What are the best telemark skis to buy for a beginner? What about telemark boots for wide feet?

Question

What are the best telemark skis to buy for a beginner? What about telemark boots for wide feet?

Answer 1

idk.

Answer 2

Oh sweet....I couldn't have asked for a better question!

A narrower ski would be the way I would go. There are plenty to choose from.

The World Piste or She's Piste from K2 are very good all-mountain skis. K2 rates them as Intermediate-to-expert skis, but I've had first-time tele-skiiers on both of them and they had NO problems. These skis are ideal for groomed slopes and don't do that bad in deep snow either. I've skied both of these skis. I like them a lot.

The Ace, Siren, Ticket, Aviatrix, or Baron from G3 all have a skinny mid-ski area. They tend to be a bit softer than the K2s. The Ace is very light as well. I have only skied the Baron and the Siren. I'm not as big of a fan of the G3 skis as I am of the K2 skis. I like a stiffer ski myself, but there is nothing bad about this brand at all.  

The Karhu Kodiak is a very nice ski as well. My buddy liked it very much when he tried it. I was skiing on the Karhu Jak...a wider ski, and he had an easier time carving than I did.

Black Diamond has replaced the Crossbow with The Machine. (well...sort of.)  I haven't skied on it yet. The Crossbow (if you can find some) was avery good ski. Very responsive and easy to turn. It's big brother, The Havoc, is a bit harder to turn, but also very responsive and a very good all-around ski.

Atomic has once again changed all of the names of thier skis except the Kongur. I haven't skied this season's line. The Janek seems to be the relpacement for the old TM-22s, which were replaced two years ago by something else...the name escapes me...but it wasn't a bad ski either.

I have yet to still demo a pair of Scotty Bob skis...apparantly, these are the bomb! Hopefully I'll get my hands on a pair before March is over with.

If you can afford to sacrifice some ski length without being overweight for your ski, I would drop down to the length below what is recommended for your weight. You'll go a bit slower, but you'll be able to better master the turns. However, if this is something you plan to stick with, then get the appropriate ski length for your weight and just learn how to drive the suckers. That was my game plan and it seems to work, but whenever I demo skis I almost always go shorter.

If you are going to have a one-ski quiver, any of the skis I mentioned should get you through for a few years. They all perform well on the groomers and they are not bad in a few fresh inches either. Big Powder is another story all together.

Now...on to the boots.

Scarpa are good for narrower feet, Garmont for average and wider feet. Dynafit, also good for most people, and Crispi are good for people who need more volume. I've sold Garmont and Scarpa...I only know what my other bootfitter buddies have told me about Dynafit and Crispi. What model you choose should be based on your weight and what you plan to ski. The Garmont Syner-G or Venus works for just about everyone. I have a wider foot, but don't need a lot of volume. I use Garmont boots now. I used to use Asolo. They were a ok...the Garmonts are much better.

Get the boot fit properly!!!! A good fit matters with any ski boot, but it is even more important with telemark boots. A bad fit can lead to blisters and an unbalanced stance will make learning the turns even harder.

Bindings:

I like Rotefella the best. Black Diamond makes some good bindings too. The G3 bindings are good, but take some more skill to really work well.

Go demo some skis before you buy. Try out a whole bunch of them.

Have Fun!!!!

Email me with any other questions you might have!

Wow...there went my lunch hour! Gotta get back to the snow!!!)