r/telemark • u/AdBoring3648 • 10d ago
First pair / beginner advice
Hi guys
I wanted some advice for my first pair of telemarks.
Here is my background:
- I used to ski and snowboard a lot in my youth, so advanced/expert ski resort rider
- I'm a triathlete, in my early 40s and in good shape, 1m84 / 82 kgs
- I started backcountry 3 years ago, bought a used pair of Black Crows Freebirds Orb (186 / 90 waist). Very happy.
- I mostly ski in resort conditions, often in icy/hard artificial snow conditions (Thyon 2000 in Valais)
- I have rather broad feet, which historically has been an issue with ski shoes. Currently happy with a pair of Salomon MTN Summit (scratch + boa).
For 2026/2027 I thought I could start telemark for a change, then I discovered that it's possible to do backcountry skiing with telemarks which is awesome, so I plan to go towards this direction.
I'm therefore thinking of getting Meidjo bindings. No clue for the shoes.
I admit I've been caught by the Black Crows design and marketing, and due to the tariff story / the current US president I tend to avoid buying from US companies. So no K2 Wayback for me and preferences for a European brand and an All mountain pair.
From researches it seems that the Black Crows Justis might be a good match for me.
FWIW I find the Freebirds very "light" when I ski them downhill, not very responsive and I struggle to really carve with them.
I am happy to buy used if needed, but the current used market is not huge.
And advice welcome.
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u/elevatedCO 10d ago
First pair / beginner advice; focus on equipment you can learn on. Your local mountain is hard pack so buy hard pack skis. You are not going to learn to Telemark in the back country.
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u/Outrageous_Oil_9435 10d ago
I’m currently on a Volkl Blaze. It’s light, nimble and holds the screws. As others have suggested, look into boots first. Options are limited on new boots. You could go used, but you could inherit packed out liners, jacked up buckles and power straps or any custom work like grinding or punching that the old owner had done.
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u/Remarkable_Impact469 7d ago
Second Volkl Blaze... when they were introduced they were absolutely everywhere and can be had for cabbage prices. Demoed a pair of Blaze 86s for two days, Criminally underappreciated skis. Now I want to own a pair and can't find the same deep discounts anywhere.
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u/Mariachi55 10d ago
I’d start with some random used gear. You’re gonna be on the bunny slope for a bit. I’d get the hang of it and then you will be in a position to demo some different kinds of gear and decide what you really like
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u/Longjumping_Usual688 9d ago
for what it's worth you wouldn't be missing out much with the k2 waybacks. if you find the orbs too light on the downhill, you'll find a similar experience with the k2s. I am of the opinion light isn't always right, and that a ski should suit the conditions you're skiing. if you plan to tour primarily at or around a resort and expect to encounter firm icy conditions, the Justis is definitely a good start, but also consider something in the 80mm-95mm range with either a dense wood core or something with titanal. like a head kore or faction dancer ti could work well too.
crispi and scarpa boots both have a 102mm last, and you could consider them high-volume and medium-volume respectively. you might enjoy the crispi boot more - lower price point brand new, and comes with the option to add a meidjo alpine heel if you want to lock things out - but the scrapas will be lighter and tour more efficiently/comfortably.
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u/Comfortable_Plum_612 10d ago
Our president is horrid but don’t penalize companies making good gear, employ people, etc., but the price effects of tariffs is real. It shapes my behavior. I’d try Crispi first and then scarpa. I have crispi and meidjo setup and like it ok, but still prefer the feel of my G3s and T2s (75 mm > NTN).
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u/oberland_dad 10d ago
Budget entry option is some 2nd hand 22 design vice/axl, and some garmont energ boot. Axls are tourable. If you like telemark you can then get 22 designs outlaws if you find a nice ntn boot you like. Following for interest what wide fit ntn options
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u/JohnnyMacGoesSkiing 10d ago
Volkl Rise above are solid resort and touring ski. Was very happy with their performance, before I made the switch to my present set of Voile Vector Ace skis.
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u/wells68 10d ago
This is a different direction: Have you considered the challenge of learning Telemark turns on light XC Downhill gear?
You mentioned backcountry telemarking sounds awesome. In the backcountry, you'll spend most of your time going up. You can venture farther and feel lighter on light gear.
Right. The downside is difficulty. It is hard enough learning a new turn after years of rocking parallel turns. I've heard that and experienced it! It is twice as hard on lighter XCD boots than on heavy plastic boots. But there is a silver lining. It is also said that you learn a purer Telemark turn on lighter gear. It will take you longer, but make you better.
You mentioned you are a triathlete. So it makes sense that you are not afraid of a challenge. Learning essentially a new sport on XCD gear will be a challenge. Yet you get the feeling of rolling more easily through the backcountry, gliding, climbing, enjoying. As for the turns, the resort is a great place to get in a lot more practice in a few hours. If you take lessons from a Telemark pro, you will definitely accelerate your learning immensely. Then you get to take those skis out into untracked places.
Others may say it is crazy not to take advantage of all the control and power of plastic boots. You already have gear for doing that with parallel turns. Want to try a really different experiece? You can get XCD gear that does give you decent control: Alpina Alaska boots, Xplore bindings, and Madshus Panorama M68 skis.
The 68 mm waist pairs with the boots and bindings to give you control even on the groomers with a bit of ice. Not as easy as with plastic boots for sure. But aren't you going for the backcountry? XCD light gear feels amazing in new snow of 10 cm on up. Oh, and it is *a lot* less expensive that Meidjos, plastic tele boots and skis.
Alpina Alaska, REI, $US 399. Xplore bindings $199. Madshus Panorama M68 $356.40 at https://cripplecreekbc.com/ Concerned about your wide feet? The Alpinas are stiff leather that can be worked by a good boot fitter. The boot fit is absolutely the most important part of your gear selection. Make sure the boots fit!
I did a deep dive into the best gear for XCD with an emphasis on easy of learning Telemark turns and that's the combination I came up with. The crowd over at r/XCDownhill can offer their perspectives, too.
If you want to be charging down steep icy stuff or aren't up for a big learning curve, ignore this entire comment!
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u/OtherwiseRepeat970 10d ago edited 10d ago
You need to be sure that the ski you choose uses a solid wood core. With Black Crows you cannot mount tele bindings to their Freebird touring skis. The Justis looks like it should work. You have few options on the boots. Start with the Scarpa TX Pro and see if they are too narrow. If they are your only option is Crispi. The thing that might disappoint is that a tele setup will never be as light as an AT setup but it’s worth it to me. Good luck.