![]() It was up to him to rewrite those old ideas. By the time Borkovec started experimenting in the early 1970s, his Sierra Club guide to mountaineering referred to telemarking as an “outdated and inefficient form of skiing.” Then bindings with attached heels came on the scene and the easier alpine turn eclipsed the telemark. Until the 1930s, the telemark was the main way to navigate downhill. Since Norheim was from the region of Telemark, Norway, it became known as the telemark turn. A Norwegian named Sondre Norheim came to a ski-jumping contest, and after landing a jump, arced away in a graceful, drop-kneed turn. ![]() The turn was invented in 1868 when skiing was the tiny cult sport of a few Swedes and Norwegians and all bindings had a free heel like modern cross-country ski bindings - a design dictated by the fact that there were no ski lifts. “I remember asking my dad, ‘What is he doing?’ and my dad saying ‘That’s a telemark turn.’” Borkovec had never seen anything like it. One afternoon, a gray-haired Czech named Ole came schooshing down the slope, dropping down on his inside knee with each turn. His dad, a fanatical skier, ran a small club ski hill called Willow Springs. Do a little physical therapy,” said the fit, friendly then-56-year-old as he pulled on his telemark boots for a ski tour near his home in Aspen.īut as the group was gliding through the light, fluffy snow of the Elk Mountains, he couldn’t help but think of something he had seen as a kid growing up in Illinois. “I was just trying to limber up my ankle. Maybe we can convince Atomic to re-release the TM22.Borkovec couldn’t envision all this when he set out on a cross-country ski tour near Castle Peak north of Crested Butte on a winter morning. This is my primary backcountry ski, and it has served me well on a variety of Sierra fourteeners and steeps. Stand at the top of a perfectly set-up backcountry corn slope with these, and you're about as close to heaven as you can get. The TM22 has achieved legendary status as a Telemark and Alpine Touring ski-and it's easy to see why. I ski mine at 170cm, which cuts down a little more weight and makes them generally more manageable on your backpack. The TM22 can wash out when pushed hard on groomed snow-then again, that's not what you're buying them for. Fat ski enthusiasts may find the TM22 a little too narrow in the waist, especially if things get mushy.Īt high speeds on hard snow, you'll begin to notice the TM22's compromises compared to Atomic's alpine line (such as the 10.20 or R11). The ski is particularly at home on steep, icy terrain. By today's standards, the TM22 is a narrow ski, suited for carving snappy turns on hard snow. Obviously, since this ski is made by Atomic, one of the industry's heavyweights, you won't suffer any of the usual (and annoying) design or manufacturing quirks so common to dedicated A/T gear. This gives the ski outstanding torsional stability, making this one of the better choices for backcountry skiers in love with the Atomic's Alpine skis. The Atomic TM22 uses the same Beta profile technology as Atomic's alpine skis. But alas, I've only got one pair, and they're staying right here. ![]() If any of us had known these skis were going to become such classics, we'd have bought up a gaggle and made a killing selling them. More than any other item of gear, the TM22 draws visitors to my site, looking to find a pair. If popularity is any indicator, the Atomic TM22 must be one of the best Randonnée/Alpine Touring skis ever made.
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