An Effective Telemark Technique for Spring Snow

by Steve Hindman, PSIA National Nordic Team

Springtime in the mountains means many things to many skiers, but in the Northwest, it often means skiing in glop, mashed potatoes, mank, crud or whatever you want to call it. Good groomed snow skills, techniques and tactics will get you through a lot of bad snow, but a some point, you'll find the need to jump your skis out of the snow if you want to turn 'em.
The traditional tele jump turn has been a two step affair, with the rear ski stepped across the fall line to control speed or stepped forward to maintain or gain speed. Regardless of the details, any two step tele turn results in each ski reentering the snow at different times and at different angles to the slope. Only the strong and the brave can keep two skis like these on anything close to the same path.
A more effective crud and glop turn is the tele hop. In this turn, the front ski is directed down the hill in the direction of the new turn at the start of the hop, with the old rear ski following closely behind. The skis are tipped into the new turn before landing on both at the same time.
The goal is to get your skis into the air, not your entire body, so try to pull your knees into your chest while minimizing the amount of upward movement of your head and torso (photo A).
Once you can get both skis at least a foot into the air without exhausting yourself on each jump, practice pulling your front ski off the snow first, leading with the tip. Then immediately hop off of your back ski (photo B).
Land on both skis at the exact same time and with a firm downward push through the entire front foot and the ball of the rear foot (photo C).
Do this while traversing a very gentle slope once you can hop and land effectively on the flats.
Then hop and do a lead exchange while in the air. Do this without moving at first, then do it while traversing the same gentle slope (photo D).
Now add some turn to the hop. As you pull your front ski tip off the snow, open that knee towards the new turn, in a motion somewhat similar to swinging your leg over a low picnic bench set lengthwise up and down the slope (photo E, photo F).
Jump off the ball of the rear foot at the same time, bringing both skis parallel and into the next telemark position while in the air. Land powerfully on both skis at once, with your lead change complete.
Once again, do this first without moving, then on a gentle traverse, attempting only small changes of direction as you hop into the next turn (photo G, photo H).
As you practice the tele hop, you will quickly discover whether or not you are balanced over both skis. In soft snow, one of the foundations of the tele turn is the ability to spring off of the rear ski whenever necessary. These drills will help you find that balance and enable you to spring off of the rear foot and into the next turn in a variety of situations and conditions.
If you are having trouble with this balance, stand in your tele position and move your hips and torso back and forth until your body mass is balanced between your front heel and your rear toe. Be careful to keep the front ankle flexed so that you can feel the front of that shin against the boot cuff and avoid breaking at the waist.
A tele position with the toe of your rear foot within a boot length of your front heel will help you find your balance over both of your feet. An easy way to check your balance is to stand in a telemark position and see if you can lift one foot at a time off the snow without using your poles for support and without making any movements with your upper body.
If the snow is not too deep and not too heavy, you will not have to jump too high nor will you have to make a large change of direction in the air. Both skis can leave the ground at least close to the same time. In these conditions, the hop helps to get your upper body on the downhill side of your skis (photo I.) This move tips both skis into the new turn while they are still light. As you come back into the snow, you will be set up and ready to ride (photo J).
As the snow gets deeper and heavier or as the slope gets steeper, more of the turn needs to happen in the air. In these conditions, it is important to lift the front ski first, opening the knee in order to swing the front ski out of the way so that the rear ski can be moved directly into, and even across, the fall line.
Without first swinging the front ski out of the way, you would be forced to bring the rear ski across the hill before you could move it towards the next turn. This delays the start of the next turn.
In deep thick snow, this delay often means that the rear ski catches in the snow, which results in either a quick head plant or a slow, difficult turn that pulls the feet apart front to rear, making the next turn even harder. On the steeps, this delay has the added attraction of stalling the turn in the fall line, leaving the skier stranded and picking up speed.
Be sure to wind up before making the hop by turning the hips and torso toward the next turn. Release all that stored energy with a blocking pole plant just before opening the front knee and hopping down the hill off of the rear foot (photo K).
Practice this on the flats without movement, then while traversing. Gradually move into steeper terrain, remembering to hop at a right angle to the slope, not straight up.
Practicing this hop tele at slow speeds and on flat terrain can be exhausting, so do just enough to get the basic movements figured out. Then increase the speed and slope angle. As you start to really use this turn, the amount of effort needed will go way down as you learn to use the stored energy of your bowed skis to power your hop into the next turn. If this doesn't happen, don't hang on to that old turn so long! When it is steep, deep or both, turn, turn, turn! Remember that all the sins of the last turn are instantly forgiven if you let go of the old turn in time.
Spend less time in each turn while skiing deep snows by not turning your skis very far out of the fall line. This keeps your speed up and avoids getting bogged down in the snow between turns.
As you cross the fall line, immediately reach for the next turn with your downhill pole, working your skis from side to side and minimizing the time when they are across the hill and below you. Don't worry about speed control. The thick snow will do that for you.
As the slope steepens, bring your skis farther across the hill to control speed, but don't allow your skis to travel sideways in a traverse.
Pay attention and learn to start your hop down the hill and across your skis into the next turn while your skis are still bowed in the old turn. When you get the timing right, your skis will spring you from turn to turn in even the heaviest glop.

Editor's Note: Steve Hindman is PSIA-NW's representative to the National Nordic Team. Catch him during one of his touring road shows and hop a few turns.
All photos by Dan Clausen, PSIA National Nordic Team Member from PSIA-C.