Telemark skiing is a whole different animal than Alpine skiing. Your heels are not fixed in the back of the binding, allowing for the 'free heel' to flex up from turn to turn. Your uphill heel will lift up and both knees will bend low. It is a versatile skiing style which can allow you the freedom to ski both at the resort and in the backcountry. Free heels allow for easy climbing and open possibilities for touring, hut to hut trips, and lap after lap of backwoods powder stashes. Tele skiing can also be a great challenge for the skier looking to try something new. You definitely don't have to leave the resort do have a blast on tele skis. The telemark turn can be smooth and graceful; it's not the easiest way down the mountain, but it sure is fun!

Tele boots have a duck bill front that slides into the toe plate and bellows over the forefoot that allow for that deep foward flex. There's a broad range of boots from the low profile Garmont Excursion, to the four buckle uber stiff Scarpa T-Race, depending on your needs. There's a broad range of boots to accommodate different styles and excursions.Telemark skis are more similar to their alpine cousins than their boots. Skis come in a variety of widths, lengths, sidecuts, and weights, catering to every style and need.

If your primary goal is getting off the resort and into the backcountry, you have the choice of telemark or alpine touring equipment. Alpine touring (or randonnee) bindings allow the heel to move freely during ascents, similar to telemark bindings. Unlike a tele binding, the heel of an AT binding is locked down for descents. This provides the skier with the increased stability and support of a locked heel, as well as the familiar feel of an alpine binding. Neither binding type really offers significant advantages over the other, so the choice really comes down to which way you prefer to ski down the hill.

All you really need to start telemarking is a pair of skis mounted with tele bindings and some tele boots. Many ski areas now offer telemark rentals, and the prices are similar to an alpine setup. If you enjoy it, you'll probably want to buy a set.

Sure, you've heard it's really hard. Lucky for you, advances in telemark equipment have made the sport much easier to learn. Plastic boots and shorter skis with increased sidecut significantly shorten the learning curve. If you've got a solid alpine skiing background, you might pick up the tele turn in a couple of days. If you're starting from scratch it may take a little longer, but reasonably athletic people usually do great. Take a lesson if they are offered at your local ski area, and try to follow more accomplished skiers down the hill. You'll be surprised how much you can learn just by watching. You also might want to pick up an instructional video. Most importantly, just get out there and have fun! The rest will take care of itself.