Tele Ski for resort use?

Well I use the term resort loosely when I am refering to the local ski hill. Anyway, I have played around some and even took a lesson on tele gear. I am trying to piece together my own set-up and I am trying to figure out what kind of skis to look for. I know what I want and what to look for in an alpine ski but I don't have a clue when it comes to tele gear. I am 5'10" 245lbs and on alpine gear I pretty good skier (level 8 or 9). The skis will see most of their use (if not all) at the local ski hill which is 400 vertical feet of man made ice and slush. What should I look for?

Get something close to what you like in an alpine skis, just a little softer. Doesn't sound like you'll need fatties - something in the 80-85 waist range maybe. There are some good deals on G3 Tickets floating around, and I'd be thinking of something like that. And Black Diamond makes some well-priced skis - look at the Machine. Or if you can find some BD Ethics on sale, those might be a good choice. Or look for the Volkl T-Roll - that'd be a good choice.

It's like alpine skis - get em for the conditions you'll be in and in your case I'm guessing stiffish and not too wide. But you can drop tele bindings on 'alpine' skis as well.

Boots are more important. Got boots? Gotta match the boots to the skis.

www.genuineguidegear.com
www.bdel.com
http://www.google.com/search?&rls=en-us&q=volkl+t-roll

Well I ordered a pair of Crispsi Xp's on tramdock yesterday. I had a pair of CXP's several years ago they were just too big. I am not sure the XP's will be enough but but if they fit right then it will at least get me out on the hill in another way.

What about bindings? I have a pair of super loops sitting in a box in my basement. Is that a viable option or would I be better off springing for something like a pair of Hammerheads? The Hammerheads seem to be a the hot set up among the hand full of tele skiers on the local hill.

check out ebay or this site: http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=4 for plenty of good options.

k2 super stinx (74mm waist) would be worth considering. i love it when 80-85mm is called "skinny". but if i had only 400 feet i'd be looking for something with a pretty tight radius as the first priority, waist width secondary.

outside the tele world: i had a pair of volkl slalom skis (156 cm) mounted with tele bindings last year and liked them on little local hills on the east coast, even more so than my skinny tele ski (karhu rox, 73mm waist). though i wish i had a slightly longer length or a plate b/c the 156 cm feels a little short and noodly. (i'm at 170 lbs). for what it's worth i spent some time a tele instructor about your weight on 163cm atomic sl-11 race stock alpine slalom skis, mounted with telebulldog step-ins. he totally ripped and was not held back by the "stiff" alpine flex, and i think there were plates under the bulldogs as well.

Okay, those should work as long as they fit well and you don't get too wide a ski.

Well, the Superloops will work...for a while. They're kind of notorious for eventually breaking but they aren't a bad match for your boots and a 70s waisted ski. I don't know if I'd pair them with one of the 80s waisted skis that I mentioned - for those I'd go with something like a Hammerhead but I'd want a bigger boot for that set up.

So to recap, the boots aren't a bad match for the Superloops (though you expect them to eventually break) and a ski with a waist in the 70s. You might consider dropping the SLs on an old alpine ski - save a few $$ and have a nice firm ski underfoot.

Get Hammerheads later on when/if you get some big-ass boots. But if you want new bindings, consider the G3 Targa - cheaper than the HH.

After skiing the Watea 84's I got at the end of last season I started to think it would make a pretty decent tele ski. Damn I can see this getting out of hand in a hurry. I hope my wife understands all the new gear.

Was going to get a pair of Watea's but mounted up some alpine Volkls and I do love them. You'll get tired of the superloops quick enough.
Check out the telemarktips website for much more info.

You don't have to get a tele specific ski to tele. I started out teleing on a pair of Solomon 1080's and then moved to a pair of Dynastar Concepts. I have since moved on to a pair of Hippy Stinx and a pair of Super Stinx. I like the Hippy's for those really slushy spring days or those nights when you get that really sugary snow. The Super Stinx work well for most other conditions we get here in the midwest. After spending the past season and half on a pair of slalom race boards when alpining I am seriously considering mounting a pair up for tele skiing. I am bigger like you 6' 255 and I think I could easily handle the extra stiffness of an alpine ski mounted tele.

I would use the skis and binding you already have. Then you will have a better reference point for the info you get from other people. Personally I preffer alpine skis to tele skis.

I decided to replace both my pairs of tele skis with one all-mountain pair.  Went with the Watea 94s and love them.  Narrow enough to rip the groomers with my binding risers, and wide enough to float the deep stuff. In your situation and your size I think the Watea 84s would be a great choice, although there are plenty other skis that would fill the bill.

Well I picked up a good deal on a set of K2 World Piste while I was in Winter Park.  I am planning to mount a set of Hammerheads on them.  Now all I need to take care of is boots.

The World Piste and Hammerheads will be a great set up, but you'll need a top line fairly stiff boot to drive them effectively.

The World Piste and Hammerheads will be a great set up, but you'll need a top line fairly stiff boot to drive them effectively. With your size I'd go with the Scarpa T1 if possible, but certainly nothing less than the stiffest model in Crispi or Garmont, but you could probably get away with the Black Diamond Push instead of the Custom.

Edited by mudfoot - 2/26/2009 at 06:20 pm

I picked up a set of Garmont Ener-G's tp go with the skis and binidings.

I fell Sunday and my ski came off. My leg felt tweaked but the soreness was gone Monday morning which was good because it snowed Sunday night. I am sure I would have damaged ligaments if I had not been using safety release bindngs. Then I probably would not have skied  Monday and I certainly would not have been able to go back to work Tuesday. Even if I worked at a desk, I wouldn't really want to risk injury. If you enjoy the benefits of safety release ski bindings, I strongly encourage you continue to do so.

 

The Ener-Gs are good boots, I have been skiing them myself for the last 4 years and have just swithced to the new Black Diamonds.  The Ener-Gs are the burliest tele boots made by Garmont, but I believe the Scarpa T-1s and the Black Diamonds are stiffer, which might be a consideration for someone your size.

 

Also, like Telerod, I am running a release system on my tele bindings.  Although a very small percentage of tele skiers use releaseable bindings, they are not a bad ides, even if you only need them once.  FYI, I do not believe there is any release system that can be used with the Hammerheads.

Thanks for backing me upon that one, Mudfoot. I tend to rant on this subject and come off as a kook. cstreu, if you are already invested in the Hammerheads, feel free to take my advice with a grain of salt. Most Telemark skiers do not use safety release bindings.

The Hammerheads should be sitting on my porch when I get home.  Chances are this will not be my last  or only set of tele skis so I might give the releasable bindings a shot next time. 

 

I am not sure the boots are going to work out.  They feel pretty narrow though the liners haven't been molded yet.  I am going to spend some time in them tonight to get a feel for them.

I've never used it or seen it, but I read on the interwebs that the Telebry Safeout release plate works with Hammerheads (and just about any other tele binding). 

 

Info here:  http://www.telebry.com/index.html