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Getting around on skis 7-Mar-2010 At 3:22:37 PM V

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Having had some experience with both (tele skiing about 10 years, have used ATs for ski mountaineering also), here's my 2c worth (some of this has been said before):

* For ski mountaineering, you will need ATs. If you're going to be spending a lot of time on your skis, it's better to get ski mountaineering boots rather that using a general purpose boot, as the latter will not give you enough rigidity. I haven't tried using crampons with tele boots but I suspect it would not work too well...

* For backcountry touring over undulating terrain, eg. Bogong High Plains or Main Range, I would suggest telemark. Teles are also great at the resorts, especially on the wide runs (not so much on narrow chutes and moguls).

Having said that, it is possible to do tele turns using AT bindings - I've seen it done well, and tried myself - but it is more difficult than using a cable binding and tele boots.

To learn tele, I would recommend trying it on flat, wide, groomed runs at a resort. Watch some videos on the Internet, watch the other tele skiers from the lift, and just give it a shot. It's not really that hard :-)