What is the ratio of AT to Telemark skiers?

Yes Mt. Cardigan in NH. It has been many years and I was thinking too fast for my fingers.<br><br>Fact is I was even more confused, because I was thinking of some lift service ski hill just west of Boston, which escapes me now. If Dave Lowry reads this he may post what I am thinking since he is the one who got me started on all this decades ago.<br><br>Alan

Wachusett?<br>

Yes! Wachusett!

Jerm,<br><br>I see what you are saying and I think I agree to a point. You make a good point about the stem, but usually the transition from the stem to parallel becomes less pronounced with gain in experience just as the stem gets less pronounced. But here, what becomes a strong move for the alpine skier, ends up being much weaker for the new tele skier. Once the tele skier moves the lead ski foreward he/she has to deal with not only fore/aft balance issues but side to side. For me this was more of a challenge, hence the hematomas! I almost always see novice tele skier fall to the side, usually the inside of the turn. This balance is especially daunting for the novice while praticing a true steered turn because of the additional forces generated when forcing two skis in different directions.<br><br>The alpine novice usually is learning on packed powder or some form of groomed and simply picking up the inside ski or sliding it over in a quick snap is so less complex than controlling two different skis with legs in different fundamental position (muscle and skeleton positions) that I feel it requires more "learning". It might take a few trips and falls for the novice alpine student to realize that not only do they need to slide that ski, but also roll to the other edge.<br><br>So this is just my opinion and this opinion is certainly colored from my having come from nordic then to parallel. But as I see my son learn parallel, I am amazed at how good and strong skiers can be using all stages of stems on fixed heals. <br><br>I absolutely agree with your statements regarding learning parallel coming from a nordic background. The free heal really teaches you how to balance weight on a ski. I had naturally incorporated more and more parallel turns into my repertoire over the years while on tele and they are far less forgiving. I think that helped me transition, even though forward pressure in alpine gear is desired in most situations. But I think it gives me an appreciation of how the ski is working and how to react to varying snow conditions while on the AT setup.<br><br>Having said this, I admit I ain't no pro on this stuff, and the comments I got from race instructors while skiing with my 9 year old on Hood this summer tells me I got a long way to go. On the other hand racing is a monomainiac type of skiing compared to the variabilities and challenges of backcountry.<br><br>Alan<br><br>P.S. I would agree with the other posters that if you included free heel tourers on lighter gear, they would outnumber the AT'ers.

alpine is easier to learn then tele now. no doubt.<br><br>Gear has changed the way tele is taught. PSIA now teaches telermarking in the following sequence: snowplow/wedge, then wedge turn, then into parallel turns. then a "courtesy tele" in which you traverse some between turns and drop into the tele position then rise back up, and then do another parallel turn. then you start introducing the tele position into the turn, but NOT at the start of the turn. you introduce it at the end of the turn, dropping into the tele to help pressure management. then you move that drop into the tele position back earlier and earlier into the turn. Without getting too far into it, the tele turn is becoming viewed by the teaching community as more of a pressure management technique then a distinctly different way of skiing and they have broken down the components of ski turns with concepts and vocablulary accordingly.<br><br>in other words, first you learn to parallel in tele gear then add the tele. the old way, learning to parallel turn was an advanced, later technique.<br><br>to tie this back into the thread: it is now easier for EVERYONE to learn "AT" because 1) current alpine skiers already know how to do it and 2) beginner tele skiers learn alpine technique on their way to tele. Easier to learn means more likely to be chosen.<br><br>other factors in increased AT popularity: increased lines at lift served areas; difficulty of skiing cascade concrete; with tele easier to learn (thanks to gear) and closer to alpine in style (thanks to gear) fewer people are saying "oh i'm bored with alpine i'll try tele cuz i need a challenge" AND "oh there's no gear for AT and I'd really like to get into the backcountry"; plus aging of the population leads to more older folks wanting to conserve their energy and preserve their bodies.<br><br>I am still all tele. when i started in the early 90s it was all skinny skis and leather boots. cool innovators mounted tele bindings on wood core alpine skis. gary brill was the only randonee guy i knew of; everyone else was tele. now my younger BC friends 80% AT and my older BC friends (40+) 80% tele. Whereas my TAY experience is that many of the older crew are all about AT. another observation is that i don't see very many telemarkers at the resorts. will be curious to see how many do the weds and thurs nite lesson series at the summit this year (often accompanied by their more accomplished partners for the night)<br><br>I am considering AT for gnarlier ski mountaineering just so i can stick to the mountain better in adverse conditions with exposure. but just moved up from my 8 yo T2s to some 4 buckle garmonts to become manly enuf to hang with the big dawgs, so will try out the new gear first (if you don't have time to improve your technique, just buy better gear!). Actually, am planning to pull out the old leathers and skinnies this year to go liftie with some newbie friends, just to see what it was like back in the day<br><br>so i think 50-50ish tele-at, with sub-groups having wildly varying ratios.<br><br>Jimmy O<br>

I remember those hematomas Alan!<br><br>If I was to spend alot of time skiing big mountains again, no doubt I'd get some AT gear. I've started my son out on AT.<br><br>I'm so vested in trekking with the dogs now, the SNS-BC is the right tool for that. Its unbelievable how rich the experience is when your tools for snow travel are sentient beings.