The Telemarkski.com (Wilderness Sports) Story
Telemarkski.com is a not so tiny division of Wilderness Sports in Summit County, Colorado, which opened in 1976 in Silverthorne. Some will claim that Summit County is the re-birth place of Telemark skiing. Guys like Rick Hum, Art Burrows, Bob Curfman, Ken Emerick and a bunch of other locals and Summit County Ski Patrollers couldn't resist the urge to get out into the backcountry. They also started the first telemark racing organization in the world called the Summit Telemark Series. While not yet an Olympic sport, telemark racing has become one of the most highly participated sports on the World Cup
Crested Butte was also a big part of the re-birth of telemark and the skiers there like Rick Borkovic started the process of modifying their skinny three-pin Nordic skis into gear that would get them both up and down. Brad English who wrote the bible "Total Telemark" relates the story from Rick:
"Standing on the groomed slopes of the area, looking out at the backcountry, we longed to ski those untouched runs far from the crowded lifts. I felt this desire could be fulfilled through cross-country skiing and in 1971, I began to seriously explore the backcountry potential of Nordic equipment. We soon found that conventional downhill techniques were generally unsuited to the racing skis we first used, or the conditions we encountered. The snowplow didn't work very well for us in deep powder, and the parallel turn seemed too unstable on free-heeled binding and flexible boots. We eventually worked out the basics of the telemark, guided by an old picture I had seen of Stein Eriksen's father demonstrating the turn, and went from there on our own. The rest, as they say, is history."
Wilderness Sports/Telemarkski.com has been supplying outdoor gear to a community and its visitors obsessed with being in the backcountry, on the slopes, on a bike and in the outdoors doing human powered activities. And we have been building our reputation in the industry with our customers as the definitive source for reliable info on backcountry skiing, mountaineering, climbing, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking and camping.
From the earliest leather boots to the first Scarpa plastic boot to today's thermo moldable Black Diamonds and Scarpa's, we've been fitting people into telemark equipment that works.
We've stayed small in scope with just a couple of stores in Summit County and the website, but we're committed skiers, climbers and bikers who've made the commitment to provide the best info and product we can to our customers, both here in the store and online.
Telemarkski.com was designed to be an extension of our stores. We offer a comprehensive selection, good information and first-rate customer service. We want to hear your questions and concerns and work with you to find exactly the right gear for your needs.
Finding the right gear is easy for us to do since we represent and inventory many major brands in the telemark, freeride and touring world. With new gear, closeouts, consignment and demos we have equipment from Black Diamond, Dynafit, Scarpa, Garmont, G3, Voile, Marker, Volkl, Sk iLogik and Alpina to name just a few. We also have alpine touring gear (skis and boots) and essential clothing, packs, maps, books, videos and a huge avy gear department to make the backcountry as safe and rewarding as it can be.
So, if you don't have a local telemark shop, or they don't have what you need, give Telemarkski.com a try. You'll likely find the most info, the best prices and a great selection.
