Telemark | Snuitide

Telemark is the characteristic Norwegian skiing technique — free heel, a deep turning stance with one leg held behind, and a continuous gliding motion that sets it apart from the parallel stance of alpine skiing. The technique is named after Sondre Norheim’s home county of Telemark, where in the 1860s he developed both the turn and the bindings that made it possible. When Norheim demonstrated the technique in Christiania in 1868, it was the start of a sport that dominated Norwegian skiing for more than a hundred years.

Today telemark has become a niche variant. At the peak of its most recent revival in the mid-1990s, around 250,000 telemark bindings were sold per year according to industry sources; today that figure is around 25,000 — about ten per cent of the peak. The decline is not about the technique being inferior. It is about randonee, from around 2007, offering something simpler — a lockable heel for the descent that makes steep slopes more accessible without the same technical skill.

Where telemark came from

Sondre Norheim (1825–1897), a crofter from Morgedal in Kviteseid, developed in the 1860s two things that go together: skis with a sidecut that made turns easier, and willow bindings fastened behind the heel that locked the foot in the binding while the heel could still be lifted. It was these two inventions that made it possible to turn under control down steep slopes — where the older, completely free heel did not give enough control.

In 1868 Norheim travelled about 200 km from Morgedal to Christiania in three days to take part in a national ski competition. At Iversløkka he demonstrated the telemark turn and what was later (from 1901) called the christiania turn. That competition marked the breakthrough for skiing as a sport in the capital — and thereby nationally.

Telemark dominated Norwegian skiing right up to the 1950s–60s, when alpine bindings with a fixed heel gradually took over for the descent. In the 1970s telemark was seen as an old technique on its way out. But in the 1980s an unexpected revival came from the USA — where American skiers had picked up the technique from Norwegian emigrants and developed it further with modern equipment.

The revival and the decline

Telemark’s second life began around 1980. Norwegian ski manufacturers — particularly Rottefella — developed modern telemark bindings that could withstand more aggressive descents than the old 75 mm 3-pin bindings. Skis were made wider and with more sidecut. The boots became stiffer and more controllable. From around 1985 to 2000 telemark was hot — it was the technique that “real skiers” used, it set you apart from the crowd, and it connected you to Norwegian ski history.

The Norway Telemark Cup started in 1984; the national championships were held from 1994. At the peak of the wave in the mid-1990s, around 250,000 telemark bindings were sold per year according to Rottefella via Aftenposten — it was a commercially significant marketplace.

The decline began around 2000 and grew steeper after 2007. Three factors together:

The randonee explosion from around 2007 offered an alternative route to ascent and descent. The pin binding lets the heel stay free on the way up (like telemark) but locks for the descent (like alpine skiing). The result is that you get the ease of the ascent and the control of alpine skiing — without having to master telemark’s technical turns.

A generational shift. Many of those who learned telemark in the 1980s and 1990s are no longer on the mountain, and a younger generation has chosen randonee.

Marketing and infrastructure. Telemark has not had the same media or retail focus as randonee over the past 15 years, and local suppliers have reduced their range.

Today there are still active telemark communities, particularly in Trondheim, Oslo (Skiforeningen), Sunnmøre and Telemark county. But it is a niche, and people who do telemark generally do it as a deliberate stylistic choice — not as their main activity.

What telemark actually is as a technique

Telemark is a turn made by letting one leg glide forward while the other stays behind — a free heel at the back means the heel can be lifted when the knee is bent. In the turn itself the front leg carries the weight, the rear one supports with a knee bend, and the upper body twists into the turn.

It sounds simple. In practice it is one of the technical techniques that takes longest to master in skiing. It demands good balance, strong thigh muscles, and the ability to keep the upper body still while the legs do the work.

For those learning it, it is often a little frustrating — the movement is so different from alpine skiing that it feels like learning to walk again. But once it clicks, it is one of the most satisfying skiing-technique experiences there is. Telemark people often speak of it as “a language of its own”.

The equipment

Telemark equipment has its own logic:

Bindings — free heel, but with a mounting plate that allows the heel to lift while the toe part holds the toe of the boot. The classic is the 75 mm 3-pin binding — three pins at the front that fit into corresponding holes in the boot. Modern variants are Rottefella’s NTN (New Telemark Norm), which has a stronger binding for more aggressive descents.

Skis — like randonee skis for the descent, but often a little narrower because telemark works better on narrower skis. 80–95 mm underfoot is typical.

Ski boots — telemark boots are stiffer than ordinary backcountry cross-country ski (fjellski) boots, but not as stiff as randonee boots. It is a middle category. Crispi, Scarpa and Garmont have made telemark boots in various qualities.

Climbing skins (feller) — for the ascent, as with randonee. The same system.

For those who want to try telemark, the most common approach is to hire equipment at a mountain destination or to borrow it through local clubs before buying. Telemark equipment is still available, but fewer shops stock it than before.

Where telemark lives on

Telemark as an activity still exists in several forms:

Local telemark clubs — Trondheim, Oslo (Skiforeningen), Stavanger, Bergen and Tromsø all have active telemark communities. They often ski downhill resorts together and organise instruction.

Cabin and backcountry-cross-country-ski use — many who have learned telemark still use it as a technique for descents on a backcountry cross-country ski (fjellski) trip. The combination of a more upland-suited technique for the ascent and the telemark turn for the descent is a classic backcountry cross-country ski form.

The Telemark national championships and tour races — the Norwegian tour-race system still has its own telemark class. The Fjellpark Festival has telemark events.

Social and cultural — telemark has a subculture status that means those who do it are often especially enthusiastic. It is not unusual to see telemark groups skiing together in Hemsedal or Trysil — recognisable by their characteristic downward knee bend.

Where telemark is better or worse

Telemark has its own strengths and weaknesses compared with alpine skiing and randonee:

Better in:

Soft snow, where the free heel gives better control
Rough terrain, where the deep turning stance gives better balance
Longer descents, where the low-impact stance puts less strain on the knees

Worse in:

Steep ice or hard snow, where a locked heel gives a better grip
Very steep terrain (over 40 degrees), where the technique becomes demanding to perform under control
High speed, where mistakes carry consequences

For a typical Norwegian ski trip with changing conditions, telemark is perfectly usable. For extreme descents in steep terrain, randonee is statistically better — it is part of the explanation for why randonee has taken over much of the ski-touring market.

Next steps

If you are curious about telemark: hire equipment for a weekend at a local destination (Hemsedal, Trysil and Geilo all have telemark instructors in season). You will quickly discover whether the technique suits you.

If you want to build skill: join a local telemark club. It is the only effective way to learn the technique, because it is so hard to teach yourself.

For equipment: the second-hand market is still good for telemark. Many sold their equipment after the peak of the revival and now sell it cheaply.

For more context: climbing skins and randonee equipment provides the modern contrast, and ski touring is the activity that took over part of telemark’s place.

Learn more

Text: Snuitide (2026).