Telemark Technique for Cross Country Skiing

What was I doing on this snow-covered hillside, trying to make artful turns on my cross-country skis? I gave up downhill skiing in the first place, nearly 20 years ago, because I was too nervous to ski with enough confident speed to carve classy turns and handle the big, steep, mogul-filled hills. But now I was deep into the ''telemark,'' a technique I had avoided for years. Developed about 100 years ago and named for a region in Norway, telemarking is something like a hybrid of cross-country and downhill skiing. Telemarkers use skis with a free heel and employ a series of turns to navigate a serious mountain and to ski through the magnificent vistas of untracked back country.
Tags: CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING, SKIING