Telemark skiing

History of Telemark skiing

19th and 20th centuries

In the 1800s, skiers in Telemark challenged each other on "wild slopes" (ville låmir); more gentle slopes were described by the adjective "sla." Some races were on "bumpy courses" (kneikelåm) and sometimes included "steep jumps" (sprøytehopp) for difficulty. These 19th-century races in Telemark ran along particularly difficult trails usually from a steep mountain, along timber-slides and ended with a sharp turn ("Telemark turn") on a field or icy lake.

Telemark skiing (colloquially referred to as "tele skiing" or "tele-ing") was reborn in 1971 in the United States. Doug Buzzell, Craig Hall, Greg Dalbey, Jack Marcial, and Rick Borcovec are credited with reintroducing the style after reading the book Come Ski With Me by Stein Eriksen. Telemark skiing gained popularity during the 1970s and 1980s.

Telemark skiing today

The appeal of Telemark skiing lies in access: long pieces of synthetic fabric, known as skins, can be attached to the bottom of the skis to allow travel uphill in the backcountry. With the invention of light-weight alpine touring (A.T.) skis, however, telemark skiing has decreased in popularity in the backcountry.

Telemark skiing uses a specialized type of equipment. Generally, Telemark skiers use flexible Alpine skis with specially designed bindings that fix only the toe of the ski boot to the ski, thereby creating the "free heel". Oftentimes the heel is attached to the front of the binding by a hinged cable, which holds the ski boot firmly in the binding. These bindings are often non-releasable.

Releasable Telemark bindings

Rottefella created releasable telemark bindings and called them NTN. NTN is an acronym for "New Telemark Norm". The NTN binding is considered by many as a revolution in telemark bindings providing:

1. Superior edge control for the skier.
2. Improved safety with a sideways release system and optional associated ski brake.
3. Ease of manual binding release when inverted (e.g. in a tree-well) compared to conventional, heel-release systems, enhancing self-rescue in potentially life-threatening situations.