Hi Renee, Nice to catch a blog on the topic. Not enough tele skiers to get accurate stats but my impression is also of fewer injuries. The film crew spotted Olav Svartdal and friends carving freestyle through deep snow one … The 7tm-“releasable”models are the worlds only releasable telemark bindings tested and approved by the German TUV according to DIN/ISO standards. Both of these injuries have one common feature, they evolve when the rear ski is not properly edged and/or weighted. Avoidance of these situations is preferable to the use of beacons as a thin safety net. My suspicion is that the greater stability of the plastic boot may prevent inadvertent falls involving the wrong edge of the ski catching the snow (a common mechanism of knee injuries). During telemark skiing’s last growth spurt in the 1990s, many picked it up to ski the backcountry; telemark bindings were the most popular and lightest tool for skiing uphill. Telemark skiing is a skiing technique that combines elements of Alpine and Nordic skiing. The standard knee requires cement to put it in place. If you unweight well between turns, you are less likely to catch your edge. Telemark skiing has peaked my interest, but I have a few questions about it. Also, when starting telemark, you will be less aggressive (probably) than you where on your skis or board. But if you’re skiing with arthritis, it pays to be cautious. Releasable bindings were used by 11.8% of the skiers, and these skiers had 11% knee injuries in the study groups. 2, No. They allow skiers to lift their heels and walk, and on the way down they require a drop-knee telemark turn where one ski … Just ask any 80 year old skier. Beware of the group bravado effect—we tend to take more risk when we ski in a group but it is a false sense of security. I believe the main reason for this is: 1. I still get tired legs after a few runs - I assume this is most likely because I am just starting out again and "old" muscle groups are being used again after 5 years. Arthritis of the knee and hip are the most common aches and pains that discourage people in their middle and older ages from skiing. In an avalanche, it’s a good thing to be separated from your skis. Storm Chasing Smithers. Real honest answer is that I know more people that have quit alpine skiing and are now telemark skiing because of knee problems that the opposite. This will cause your inside ski to carve a tighter turn than the downhill ski, causing a slight flare with the tips of your skis. It didn't take me long to figure out that telemarking is more physically demanding than alpine or snowboarding, and in a bad way. To ski, we must bend the knees. It makes me actually want to take notes. Skiing with Peter and Polly up at Snowbird on Sunday, March 19, 2017. Thanks so much for the videos. My telemarking has already improved significantly. The survival analysis shows a definite trend to lower injury rates with the releasable bindings, though it is not statistically significant (but very close). 1996 Sep;36(3):217-22. Any snow condition that is predisposed to edges being caught up in a fall are higher risk. Thumb injuries have been reported at higher rates than in the past years. Again nothing scientific here but I’d say a bit of both…. The following principles will very likely reduce your risk of injury if you can put them into practice. As you gain more skill in weighting the rear ski (up to a max of 50% of the total between the two skis), you can start the process of learning the use of both skis to edge the turn equally. But now, they will be weighted more equally and carve parallel to each other the entire turn. Risk factors for injuries in alpine skiing, telemark skiing and snowboarding case control study. Modern Telemark Ski Selection and Problems, The Telemark History Ep2: The Evolution of skis and Bindings. The number of deaths each year due to avalanche among backcountry skiers (not heli-skiers) in the US and Canada is usually less than ten (6 in 1996) and 40 percent occur during high avalanche risk periods. Telemark skiing injuries: characteristics and risk factors. This tends to send a certain segment of our population into a long tirade matched only by vegan crossfitters when told they are endangering their health. 4 Tips to Help You Ski or Snowboard With Arthritis Skiers and snowboarders dealing with arthritis have more concerns than just which resort to choose. Alpine Skier for 40 years, Tele skier for past 12 years, since undergoing both hip replacements and a total knee replacement. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. Stress on the joints caused by angle of attack when Alpine skiing. More orthopedic surgeons should suggest Tele skiing to their Alpine skiing joint replacement patients, as a pain free alternative. Skiing on the mittersill side, a little poorly covered, I caught an edge and fell, tweaking my knee. Can it do everything alpine skiing can do? Telemark skiing is named after the region of Norway where it was developed in the 1860s by Sondre Norheim, from Morgedal in Telemark. Can accidents happen? 1-9, https://doi.org/10.1520/JAI12526. Calgary pediatric AFO clinic – Kids are us! Thank you for putting this together. The film crew spotted Olav Svartdal and friends carving … In self-reporting alpine skiing studies, the rate of injury is about 9.8/1000 skier-days in the late 70’s but with the decrease in alpine skiing injuries, the real rate is more likely to be 7/1000 based on more recent estimates. Mild sprains heal rapidly and may involve the medial collateral ligament (MCL). A couple of thoughts: First make sure that you get an “athletic knee”. Knees are still hanging in there. 2. In the combined MCL/ACL injury, the front inside edge is caught then the ski is pulled out away from the body and center of balance, twisting the knee using the ski tip as the fulcrum. Ok it’s ski stats from Scotland, but still. Injury risk factors among telemark skiers. The only injury I ever incurred was from jamming my kneecap through thin snow cover into frozen ground. Telemark skiing injuries: a three-year study, Federiuk CS, Zechnich AD, Vargyas GA. Wilderness Environ Med. You don’t get down into one position and stay there. Stand in front of the mirror with your feet parallel and about hip-width apart – ie in a skiing position. Fewer Knee Injuries According to a study published in the " Western Journal of Medicine ," snowboarders are less likely to sustain knee injuries than skiers—17 percent of snowboarders vs. 39 percent of skiers. I’m not a doctor. We provide you with all information about the right technique and equipment for this uniqe skiing style. Neither me, nor my boots, nor the bindings were damaged in those wipe-outs. I just practised this and it made a big difference to my skiing plus my legs weren't nearly as tired. They allow precise skiing with a somewhat more upright stance (easier on the knees) and do release (although the manufacturers make no promise). He is nursing a broken thumb after skiing into his 250-lb. buddy in the woods at Mad River Glen seven days earlier. I’m sure the guys from the world cup do have a lot of stress on their knees. But that was over 35 years ago, when I didn’t know what I was doing and on pretty rudimentary equipment. I replaced both knees, six weeks apart, 3 years ago. 2000 Jan-Feb; 28(1):83-9. I had been running fairly regularly at the time, and so I was pretty focused on the health of my knees. Sondre Norheim is often credited for first demonstrating the turn in ski races, which included cross country, slalom and jumping, in Norway around 1868. Another way of looking at injuries is called Survival Analysis. Stefan makes us bend our knees, which is easy when we go straight ahead, but really difficult during turns. Ideally, after you have mastered the use of the uphill ski, then you focus less on early turn initiation with the uphill ski and move back to using both skis together. This is an exellent tutorial and helps me a great deal. Nevertheless after 10 years of mountain rescue as a ski patroller in 4 resorts, I surely can tell you that telemark skiers are significantly less being affected by personal injury. By Nick Cherney. If you think you are about to fall, avoid falling back on the tail of your skis, 2. Ankles, knees, and hips are placed under stress to properly turn and edge Alpine skis. Never ski a slope you wouldn’t ski alone. Very good video!! I would tell those people that is not only worth it, telemark skiing has advantages over alpine touring, snowboarding and alpine skiing… You learned the stem technique early on and must get used to weighting the rear ski as you cut turns. Telemark skiing is named after the Telemark region of Norway, where the discipline originated. This is expressed in median number of days to injury or how many days of skiing can we get away with before half of us are injured. Here’s how to fix it. Controlling for experience (skill level) and bindings still showed this was a significant difference. Snow conditions during which injuries happen cover the gamut of what skiers experience during the season. Many wouldn't dream of just rocking a chair. This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings. This method allows for multivariate analysis of different risk factors and can tell us which are more likely to be significant with relatively smaller numbers. 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