In Defense Of...Telemarkers Who Don't Always Drop a Knee

There a lot of purist telemark skiers out there, the kind who drop their knee all the way to the ground no matter how tired their quads are or how hollow and log-riddled the powder. And I respect those people, but sometimes, even the best telemark skiers have to stand up tall and make alpine turns. And I'd say there's nothing wrong with that. Like earlier this week, when a few friends and I ventured into an out-the-gates chute at Colorado's A-Basin. We knew it was early-season conditions, but we wanted to poke around and see if we could find any powder stashes. Turns out, we found more stumps and rocks than powder. I've bruised my knee badly before (while wearing knee pads) and didn't want to risk that pain again, so I kept my heel firmly planted on my ski and I "paramarked." And then there are those days when you're trying to keep up with a super-fast group of alpine skiers and your quads are starting to quiver with each drop—I paramark sometimes on those days too. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. And for all of these reasons, I enjoyed this little video on the subject of paramarking. I think you will too.  —Megan Michelson