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“My mom says this isn’t a turn at all,” you know…
“Then it’s not a Telemark turn either, is it?!”
That kind of back-and-forth, straight out of a Milk Boy comedy routine, runs through my head as I watch them.
So here’s the thing.
When I tell people, “What I’m doing isn’t really a turn,” they look at me like, Huh?
And when I add, “It’s not a Telemark turn either,” I get another long Huh…?
Well, that reaction is understandable.
At Mahoroba Club, our definition of a Telemark turn is this:
“A Telemark turn is the expression of a practiced Telemark position within a turn.”
Fair enough.
So then, what about the sequence you see in this video?
In fact, there isn’t even one millimeter of a Telemark position in it.
What I’m actually doing is simple.
I smear and brake with the tail of the uphill ski.
Then I quickly pivot, and smear again with the tail of the other uphill ski.
That’s it.
I just alternate this, over and over.
Even in what would normally be the shaping phase of a turn, there’s no traversing at all.
I just spin, spin, and come straight down the fall line.
This is my skiing.
It’s not short turns.
And it’s not Telemark turns.
It’s simply B-tele.
Whether I’m on narrow leather boots, BC Nordic gear, or Xplore, what I do doesn’t change at all.
Steep slopes, powder, moguls?it makes no difference.
There are no flaws in the system.
It’s convenient, really.
While I’m still able to pass it on, I invite you to give it a try.
December 11, 2025
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