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April, 2006-- Telemark
skiing is challenging. You've heard the slogan, "If it was
easy, it would be called snowboarding". Well here's a new
one: "if there was only one way to do it correctly, it would
be called alpine skiing!" Part of the appeal of telemark
skiing is that it is much more than just a functional way to
get down the mountain. We make telemark turns rather than alpine
(parallel) turns not always because they are more functional
or efficient, but because they feel good. Telemark skiing is
an art - like dancing. Unlike hiking or marching, dancing is
beautiful, not utilitarian.
Understood this way, telemark skiing offers
more than just a free heel. The old cliche about freeing your
mind encompasses one's freedom to select movement options as
well. In order to make decisions regarding technique, it's important
to understand the mechanical consequences of these various movement
options, and then decide which choices best express one's individual
conception of telemark skiing.
In this article I will discuss two common
movement patterns used by telemark skiers. One is characterized
by a relatively tall stance and short lead, while the other features
a lower stance and longer lead. While there are numerous variations
to each of these basic patterns, analyzing them as opposite ends
of a spectrum will allow us to understand the consequences of
each more clearly.
The benefits and drawbacks of each pattern
can best be analyzed using the three primary skills of skiing
- pressure, edging and rotary - as a framework. All skiing maneuvers
utilize each of these three component skills in varying proportions.
Balance can be added as a fourth skill, which provides a foundation
without which the other skills would be meaningless.
Let's first examine the
tall stance and it's consequences in each of the four skill categories...
Balance
A tall stance utilizes a high degree of
skeletal alignment, which saves energy, but requires accurate
movements in the ankles to adjust balance in response to subtle
changes of pressure on the soles of the feet and other proprioceptive
feedback.
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Pressure
A tall stance allows for pressure to be
borne equally by both feet.
In a tall stance the ball of the back foot
(rather than the big toe) is weighted, enhancing rear foot control.
As the height of stance is generally proportional to the length
of the lead, the closer fore aft displacement of the feet under
the body allows extension movements for unweighting and unedging
to be made more easily. Long legs allow generous suspension travel
for regulating pressure over irregular terrain and absorbing
impacts from landing jumps.
Edging
A tall relatively closed stance allows
the legs to create angles that are used to retain balance against
turning forces and control the arc of the turn. Angulation allows
the skis to be tipped on edge progressively, |
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A tall, more neutral
stance |
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making carving easier - especially on hard snow. The edges can
be changed quickly without the need for the center of mass to
be moved aggressively into the turn. This is particularly advantageous
in short turns. In a tall stance the body has the freedom to
align with the skis in a turn, or to remain oriented to the fall
line according to situational demands. With hip angulation and
fall line orientation, extension/retraction turns --where the
skis cross under the body during turn transitions-­ become
possible. These are very effective in moguls and deep snow.
Rotary
While a tall stance allows only weak rotary
power in the legs, the shorter lead enables the feet to pivot
and change lead quickly. Counter-rotation can also be used to
quickly change the orientation of the skis. This can be helpful
if a tree appears suddenly in front of you.
Now let's look at the low
stance....
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Balance
A low stance requires more power because
the skeleton is folded more than aligned. I’m told that
sitting on the back heel can be restful, but that position severely
limits pressure control movements, and would seem to make one
more vulnerable to knee injury. On the other hand, a low position
with a long lead is very stable longitudinally if not laterally.
High speeds are more comfortable in a low position where a sudden
change in snow condition doesn’t rock your world quite as
hard.
Pressure
In a low stance it's harder, though not
impossible, to maintain pressure on both feet, although control
over the rear foot is somewhat compromised when the |
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Low stance with
a longer lead |
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tip of the big toe, rather than the
ball of the foot contacts the ski. A compact position limits
the ability to absorb compressions in irregular terrain. Extension
movements require more power when started from a low position.
Edging
With the feet spread ahead of and behind
the body centerline, angulation becomes difficult in a low stance.
Edge change is accomplished primarily with inclination. Edging
tends to happen suddenly as the whole body is tipped into the
new turn. This can be very powerful and stable, but difficult
to fine tune. Many skiers use strong unweighting movements in
turn initiation to compensate for reduced edging ability.
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Rotary
A low compact stance enables the skier
to make powerful rotary movements, which can be very effective
in heavy snow and steep terrain. With the body restricted to
a square position over the skis (aligned with the skis), body
rotation is often used as a turning power. Hip rotation coinciding
with the lead change can also be used as a powerful rotary power.
To put all this in a nutshell, tall skiers
take advantage of enhanced pressuring and edging ability, while
low skiers benefit from strong rotary ability. Tall skiers can
also ski with less energy expenditure. Which style you choose
depends partly on your age and physique, but more importantly
on what you want out of skiing - your artistic conception. Telemark
skiing --unlike rock climbing, for example-- is not about reaching
your destination, it's about how you get there. |
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Low stance with
a shorter lead |
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I'll tell you what defines hot skiing for
me. One thing is dynamic balance. Skiing is not about being in
balance all the time. It's about having it, then losing it, then
finding it again.
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Low skiers are mostly in static balance
with their weight centered over their base of support. Tall skiers
move their bodies outside their base of support in the turn initiation.
They are always moving toward a balanced position in the future,
rarely dwelling there. This is a cool feeling!
Hot skiers also know how to use ski design
to shape their turns rather than relying on brute muscular power.
Guiding the skis on edge early in the turn causes them to track
in an arc. When done at the right moment, releasing the energy
stored in the skis causes them to squirt into the next turn.
The essence of dynamic skiing is using
the equipment to play give-and-take with gravity, rather than
fighting the mountain with your legs. Cranking the skis around
with strong rotary movements accomplishes the latter more than
the former.
Fluidity and elegance are qualities of
good dancing as well as good skiing. Lightness, grace, and the
appearance of effortlessness are conveyed by a quiet upper body
and seamless turn transitions. While it's possible to exhibit
these qualities by skiing low, it's more difficult.
Only the very best and strongest athletes
can demonstrate these qualities in a wide range of conditions. |
Top: Cali's Ben Paik in Verbier,
ph: Chris Lohman. Below: Verbier's Bob Mazarei cruising on opening
day at Mammoth. Ph: MW
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Just as clothing styles change, so do skiing
styles. These days alpine skiing has become passe for many telemark
skiers. They are eager to distance themselves as much as possible
from their cousins with the locked down heels. It seems to me
that many of the low skiers out there are striving for the "classic
telemark" look as opposed to the "alpine telemark"
which is taller with a closer stance. Perhaps for them the telemark
dance should not be judged by the same functional standards as
alpine technique. After all the telemark turn came first, they
might say. There may come a day in the future --after there is
no more electricity to run ski lifts-- when alpine skiing will
no longer provide the model for functional downhill technique.
The parallel turn will be viewed --as the telemark turn was until
recently-– as an anachronism. Until then, follow your muse
and express yourself. If your mind is as free as your heels,
choose your technique as you see fit --but choose wisely. |