross Country Down Hill and Paul Parker's book. Watched the NATO videos and fell in love.

I've been through the rise and descent in popularity of tele and all the gear changes that have taken place. I've gone from leathers to plastic. I've had 3 pins, Rivas, Pitbulls, Superloops, R8s, Hardwires, Switchbacks, X2s, lite dogz, AXLs and NTN. I know how to peel skins with my skis on and wax for anything from -20 to 50 degrees. I know names like Dickie, Dostie, Mitch, Josh, and, of course, Sondre.

I've still got my first rig which is still great for poking around in the woods. I've got some Epochs and Excursions for when I want, and conditions allow me, to do some meadowskipping. Classic and combi touring skis are in the quiver and I do a bit of Skijouring with our dog.

I've got friends and family in Colorado, Tahoe, and Washington so I can do my dirtbag skier thing. I still prefer that to the resort ski trip. Yep, I know how to make tomato soup with ketchup, hot tea water, Tabasco, and pepper packets. Maybe it's the residual telemark skier vibe.

I love the outdoors. During bad skiing (April to November) I MTB, paddle the BWCA, camp, backpack and kayak. I'm one of those people who takes the last run in April, swaps the toys for the season, and within a couple weeks is already thinking about the next first snow.

Yea, kids in college, family, professional career, volunteering, all the stuff that provides a full life is there too. But they all understand. When I was windsurfing it was a 15 knot breeze, with skiing it is a winter storm warning. Passions that fuel the fire need to be stoked.

Here's some fun with me. our oldest, and my skijouring partner.

[cChrisM]

Hello all,

I am an avid alpine skier and a good friend of mine will Tele and Alpine switching back and forth on differnet days. You wouldn't know which he was on by the way he skis everything on the mountain. He offered to teach me Tele. So I finally took him up on it. This last Saturday we went to a local moutain and used by buddies extra set of gear. Nice to have the same size foot. Just swaped out footbeds. My buddy said I was doing pretty good. Felt like fish out of water. Needless to say I'm hooked and will be looking to buy my own gear and continue to practice. It made my local hill more fun and challenging. We even ran into one other Tele Mom that was there with her daughter that was racing. Now I just need to get in shape as I only lasted 3 hours or so before my thighs were toast.

I will be reading all I can and look forward to being on this forum.

About me, married 4 kids all ski except one that snowboards. Son is 7 so we can do more together now that I am in learning mode. Building a Factory Five Cobra, work in Manhattan and also work too many hours but make time for family and skiing on the weekends whenever possible.

Cheers

[MikeK]

Welcome cChrisM! Please feel free to post some more about your factory 5 build in the off topic. No one else may have interest but I do! Good luck with your tele conversion.

[Oldschooln8]

OK
I started telemarking Alta 1980. Was skiing gates in HS and doing pretty good. I grew up skiing with cable bindings, lace up boots, painted ski bottoms with the metal edges screwed on. Swap meets and discards... hell I was on the hill and lovin it. The skiing here in Minneapolis is extremely lame. Short little groomers. When I got to Alta the new deal on the skinnys caught my attention. Especially after a few decent head bumps and some extremely close calls ragdolling down cliffs and through the trees. The hardest imaginable way down the hill seemed like the way of the future, plus the gear was real light and comfortable. A few guys started hiking up with this weird plywood surfboard that seemed like a California dreamer surfer fad. We used to sit in the bar and joke that the surfer snowboard deal will never catch on... freeheel and skinny! Now that was where the future was! DOH!
Fast forward... Im 54 years old 2nd wife no kids 1 rescue dog and cat. I am a licensed builder/remodeling contractor, ceramic artist/potter, musician,singer/songwriter, dabble in glass blowing and bronze casting. I have been getting out to ski local a few times a season but broken leg sidelined me last year. I decided to upgrade the gear this season and its the best thing Ive done since dumping the "fat boards" . Ive tried out the plastic telegear... crispys i think and cant recall the ski, felt like downhill with a hinge. Ill stick with the leather. Asolo Telemark Racer 4 buckle and currently riding on a pair of pre parabolic slalom 193's ... sorry to digress to the gear.

So... Music, the 80's were a great time to be gigging in Minneapolis. Lost of talented friends that "made it" .. Soul Asylum, Replacements, Rembrandt's(theme from friends), Semisonic(Trip Shakespeare), Babes in Toyland....I attended HS with one Roger Nelson aka Prince. Later the purple genius made off with our drummer! DOH! Still playing some and putting a project together in a style I'm calling "crooner ska"... we'll see if that gets any air under its wings!

Pottery. I work primarily nonfunctional art in alternative firing techniques. Raku and Raku variations. Developed and published a style called Glasku where hot glass is applied to hot ceramic vessels. everything is about 1500 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and glowing, lots of fun. Im working on getting an Etsy store going in the near future. I do a considerable amount of research into the neolithic ceramicists work and how crucible development was the springboard for the copper age which brought on the development of all technology.... OK I gotta stop now.

Outdoor activity. Love the out doors, our house has a cabiny feel but still near the metro. We have a place "up north" Grand Marais MN on beautiful Lake Superior & the boundary waters canoe area. I have a bell solo with the thwart shifted to accommodate my lovely bride and a black gold tandem. Love sailing but don't get out enough. Heading to the Virgin Islands in a few weeks and we will get out on the water a few times. Like to ride motorcycle too. Just picked up a 2003 BMW R1200c that is a gas. Still have my old 1978 R80/7 as well as a couple old BSA and Triumph in the shed.
Well gotta run... band practice, write up another bid, hit Home Depot and maybe even Bed Bath and Beyond ... I don't know if there is enough time....not enough time!
peace n8

[Digger]

Oldschooln8 check you PM.

[tnevins530]

Here is my story.....
I am a 32 year old male, married with a 13 year old daughter, two dogs and a cat. I work in construction as a union glazier and instruct health and safety classes on the side.
I have been xc skiing since 2009. I bought skis originally to stay in shape after I ran a marathon. I only ran one marathon in my life and probably won't do it again. I basically just wanted to see if I could do it. Don't get the wrong idea I am no world class athelete. It took me 3:35 to run the 26 miles.
I have battled with smoking since I was a kid but am now proud to say I have not smoked in about a year and a half.
Two years ago my buddy got me into mountain biking and the desire to get good at that has kept me smoke free.
I have skied more this year than any other year. It has become an obsession. I have so much more to learn.
I have two sets of skis MadshusVoss(my first skis) and Madshus annums(this years addition). The Annums have been great allowing me to ski down some of the steeper snowmobile trails on the state land where I ski. I wasn't proficient enough to handle the Voss's on the steeper trails.
My wife and kid do not ski alpine or nordic so I do all my nordic skiing with my nine year old shar-pei pitbull mix. He does well and can still do 10-15 miles pretty easily.
In my area there are not alot of people who enjoy skiing snowmobile trails like I do, but thats ok I enjoy the serenity of the trails.
Most of my ski trips are between 5-10 miles long. I usually average 4-6 miles per hour(including some steep hills up and down). I'm not the fastest skier and I have actually never skied with another skier(can't talk my buddies into it).

[MikeK]

I have battled with smoking since I was a kid but am now proud to say I have not smoked in about a year and a half.
Two years ago my buddy got me into mountain biking and the desire to get good at that has kept me smoke free.

Congrats on quitting! I quit December 1st 2012 (I smoked for 16 years prior). Wasn't my first time trying but I haven't smoked since. Skiing has been a big part in keeping me off the smokes.

I started when I was 16 and when I was in my teens I could smoke and do whatever... didn't seem to phase me. By the time I turned 20 I had stopped biking, which was a big activity for me, and was smoking a pack a day. I started riding again, regularly at about 25, but I was still smoking (maybe tried to quit here and there)... there was already a huge difference from when I was 20. At 30 I really started to feel the effects... I had a hard time climbing mountains. I wasn't doing much outdoor stuff because my lack of lung capacity was getting in the way. By that time I had given up xc skiing because I couldn't really do it and enjoy it. I could still dh ski as that isn't very cardiovascular.

I actually quit because I started showing signs of early emphysema and it scared the crap out of me. It actually turned out to be something else (stomach acid getting into my lungs) but the thought of not being able to do anything but roll around with an oxygen tank was motivation enough. I'd thought of that before but until you feel the symptoms that lead to that i.e. chronic constant cough, burning lungs, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, etc... you take for granted. I consider myself ridiculously lucky that it was something else and I hadn't permanently damaged my lungs.