Tele-what!?!

A young Don Johnson?




....damn backcountry paparazzi.

I recognized you from the proud mustache and scruffy rest-of-the-beard....and the fact that you look that tanned in the summer, too.

But doesn't having a stiff set up make it easier to learn or is it the otherway round! Educate me as to what you think would be  a good set of "training wheels" to learn on.

Scotty: Markeyz has a point. A T2/Synergy-type boot, with a short-radius-turn ski such as the K2 World Piste, is a good setup to learn on. Intermediate skis come around more easily at slow speeds.
From what I remember you telling me about your tele-foray last spring---I applaud your adventurous spirit!---initiating the turn was fine, but bringing the trailing ski around was harder. That's normal for tele-learners, and just spending more time in the stance improves that.
It's often fun to learn new mountain skills. I my self intend to try snowboarding when I'm younger. :

Scotty:  Markeyz has a point.  A T2/Synergy-type boot, with a short-radius-turn ski such as the K2 World Piste, is a good setup to learn on.  Intermediate skis come around more easily at slow speeds. 
From what I remember you telling me about your tele-foray last spring---I applaud your adventurous spirit!---initiating the turn was fine, but bringing the trailing ski around was harder.  That's normal for tele-learners, and just spending more time in the stance improves that.
It's often fun to learn new mountain skills.  I my self intend to try snowboarding when I'm younger.   :

A 3 buckle T-2, any AT ski between 90-70-80 and <120-84-? with 3 pin hardwire bindings on standard ramped risers are good. Don't make the boots too tight. The t-2 has good lateral stiffness but flexes forward easily. AT skis are better than most tele skis for a man your size (or my size); the tele skis of old were a little wimpy/dead so I always found Alpine or AT to be more suited to my weight 200+lbs. The 3-pin hardwires will help keep you from spreading out fore and aft too much and with bending the boot; moderate width will help getting the ski on edge; moderate sidecut will help with the turns. When you get satisfied with the stance and turning, then you can take the hardwires off (if the bindings were mounted to allow for that) and experience the reel free-heel. If you want to learn really quickly to become an intermediate to advanced telemark skier, enroll in one of the PSIA clinics (for example Mt. Hood/shelley Butler or one at Whitewater with Nils Larson) where they video tape you. I gave my stepson a free clinic (he had been a alpine skier then turned snowboarder). They put him in an advance group and at the end of 2 days he was skiing with the pros.

Geeze just strap the things on, point down hill, and if you feel your going to fast try and turn them or crash. Get up throw away your goggles filled with snow and repeat. say wooo, wooo wooo alot while traveling down hill it helps

Geeze just strap the things on, point down hill, and if you feel your going to fast try and turn them or crash. Get up throw away your goggles filled with snow and repeat. say wooo, wooo wooo alot while traveling down hill it helps

This may be the most solid advice, I give it two thumbs up! Don't over think it!

For anyone who wants to give it a shot. I'm not dis'n the whole technical aspects (PSIA lessons) those are fine, they can be effective with the right instruction. But really, with today's gear and even with the old leathers and 215cm Karhu XCD-GT's like I learned on. If you know how to ski, have reasonably good knees and balance, then already, yer way ahead of the curve.
Get out take your lumps and don't try to ski steep slopes (upper chairs) to soon, til ya get the edging, weight distribution (stance), shoulders and hand position, and turn (simple). Right??

I recommend Lift operation learning to increase the amount of reps compared to touring to get one or two runs in one day. Hone the skills on the lifts and then take em to the BC.
It takes a minute to learn the turn, and a lifetime to master.

Tele sounds so much like when I was a kid on the sledding hills trying to ski down and make turns on my three pin xc skis...that was fun stuff!