Andrew Commander

Imagine you go skiing on a powder day with only 8″ of new snow, but when you bend down to make a turn, the powder gets almost twice as deep. Snow will be up to your thighs and waist instead of at the top of your boots! The telemark turn, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful things in the world.

Carving through the fresh pow pow, bouncing from ski to ski, rooster tails coming from my G3 Rapid Transit Telemark skis is one of the best feelings ever. It is close to flying some might say; Telemark is the definition of bliss.

I first got into Telemark skiing because of the family connections. My Dad, and his two younger brothers all have telemarked for about 20+ years.

Crusing the slopes with these “three-pinners” all the time on my snowboard was fun, but they were always getting to the untouched stashes that I couldn’t access on a board!

At age 15 I decided that I had to try it. I got my uncles old equipment to see if I was really interested in skiing. After doing a half-season of skiing last year, I was ready to switch over fully and get myself a pair of new skis, My G3′s.

These fatty skis have proved to me why the telemark turn is superior to both snowboarding and downhill skiing.

The mountains have always been a part of my life living just outside of Boulder, Colorado. My parents got me involved in hiking, sledding, skiing, and biking at a young age. We would always take trips to the mountains to see the scenery and play.

At the age of 3, I was on the slopes at Eldora carving it up. On my alpine ski’s at the time, I was always thinking either “pizza” or “french fries” to turn or go straight.

I was able to get down the difficult slopes before I switched over to snowboarding at age 8. Most of my friends were snowboarders and I wanted to be one of the gang. I picked up snowboarding quickly and fell in love with the powder on the steeps. Nothing can beat cruising down a tight chute surronded by two feet of fresh.

Last year I had gotten to the point in my snowboarding where I could either start attempting tricks in the terrain park or I could switch sports.

Telemark turn in powder

My Dad and his two brothers all Telemark ski and love it. I decided to try telemarking last year and started picking it up fast. The transition from snowboarding to free-heel skiing is big, but ski’s were not foreign to me. This made the switch easier having alpine skied at a young age.

I used my uncles old equipment for about 8 days last season, enough time for me to try and experiment with the sport. The rest of the days I snowboarded in the powder. I made the desicion to switch mainly to Telemark this year. Shopping online can pay off sometimes when looking for good skiing equipment. My searching for a ski, led to the G3 Rapid Transits. I can’t wait to hit the powder this season on my new stuff.

Yesterday I went to Arapahoe Basin and skied the two open runs on my old ski’s. Still a great way to spend a Sunday!