Telehiro and B-Tele Discussion

[bbense]

Watch the inside ski.

[Montana St Alum]

I don't agree that the average telemark skier can carve a turn. I've seen one or two (they had US Ski Team jackets, here in Park City) do it, but it's pretty rare to see a telemarker in a pure carve. You can self-check. At the end of a turn, look back. If you don't have two pencil thin lines, the turn wasn't carved.

Well, by that standard there aren't that many alpine skiers that can carve a turn. I guess I'm trying to differentiate between just skidding the tails slightly vs an intentional stem. My impression is that stemmed turns aren't being taught anymore. People go from snowplow to a skidded initiation without the intermediate step of the Stem Christie. Makes sense given modern ski shapes, but not knowing a deliberate stem christie makes skiing "old school" straight skis really tough.

I agree. The stem turn is under appreciated and underutilized. Modern designs have made it possible to jump from snowplow to parallel, so people don't think in those terms. It's a very useful technique.

[mca80]

Watch the inside ski.

Is that representative of all world cup skiers of the time, or just one dude?

[Montana St Alum]

Watch the inside ski.

Is that representative of all world cup skiers of the time, or just one dude?

Tims have changed, huh?
That's Ingmar Stenmark. They didn't get much better at the time with 86 World Cup wins.

[mca80]

Watch the inside ski.

Is that representative of all world cup skiers of the time, or just one dude?

Tims have changed, huh?
That's Ingmar Stenmark. They didn't get much better at the time with 86 World Cup wins.

Whoa, okay then. You can clearly see stemming every turn. So everyone's inside ski looked that way during turns at that time, until makers started developing the crazy shape back in the 90s that we see now?

[Montana St Alum]

Yeah, modern racers do it a little differently in timing and execution, but as I mentioned Re: moguls, getting a ski angled in slightly can give you an advantage and stepping is quick and easy. (Well, easier!)

[Stephen]

@bbense, @Montana St Alum, NO WAIT!

Maybe I’m the one who is mistaken, but, right now, I think you are both missing something.
What he is doing is the OPPOSITE of a stem.
He isn’t stemming into the next turn (turning the old inside ski DOWN the fall line to start the turn.
What he IS doing is stepping UP (or skiing a higher line) with that ski to gain elevations and space for the next turn.
This gives him more elevation (speed) and more room for a smoother turn on the next gate.

Yes / No?

EDIT:
I mean, maybe I saw some stem-like movements in there, but I saw more of what I said above.
.

[Stephen]

The following Telehiro's video, subtitled "To and From," demonstrates how he adapts his skiing style to different types of terrain and snow conditions.

1:44, that’s the turn I love, and doesn’t look like B-Tele.

[mca80]

@Stephen I am completely out of my element, started alpine only in my early 30s and nordic when 40 and have only had my first ski lesson ever last year, which was strictly xc. What it looks to me that Stenmark does is lift the inside ski slightly, placing it backward (as telehiro does in a shuffle, without the same visible lifting) but changing its direction or orientation down across the fall line to assist in turn initiation.

Someone who knows more than me tell me if wrong, I like exploring this stuff intellectually now after a purely visceral experience.

[Montana St Alum]

@bbense, @Montana St Alum, NO WAIT!

Maybe I’m the one who is mistaken, but, right now, I think you are both missing something.
What he is doing is the OPPOSITE of a stem.
He isn’t stemming into the next turn (turning the old inside ski DOWN the fall line to start the turn.
What he IS doing is stepping UP (or skiing a higher line) with that ski to gain elevations and space for the next turn.
This gives him more elevation (speed) and more room for a smoother turn on the next gate.

Yes / No?

EDIT:
I mean, maybe I saw some stem-like movements in there, but I saw more of what I said above.
.
IMG_3571.jpeg

Youb are correct. The classic stem turn has the tail out, Vs. the tip.