Telemark Gear

Recent Telemark Product Reviews

Leki Vario XS

Leki's Vario XS four-season poles are designed for kids, but are fully functional on trail or in the snow. Adults or children who use poles in the 80-110 cm (31-43") range will find these two-piece poles are easy to adjust both for length and strap position. Leki's HTS 5.5 aluminum balances strength and weight, making the Vario XS a four-season pole that can adjust for growing children.   Leki Vario XS  The Vario XS replaced the Leki Vario Jr. SpeedLock and, while aimed at younger hikers and skiers,… Full review

Asnes X-Skin 58mm Mohair

A lightweight, short skin that integrates with Åsnes skis via dependable locking system. Gives a solid kick and moderate climbing power while still allowing some glide on easy terrain, at 1/4 to 1/3 the weight of a full-length skin. Small enough to fit a pair in a chest pocket. Ideal for hut-to-hut trips, and good skiers can take them to the summits. As backcountry or mountaineering skis have gotten bigger, skins have followed along. My full-length skins for my biggest skis, G3 Finder 107s, weigh… Full review

Leki Guide Lite V

For this review, I'm going to break the Leki Guide Lite V ski pole into each of its components and go over each one separately, since I have some very mixed feelings about the pole. Pole Body The main body of the Guide Lite V pole is a two-piece, all-aluminum construction adjustable from 110 to 140 centimeters. The construction of the pole itself is more or less what you'd expect from a high-end ski pole designed for backcountry skiers. Due to its all-aluminum design, the Guide Lite V is slightly… Full review

Black Diamond Compactor Ski Poles

Lighter, faster, and easier to use than other poles, yet worries about durability linger. Despite the worries, I really like these poles. Summary: From Black Diamond: "The aluminum compactor pole adjusts between popular pole lengths and uses an internal Kevlar cord to instantly break down to packable size and redeploys in a flash. One, rock solid, point of adjustment means you can keep moving instead of being the one always fiddling with your poles." I trek on my ski poles. Or maybe I should say… Full review

Volkl Attiva Aurora

"Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman" just like SECRET deodorant used to be! Ha Ha. If you read my intro and thought "Oh no, he's reviewing women's deodorant", you'll be sadly mistaken. In fact, I'm reviewing a pair of alpine (downhill) skis. Full disclosure: I'm a 6'1" and ~230lb adult man who proudly and confidently rides this pair of Volkl women's skis. I'll start with a little backstory for context: in the fall of 2014, I was not yet an alpine skier. I had attempted to ski on ONE… Full review

G3 Expedition Skins

Decent traction but a bit less glide than other brands. Tip metal loops need RIVETING to stay attached! Tail clips are fine. My G3 Expedition skins are 10 years old but still work OK even though getting worn down a bit and needing seasonal re-applications of glue. My gripe is that the metal loops (which must be sized for your wide or narrow ski tips) tend to let go when the self-glued skin that doubles back to hold them lets go. I had to rivet my loops in place. Newer style "tip pockets" may be… Full review

Line Skis Mastermind

Great short, light skis for skinning and riding most conditions. These skis came to me via Craigslist. They had been purchased and mounted with touring bindings in 2014 and never ridden for two years. I drove across the state to swoop up this deal. These are the first brand-new skis I have purchased. I got them in 172cm, which is a little short for me but that was sort of the plan since I am a moderate skier and I intend to carry them places.  Dimensions: 115/85/112 (@172cm) More specs: http://www.skis.com/Line-Mastermind-Skis-2014/314376P,default,pd.html… Full review

Atomic Blog

Lovely skis! Really like them!! Sadly I need to buy new skis this year, but will definitely buy Atomic skis! I love skiing. Full review

G3 Targa

Not the binding you want if you are an aggressive telemarker. Was a good binding to learn on, if only because it was hard to ski! This was my first telemark binding, and I used it for about half a season, probably 50 days. It was used at the time I bought it. I was impressed that they held up, given that I had heard a lot of horror stories of these breaking.  First off, let's start with the pros: These are super light, super easy to mount and switch out parts as necessary, and they work.  The… Full review