My tele skis over the last 15 years

I can't say having the latest gear is very important to me but I wanted to record, for posterity, the progression of Telemark ski equipment I've had in the last decade (or so). I've gone mainly with used equipment (except my lifelink poles) so my gear started as antique and presently is modern-ish.

My free riding snowboarding days were winding down and I was looking for something new on the mountain. Something I could learn as my daughter learned to ski. Having a little classic x-country and skate ski experience over the years I figured why not Telemark.

My first set of skis were the Karhu XCD (which I still have). They have three pin bindings and some nice leather ankle boots. Believe it or not, I scraped and fell down the course in a valiant effort to help prepare for the World Telemark Championships (1996 I think). I've mostly stored these but am thinking of bringing them out for gentle touring outings. With some gators it's a pretty comfy setup and I do have some skinny skins to fit them.

Next I found some newer Karhu's at Wilde Willies bargain bin. They are lime green and I suited up with some Crispi leather three buckle boots in combination with Super Loop bindings -that I really quite like. These skis were my introduction to full mountain Telemark days. I'll never forget hitting the powder in the back bowls of Whistler in these skis and wondering why I even bothered to skin up. The wobble factor was high as I remember attempting anything but soft machine groomed runs was way beyond my ability. These sticks at 215 long were still quite a challenge. About 2006 they snapped on Grouse Mountain and my nascent love for Telemark was about to become a full blown romance.

The next skis were Vokel Mountain Rangers. These are soft but shaped skis. They came with skins and some more Super Loop bindings. With a little wax and edge sharpening I suddenly realized why downhill skis were no longer straight slalom sticks. I was edging and carving down the hill like never before, even compared to my old Nitro hard boot snowboard setup. I skiied with these skis primarily at Grouse Mountain and on one fantastic day at Diamond Head in 30 cm of new snow. Now I understand.

Last year I picked up some used Atomic TMX skis with more life in them. A little heavier than the Vokel's but also a little wider, more shaped and with a Vancouver Ski and Snowboard tune-up they are the best yet. On ice, hard pack, powder I feel pretty much unstoppable. I also found some Garmont three buckle plastic boots on Craigslist so it was the skis and boots together I have to credit for my current enthusiasm for the sport.