Telemark Technique for Cross Country Skiing

The telemark turn originated in the Telemark region of Norway as a way to stay stable while traveling downhill on free heel ski equipment. Modern cross-country equipment, with its New Nordic Norm binding, which is designed for speed, is not as conducive to the telemark turn as the old three pin gear, but the turn can still be done on this equipment to negotiate slight inclines on cross-country gear.

  1. Getting Started

    • The first step is mastering the wedge turn. Put the tips of your skis together to form an "A." This pattern is also called a snowplow. Apply weight to the outside ski to turn in the opposite direction. Practice until you feel confident turning both directions.

    Drop the Knee

    • From a wedge position, slide the outside ski forward while bending the knee at a 90-degree angle. At the same time, slide the inside ski tip back and drop the knee to be just above the top sheet of the ski. This is the classic telemark position.

    Big Toe, Little Toe

    • Apply pressure to the inside edge of the leading ski; you should feel pressure on the big toe when doing this. On the trailing ski, apply pressure to the outside edge; you should feel pressure on the little toe of this ski. Get into the habit of thinking "Big toe, little toe" to get the feel for the turn.

    Keep the Upper Body Quiet

    • Keep the shoulders square to the fall line when traveling downhill. Using the upper body in the turn will throw off the skier's balance.

    Tippy Toe

    • On NNN equipment, it is hard to avoid tippy toe in a telemark turn, but the skier should be aware of it. The strength of the telemark turn comes from weighting the trailing ski equal to the leading ski. Classic telemark gear allows the toe of the boot to remain attached to the ski during the turn. With NNN gear, where a bar on the toe of the boot clips into the binding, tippy toe is unavoidable, but the proper execution of the turn still requires the skier to weight the trailing ski. Push down firmly on the toe of the boot during the turn to ensure the rear ski is weighted.