Mt Shasta Telemark Skiing
Mount Shasta has some of the greatest spots for Telemark skiing around. There are many groomed trails in the area that provide easy access to some of the best lines in all of California. Grey Butte located between the Old Ski Bowl and the Mt Shasta Ski Park is ideal for Tele or rondelle skiing. There is a road which is groomed regularly all the way to the summit, at an elevation of 8000 feet. From the summit of Grey Butte you are witness to some scenery that will leave you breathless as well as some steep descents that may also leave you breathless.
When spring skiing or hard packed snow conditions are present then the amount of accessible places to go find epic backcountry terrain are essentially limitless. The Old Ski Bowl and Green Butte are both accessible from Bunny Flats and are great places to go Tele-skiing. Just west of Mt. Shasta are the Eddies. The Eddies are a backcountry lovers heaven on earth. If motivated you have access to thousands of acres of ski-able terrain, including huge ridge lines, bowls, cornices, chutes and cliff lines. The view you get of Mt. Shasta from the top of Mt. Eddy will make you think it was worth the work and that’s before you even start riding down. Other Tele hotspots include the Castle Lake and Castle Crag areas.
Make sure to be aware of snow and avalanche conditions before heading up, and never go out into the backcountry alone.
Below are some "tips" not a "how to" but they may help improve your telemark technique.
- "Big Toe, Little Toe". Paul Parker and his fine book Free-Heel Skiing: Telemark and Parallel Techniques for All Conditions says. "Edge on the big-toe side of your leading foot and edge on the little-toe side of your trailing foot. When you initiate a turn, apply pressure to the inside edge of the leading ski. You should feel pressure on your big toe. The most important part of this tip is the little toe on the trailing foot. Roll the ankle and knee slightly outward and apply pressure to the outside edge of the trailing ski. If done correctly you will feel the pressure on the outside edge of the ski under the little toe. If you do not roll the ankle/knee of the trailing leg outward, the ski will have a tendency to continue straight ahead and crash into the leading ski that is beginning the turn, knocking you off balance and down."
- The upper body should be facing down the fall line. Upper body, above the waist, should be facing down the fall line. Regardless of turning right or left, the upper body should always* pointing down the fall line. This is harder steep slopes but if you keep your upper facing down the fall line, you will improve your technique.
- Drop your back ski to start a turn. Instead of advancing the uphill ski, drop your downhill ski back.
- Hands below your waist and in front. Keep low and balanced over the skis through turns. Place your outside hand on your leading knee through a turn.
- Keep weight on the lead ski balanced between the ball of the foot and heel. This will help you keep balanced over your front ski throughout the turn, not leaning too far forward or too far back.
- Balance your weight between the front ski and the trailing ski. Make the trailing ski bear half your weight. Focus on the back ski, and weight the back ski as you turn. Another technique: Curl the toes of the leading foot upward inside your boot. This will shift your weight over the back of your leading foot/ski. Curling your toes shifts your weight to the back ski.
Note: "always" is a term best used by brain surgeons not telemark skiers, in fact sometimes it's just more fun to have the back or your neck leading the way down the fall line.
