I think I live in a rich environment. I leave home at 5:30 in the morning
and ski my first run by 6:40. If the forest path is untracked, the slopes
are too. The beauty of the sky changing colors as it dawns. And I'm the
only one there. Alone. I'm glad I do telemark. It's been 30 years since
I first met. Even if the reason I started was different, there's no doubt
that the reason I've been able to continue is because I can be "alone".
I like being alone. Maybe it's only for a few hours. The tool that allows
me to be in such an environment is heel-free. Because I can walk there.
If it's summer, it might be a bicycle. What they have in common is that
it's not the destination, but the process of getting there, everything.
If it's skiing, I'm walking. I'm skiing as an extension of that. If it's
a bicycle, I'm riding. I don't ski just to go downhill, and I never chose
telemark to go downhill. If I'm just riding the lift on the slopes, alpine
skiing is fine. That's actually how I am. If you're walking, 75mm/NNNBC/XPLORE
is good. As for tech, you just move forward. Same with 75mm tour mode bindings.
I don't like them. I guess that's also walking, but somehow it feels like
you're moving forward to reach your destination. Well, that's what AT is
like. That's certainly how it was with Silvretta/Diamir. I was climbing
for the downhill. By the way, if you're going downhill in the mountains,
telemark is overwhelmingly the winner. In my case, at least. The reason
is simple. If you're heel-free, you can choose a less violent touch. I
think that the mountains are not a place to practice the violent turns
you've learned on the slopes. You're alone anyway. If you get injured,
it's a problem. There's no ambulance. You walk quietly and ski down gently.
You can do that with heel-free. The essential idea for downhill is really
simple. Apply the necessary and sufficient amount of brakes against the
fall and release them again. The range of motion that heel-free technology
provides allows for a delicate and wide braking range. Have you ever put
on alpine boots and felt like you were wearing a cast? A cast has its role
as a cast, but at the same time, it also prevents you from doing certain
things. That is a delicate touch. A soft touch. Hmm, I seem to have gotten
off track. But back to the point. I live in a wonderful environment for
heel-free equipment.I love this place, even though the snow removal work
can be exhausting... December 25, 2024