For a while now, I've wanted to try telemark skiing, and work was so unbelievably boring this week that I took a day off and took a telemark lesson. If you're not familiar, telemark differs from alpine skiing in that you're only connected to the ski at the toe (like on a cross country ski).
I knew I'd be spending the day on the bunny slope, so I couldn't see any reason to waste a bunch of time and money by going to one of the I-70 resorts. Instead, I went to Eldora just outside Nederland. It certainly lacks the glitz and glamor of Vail, but the price was right - $110 for a lift ticket, equipment rental, and a 2 hour lesson.
It's pretty clear that renting telemark gear is not a normal part of the operation at Eldora (and probably anywhere for that matter). The first boot they brought me was an alpine boot, not a telemark boot. Thankfully I'm not *that* much of a beginner that I don't know the difference. Picking up my skis was another adventure as the person working that desk didn't know how to adjust the bindings to fit the boots. I was there pretty early for a 10AM lesson, so I didn't really mind waiting around and I found it a little amusing.
Speaking of time, they want you to be at the lesson meeting area a 9:45. No problem except that there's not a clock in sight in that area. I don't wear a watch and I left my cell phone in the car. I knew I had plenty of time, but it seems odd that they want you to be at a certain place at a certain time, but there's no where to find out the time. Even inside the ski school building, there wasn't an obvious clock on the wall.
After all the shenanigans, the lesson was good. I'm a (barely) decent skier, so it was frustrating to be a total newbie again. It was hard not to "cheat" on the tele gear and make alpine turns, but I was trying hard to be legit. I had forgotten how much it stinks to be on the beginner slopes. The slopes are full of people with questionable skills, and sometimes an inflated sense of confidence as they speed down the hill. Being on the beginner lift isn't much of a better experience. Lots of people struggling to get on and off, so the lift is constantly slowing down or stopping.
After my lesson I took a little lunch break to refuel before practicing my new-found skills. I don't mean to carry on about Eldora's less refined nature, but I've got to mention my lunch burrito. When they asked me if I wanted cheese on it, I was figuring they were going to melt it on top. Not so. The highly motivated food service worker sprinkled some cold shredded cheese on top of a luke warm burrito. I'm not sure that the point was, since it all pretty much slid off. On the plus side, it was relatively affordable (compared to most big resorts) at about $8.
So how are my telemark skills? You're not going to see me ripping down a black diamond any time soon, but I was linking tele turns by the end of the day. I don't have any of my own tele gear, but I'll have to rent some again and practice some time. I'm pretty terrible, but I had a good time and it made my legs nice and sore.
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