Backcountry Skiing Info

I began skiing back in maybe 1987 when I found a pair of cross-country touring skis at a clearance sale for $10.00. I picked up my first pair of tele skis about 2 years later and have been moving on from there. I have even sunk so low as to spend a few days alpine skiing, and frankly I didn't mind it one bit. This site/page serves to collect and disseminate information relating to backcountry skiing of all sorts, but will probably show a definite bias towards lift-served telemark skiing, since that is what I have been spending most of my time doing lately. Some excellent books on the subject:

The book by Parker apparently is becoming known as the telemarkers bible. It is easy to see why. 

Free-heel Skiing, 2nd Ed.
Paul Parker
The Mountaineers, 1995
ISBN 0-89886-412-7 paperback 190 pp.
The next book actually says nothing at all about telemarking or free heel skiing in any form. However, skiing is skiing and this is a superb book. With this and Parkers book, you would have all the ski technique books you would ever need. Also, as virtually every good telemark book tells you, you should learn how to do parallel turns on your tele gear (hint: rent or borrow alpine gear and buy a lift ticket.) 
Breakthrough on Skis
Lito Tejada-Flores
Vintage Books (Random House), 1986
ISBN 0-394-74703-8 paperback 291 pp.
The next one has chapters on nordic touring, telemarking, AT gear, and general backcountry business in the snow. Even some sobering pages on extreme skiing. It is amazing how little has changed in almost 20 years. Also amazing what a well-rounded skier Lito Tejada-Flores is. 
Backcountry Skiing
Lito Tejada-Flores
Sierra Club Books, 1981
ISBN 0-87156-287-1 paperback 306 pp.
And a collection of backcountry skiing links:

Here are some worthwhile commercial sites:

Feedback? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Backcountry Skiing Info / [email protected]