CHOOSING YOUR CATEGORY
Tele
Skis, randonnée skis and Alpine skis: what's difference ?
Before
stiff plastic boots, and new ski shapes, there was a big difference
between telemark, randonnée, and Alpine skis. Alpine skis were long and heavy,
Tele skis were longer and skinny, and randonnée skis were short and fat. Today
they all look the same: short, fat, and shaped. The real differences today are
in what kind of skiing style and snow conditions skis are designed for. High
performance Alpine skis tend to be a heavier, burlier construction for the added
leverage of a fixed heel, a very stiff boot, and aggressive skiing. Tele and
randonnée skis tend to be a bit lighter to accommodate a softer plastic boot in
a less rigid binding system, and for easier touring and tighter-radius turns.
The
lines between these categories have blurred with modern technologies, as some of
the most versatile skis can go either way. Aggressive tele skiers may mount up a
more maneuverable, round-flexing Alpine ski; off-piste Alpine skiers may mount
up a fat tele/randonnée crud-buster.
What’s
most important is pairing the right ski with preferred terrain and attitude. Our
new line combines our tele and randonnée models into one lighter-weight,
off-piste category for touring and turning, free- or locked-heels. Our new
category—Cross Ride—boasts beefier-flexed boards for more aggressive
free-heel, randonnée, or Alpine skiers.