Ski & Snow 2022

HIPPIES
PUNKS & MISFITS
Words, P.M. Fadden | Photos, Jason Hummel, John Lichtwardt & P.M.Fadden
Like a banjo ‘twang’ in a string quartet, the Telemarker stands out on a mountain.
The curious technique is stylish, and iconic--as is their reverence for flex-y boots
and deep turns. But what really stands out is the go-lucky welcome which
somehow organically links each enthusiast to the next; hippies or punks, misfits
or socialites; man, woman, or child—perfect strangers form like family when the
heel is free.
The warm front porch ‘howdy’ of tele-society highlights a curiosity: its industry
is scarce. The principle manufacturers can be tallied on two hands. And it’s up
to those relative few to serve a global market, making telemark an apparent
small-world by necessity. But where there are mountains there is a way. And
prime example is an inconspicuous crew of quintessential misfits cranking-out
internationally acclaimed kit from the dead end of a little dirt road in the US
Mountain West.
Old mate, Adam Roberts bouncing along Kangaroo Ridge, Washington Pass.
Image by Jason Hummel