Beginner's lesson

Sink and Rise In Your Turns

Moving up and down through the turn sequence is a key part of making it to the next level. Many new telemark skiers, especially those coming from the alpine end (for some unexplained reason) will sink into the first turn and stay there. They will then just shuffle their feet through the lead changes, often iniating the new turn in parallel mode.

I have found a way to overcome this and get the up down motion we are looking for. As you make the lead change, pause for a moment at the point where the skis are parallel and the tips even with each other. When you do this it is almost impossible to not be standing tall at the very end on the turn, ready to sink into the next turn. In order to maintain that tips even position for a second or so you will find that you are all the way up!

You don't want to have to continue this pause in your transition forever, after all, the goal in tele-turning is to make smooth even turns, but if you think that you are not rising up through the turn, try it. You just may find that it is the key to getting the turn sequence straight.

 

Telemark Stance

Moving From Wedge Turns to Parallel Turns

The Cornerstone: Wedge Turns

Wedge turns are the cornerstone of the foundation of good fundamental skiing. Many people, even top notch experienced skiers, confuse wedge turns and snowplows. Snowplows are a static, locked in kind of stance, very handy for stopping in crowded areas, speed control in not to steep places and survival situations such as when pulling a toboggan or skiing difficult snow with a heavy pack. The wedge turn is a completely different animal, parallel turns are direct descendants of the wedge and the wedge can be used to learn to tele-turn, as we will see later in the lesson.

The big difference between snowplow and wedge turns is that in the snowplow, we are mostly concerned with slowing down and going straight. The skis are in a locked in position with the tails pushed way out in a strong "V" position, a little turning is possible by lightening the pressure of one of the skis, but for the most part, real turns begin with the wedge. In the wedge turn, the "V" shape of the skis is a bit less dramatic and is not held so long. Now that we have that background, lets get started making wedges and wedge turns.

Find a gentle decline of a hill and start by straight running downhill keeping the skis parallel, about 12 to 15 inches apart. Allow yourself to build up a bit of speed then force the tails out and form a "V" with the skis, feel the pressure on the skis, then go back to a parallel ski position, repeat. When teaching kids to ski we give them this to visualize: make a hot dog...make a pizza (slice), make a hot dog...make a pizza. During this exercise your ski position will look like this (birds-eye view) :

Now, I want you to think about the pressure you felt on the skis while making the wedge, we are going to vary that pressure one ski to the other and move the lesser pressured ski in towards the other ski while turning. A wedge turn to the left sequence is as follows: straight run, wedge, increase pressure on the right (outside) ski while lessening pressure on the left (inside ski), as you begin to turn, decrease pressure on the inside (left) ski all the way to the point that you can bring it in to the parallel (hot dog) position. At this point you should be close to all the way through the turn and about ready to start your turn to the right. Again move back to the wedge, this time pressuring the left ( new outside or uphill ) ski and reducing pressure on the right (new inside or downhill) ski. As you feel the turn starting, begin to reduce pressure even more on the inside ski and bring it in next to the outside ski. In this ski position illustration the pressured ski is the bolder one.

 

 

In the illustration you see a turn to the right and the outside ski (left ski) is being pressured while the inside (right ski) is being lightened, the skis come together then resume the wedge with the new outside ski pressured (right ski) and the inside (left ski) being lightened and brought in. Practice these wedge turns until they are solid.

Last month I wrote about making your first telemark turns by making garlands across the slope and then executing the big turn. I wrote about this method first because it is how I learned. I got the garland thing from a tape by Bela and Mimi Vadasz of Alpine Sports International. I think it is out of print, by now it is old and the equipment part is way outdated, but it covered the basics quite well. Anyway, another way to get those first tele-turns under your belt is to execute them from the wedge turn.

The idea is to begin the turn in the wedge and as you begin to turn, slide the outside (pressured) ski forward and slide the inside ski back and in towards the front ski. The tip of the inside ski should end up right around the front of the boot of the outside ski. The ski position illustration looks like this, (again the pressured ski is the bold one):

 

 

This was a difficult thing to illustrate, but I think if you study the sequence carefully you will be able to see the straight run, the wedge beginning of the turn and the transition to the telemark position of the skis. The equal pressure segment in the middle is followed by the new wedge and the pressured right (outside ski) as the turn begins to the left. The key is to make a fairly quick transition to tele from the wedge. Try it, for some folks it is the easiest way to successful first telemark turns! Next week I will add a bit about wedge-to- parallel turns, so check back!

Getting Started: First Turns

 

..I am sure most tele skiers remember the first telemark turn they ever made, I recall mine very well. I was with a friend on an overnight trip, we skied to the top of San Emigdio peak here in So. California, we dug a shelter, ate some dinner, and later that night toured out to an overlook for an awesome view of the little mountain community we lived in, Pine Mountain. The lights below were twinkling, the moon was shining on the snow as it rose above the almost 9,000 ft peak of Mt. Pinos, and not a breath of wind, perfect quiet. It was a magical backcountry moment. The next morning, we went for a tour, it had snowed about a foot the day before and stayed cold, the snow was good. Ed and I were resting at the top of a little rise and we started talking about how nice it would be to be able to turn these 215 cm, fishscale base, cross-country skis, Ed said he had seen some people making a kind of turn called a telemark, he stood up and said "I think its like this", he pushed off and made a swooping arc to the left, coming to a stop next to a tree. He had a big grin on his face and was laughing as I dropped into his track and turned down next to him. We had survived our first tele-turns unscathed and from that moment on we were hopelessly addicted. Every chance we got we would ski out to the meadows on Mt. Pinos, set up a little base near a hill and practice. It was great.

..Find yourself a gentle slope for your first turns and try this: start at the side of the run and traverse across the slope dropping into a basic tele position ( see last months lesson page ) and then rising up out of it and dropping back down again, each time turning up into the hill slightly to slow down, then pointing the lead ski down a bit to get the next turn going. Do not change the lead ski. These turns are called garlands and your track should look something like this:

 

 

 

 

 

..When you get to the end, stop, and do a little kick turn and try making garlands in the other direction, making sure to drop down into the turn and standing up tall at the end of the turn. When you get to the point of being able to make these garlands consistently, it is time to eliminate the kick turn and actually execute a full tele-turn back the other way. Remember to sink into a low tele stance as you make that last garland, hold a little more speed, stand up tall as you make the lead change and steer that front ski around and make another series of garlands. Repeat this exercise until you are comfortable in the tele stance and making the turn at the end.

Now it is time to start making linked turns: again on a gentle slope, begin with your first turn, sinking down into the turn, begin standing up tall as you arc around the fall line and start the lead change, turning to the left you will have the right foot forward and as you end that turn you will be bringing the left foot forward and starting the turn to the right, sink down into the new turn then begin to stand up and start the lead change, and the turn back to the left again. Remember, the stance should be fluid up and down, never static, the up-down motion is the what makes the lead change smooth.

..A word about edging: as you sink down into the turn, pressure the inside edge of your lead ski with your big toe and inside ball of the foot, don't forget to edge the rear ski by pressuring the little toe and outside/forward ball of the foot as well. Decrease your edging pressure, roll the skis flat momentarily as you make the lead change, and then get onto the new edges, all this should happen quickly, staying on your edges is key.

..This brings us to another point: I often see beginners holding the turn way too long, they come too far around, the edges begin to slip as they lose speed at the end of the turn, the hands come up, desperately searching for balance, finally, if they don't fall, they start another turn. Do not make this mistake. I often tell these people to cut the turn down by half, get going back the other way and onto those edges quickly and you will remain much more stable and in control. If you can just keep from holding the telemark turn too long, you will cut the learning curve dramatically.

 

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Your track should look like the one on the left, if it looks like the one on the right, you are holding your turns too long, start your new turn sooner

 

 

..Try the garlands across the slope, make your first full .turns at the end of the series, concentrate on the up/down motion, edging, and keeping your turns from getting too drawn out and I am sure that your first turns will be both memorable and productive in the quest to learn to telemark. Have fun!