How to pick out tele gear?

[powpowpowderwheels]

I'm going for it. I've alpined for 12 years (The better part of my life) and I wanna give tele a try. I figure I can get a pretty nice setup (boots, skis, bindings) for about $350 at the Bozeman ski swap, the only problem is that I don't know what I'm looking for. What aspects do you look for in a pair of bindings and boots? What width skis should I get as a beginner? Are my alpine poles the right length, or do I need to go shorter?

Also, brand suggestions would be good too.

Thanks y'all.

Is there a website with tele tips/technique overview?

[3pin]

You may be a beginner to tele, but look for gear that's similar to the stuff you like for alpine. If you have big burly skis to charge hard, don't go out and get some watered-down p.o.s. because you're learning. Same with boots. Far too many beginning tele skiers go out and buy T2's and soft mid-fats, because they think they need them to learn on. If you've got a good alpine background, apply what you like from your current equipment to what you're looking for, and you'll be surprised how much easier it is to learn.

Boots are basically a fit issue since the all have different foot shapes. But across the board, Crispi has the softest flex, and Scarpa's probably the stiffest. Lots of skis available out there in pretty much every equivalent style from alpine. Bindings, look at rigid compression cables like the Cobra or plate bindings like the Bomber and Linken, or hybrids like the 7TM (which is releasable) for the best control.

Check out www.upproductions.com, and look at Freetime if you're looking for instruction on lots of levels.

Good luck.

[AltaPowderDaze]

telemarktips.com has some good info to get you started.

[homerjay]

Here are some suggestions from a fairly recent hippie stick convert:
- get big boots. The largest tele boots will feel like slippers compared to alpine boots, and also help you deliver more power and control.
- keep it simple with bindings. I prefer a rigid rod instead of a floppy cable. Seems to help with bail-out parallel turns. Neutral bindings make you weight the rear foot more (targa, linken, hardwire, 7tm) and have better powder performance in my experience, active bindings (R8, O2) help flex the boot and have better hard snow performance. Some bindings are adjustable (Hammerhead, bishop) in terms of pivot point. In my opinion, once you get that complicated and heavy and expensive, part of the simplicity of telemarking is lost.
- Skis - I go a little shorter and a little softer than I would if I were riding alpines. But then again, I'm kind of a pussy. The only reason for skinny skis is if you're doing short radius turns or bumps.
- Poles - I like 'em short. I'm 6' tall and use 46" poles. Adjustable for touring is nice since 46" poles suck balls on flats.
- Listen to what people like 3pin have to say. They know their shit.
- Telemarktips.com is a great resource, and I have to credit my lurking over there for much of the above information.

[Greydon Clark]

Yeah, what these guys said which a couple of exceptions… I think G3s are a fine binding, not the best on the market, but if you’re just getting into the sport and want to cut some $$$ they are cheap and easy to find used. TTips is great, but you get a lot of feed back from dudes with obsessive compulsive disorder… consider yourself warned.

[fez]

spend your money on boots first, skis second. if there is no cash left for binders, i have a pair of G3's you are welcome to on a long term loan.

also, not the best skis ever, but becky has a pair of rossi attaque or something skis, 191, probably also available on the long term loan.

[G]

I'm going for it. I've alpined for 12 years (The better part of my life)

So, what? The better part of your life is over now? And this is when you decide to take up telemarking?

[supercow]

Seconding what everyone above has said about boots first!

You don't need huge boots if you don't have huge skis or are a big bruiser, I love my T2's because they're a nice changeup from my stiff Dabello alpine boots. I really have to think about edges and weight transfer(YIKES AN EPICSKI MOMENT!!) and be a lot smoother and use finess instead of brute force. That being said a bigger boot will help you shred like you're a total tele ripper. Like I said above, tele for me is all about a changeup from my charging alpine setup to a more relaxed feel. Also you might want to consider whether you're going to do any touring you could tour in T-races but would you want to?

As for bindings, there isn't a whole lot new under the sun it seems. You've got the Hamerhead and Bishop which have more adjustments but are heavy and on the other end you have the Volie three pin which is downright old school. Targas are by far the most popular simply cause they do everything pretty well. They're not outstanding in anything but you know you can find a part when you need one since they're the Ford Focus of the binding world.

[homerjay]

My G-fit Ener-G's weigh the same as older T2s and the downhill performance is incomparable. No boot I'd rather use for in-area skiing or 13-hour spring death marches.

[Tri-Ungulate]

TTips is great, but you get a lot of feed back from dudes with obsessive compulsive disorder… consider yourself warned.

Bwa! So true...

OCD ovah theah, ADD ovah heah.

PPPW, you don't even need to post the question on telemarktips, unless you want to get inundated with about a dozen different highly detailed opinions. The search "newbie gear" or something like that (they also allow searches of less than 4 letters) will pull up about a bazillion threads.

Gotta agree with the previous posts on this thread, boots are the most important. If you're a hard charger, don't be afraid to go big with yer tele gear, meaning T1/TRaces, Ener-Gs or CXU/CXPs. As always, fit is more important than brand, and the 3 main companies each have slightly different fit characteristics.

For bindings, beefier=more edge control, so you'll find the transition easier (Linken, HammerHead, O2 (ridiculously stiff spring), R8 or $$$Bomber. Most of those can be pricey, and a good cheap active binding alternative is the Voile 3-pin Hardwire; the Voile VP-II plate binding is even beefier can be had very cheap on closeout sales.

Skis - if you get beefy boots/bindings, you can prolly use similar skis you've been DH on, at about the same (or slightly shorter) length, but might consider going a tad softer and mebbe looking fer something with slightly more of a pintail for easier release outta turns.

Shorter poles may be kinda helpful for style, but aren't absolutely necessary - adjustable poles are nice, just for touring sake.

Ignore the above advice about big gear if you are patient and want more of a challenge - you can learn on softer boots and floppier bindings, but it might take a little bit longer - the upside is that your technique will ultimately prolly be better and more versatile. And really, don't be afraid of trying to learn on shorter boots, less active bindings etc - you'll pick it up one way or another. As you know there're plenty Bozoners who tele to help you along.

[Free Range Lobster]

Ignore the above advice about big gear if you are patient and want more of a challenge - you can learn on softer boots and floppier bindings, but it might take a little bit longer - the upside is that your technique will ultimately prolly be better and more versatile. And really, don't be afraid of trying to learn on shorter boots, less active bindings etc - you'll pick it up one way or another. As you know there're plenty Bozoners who tele to help you along.

One of the training tips is to run your T1's unbuckled a bit so they're loose and force you to balance on your skis.

So if you go all the way with big boots, yes you can still learn the happy perfect teleturn skills with bomber gear.

[kneedropper]

Put all of your money in the boots, big boots. You can always find an old pair of alpine skis (free) and pay less than $100 bucks for some bindings to learn on. Then if you make good progress and decide to invest more money you won't have to buy an entirely new setup.

And yes, struggling on ankle high leathers may make you better in the end, but if you have some decent boots (T1s or T-Race) you will most likely learn twice as fast because you will be able to fake-a-mark or alpine your way out of situations rather than struggle down everything...so you'll most likely spend more time on the tele setup.

[72Twenty]

Heh, reading this makes me feel like a gomer. I, too wanted to flirt with the tele side of things, and I hooked up my own set-up at the shop I used to work at for minimal $. I currently have Merril Supercomps (I know, I know, but MAN, are they comfy) with Voile 3 pinner cables and they are mounted to my old Dynastar G9 straight skis. No wonder I don't have very much fun and feel all mooshey on them. I went about ti all wrong. See, I usually get in the mood to go tele, take about 4 or 5 runs, look and feel like a gaper, then say to hell with it and go get my alpines out of the car. I do this ritual about 3 or 4 times throughout a season. Maybe if I get some good gear, I'll actually catch on and enjoy myself.

[homerjay]

See, I usually get in the mood to go tele, take about 4 or 5 runs, look and feel like a gaper, then say to hell with it and go get my alpines out of the car.

That's how I started, but I was having too much fun to make it back to the car.

[mayor]

just got a tele set up for this year. Got R8s, so it sounds like I should be upgrading my T2s in a few months...dammit. Any way to stiffen them with another strap or something (they are 02-03 2 buckle style) instead of forking out the cash for T1s?

[powpowpowderwheels]

Thanks a ton guys.

What does it mean by "big" boots? Roomy?

[AltaPowderDaze]

my take on it is big boots= t1/t-race/ener-g/cxu (stiff suckers). roomy might mean a big toe box so you don't get pinched. that's my best guess. anyone else have an opinion?

[Oarhead]

Big boots = burliness factor, stiffness.
Big boots /= size and roominess.