telemark question

I have a question regarding telemark skiing and ski mountaineering. I am a ski resort snowboarder but am considering learning how to ski so I can make better time on the approach to mountains I climb.
I was wondering if anyone knew what type of skiis and boots mountaineers use on Mt. McKinley while pulling sleds on the glacier approach. And if they do use telemark skiis why don't I see any of them climbing the rest of the mountain in these boots? Do they switch to plastic mountaineering boots after they toss the skiis? Are there any telemark boots that are compatible with crampons, I can't see how there would be.

ok. first things first. no converting over to skiing just so you can find an
easier approach. :shock: no need. 8) your options are pretty much just
as wide open with specific snowboarding and mountaineering equipment.

get a splitboard! you can find them through Voile, Burton, Prior,
or Bentley Blaho for a custom Never Summer. Winterstick may also be
coming out with one this year (?). splits are used with either regular
snowboard boots and bindings OR can be use with plates and hardboots.
pick your flavor, or anything in between. crampons can be found for
softboots as well as hardboots. the softboot crampons (straps) are not
designed for vertical assents, such as ice climbing, but more for
mountaineering tasks (approach). Black Diamond and Grivel make
some, but there are others out there. there are also crampons available
to put on your "ski's" while touring. very helpful in spring.

get educated about avalanche terrain and the risks involved.
it's not just all powder. you can die pretty easily if you're not careful.

btw, i don't think that tele boots are compatable with crampons
because of the big duckbill on the toes, but i suppose you could use those strap-ons.

hamdog":3p1shl64 said:

btw, i don't think that tele boots are compatable with crampons because of the big duckbill on the toes, but i suppose you could use those strap-ons.

Click to expand...

You can; several of my tele friends do so, but the fit isn't great and I wouldn't recommend that set-up for serious climbing.

The rest of what Hamdog says is right on...why switch to skis if there is a snowboarding option like a split?

hamdog wrote:
btw, i don't think that tele boots are compatable with crampons because of the big duckbill on the toes, but i suppose you could use those strap-ons.


JimG. says: You can; several of my tele friends do so, but the fit isn't great and I wouldn't recommend that set-up for serious climbing.

Click to expand...

thanks for clearing that up. now i know. i was curious about that myself.
it sounds like the performance would be very much like the strap-on crampons.
that's just another piece of gear on my list for this year.

article from skiing mag writes about the best options for backcountry
access for snowboarding...... without the option of a sled of course.
http://www.skiingmag.com/skiing/ask_drf ... 35,00.html

FWIW, they generally use alpine touring gear. Boots that are like alpine ski boots, but rockered and with rubber soles and an unlockable cuff for easy walking.

The bindings are sort of like alpine bindings, but they hinge at the toe, again, so you can walk. They lock down for descent.

Telemark is another option, I know of at least one person who has done Denali/McKinley that way. Some crampons do fit telemark boots, I have a pair of Charlet Moser crampons that clip on just fine. The problem with tele boots is that the duckbill on the boots sticks out a long way, and this means your front points can't stick in as far.

Then of course there are splitboards. Probably a better option than slowshoes, though you'd need strap-on crampons, or use plate bindings and AT boots... There's no reason you couldn't pull a sled while splitboarding. Short descents might be a little tricky...

I tried summitting Katakdin two years ago in tele boots with crampons. I did just fine until the near vertical pitches. The duckbill on the T2's really kept my weight back and screwed with my center of gravity. Of course being female and having my weight distributed differently may have compunded the problem. Last year I bought a pair of Koflach boots and did the exact same ascent with no problem. YMMV.