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Reprints From The Professional Skier

Fall 1999 - "Telemark Risers Will Give You A Lift" by Urmas Franosch

This article is reprinted from The Professional Skier. All copyrights apply. Please see our copyright and disclaimer notice page.

If Elton John ever decided to take up telemarking, he'd probably head to Norway. His penchant for platform shoes would fit right in with the Norwegian telemarkers' predilection for using "risers" that practically put them in the path of low-flying planes.

For the last few years, many in the telemark community have found that an extra 15 to 19 millimeters (roughly half an inch) of loft under the boot can bring about some very positive benefits. Inserting a piece of plastic called a riser between your ski and your binding can provide the lift you'll need to increase edging power and prevent "boot out," the fall-inducing moment when your slopeside binding wing drags in the snow and causes your edge to suddenly release during a turn or traverse on a steep slope. Risers increase the leverage you exert on your skis and thus direct additional pressure to your edges.

Ever quick to scout out and modify tools for nordic skiing, the Norwegians are currently elevating their bindings up to 40 millimeters (about 1.6 inches) off their boards. In both Europe and the United States, small companies are manufacturing thick chunks of plastic and selling them as fat risers to mount directly onto skis. Screws are used to fasten the riser to the ski, and once the riser's mounted the binding is then attached to the riser with its own set of screws.

The utility of risers was "drilled" into several PSIA Nordic Team members, myself included, last April during the week of Interski in Beitostolen, Norway. In that snowy land, the team had a chance to achieve the stature of Norse deities after borrowing K2 Totally Piste shaped tele skis outfitted with 40-millimeter Rottefella risers. We tried out these "platform" boards in conditions that ranged from deep powder to firm, spring corn to slush. The risers improved carving and edging, allowed for fine adjustments to edge angle, and ultimately performed beautifully with no noticeable negative side effects.

Whether used on shaped alpine or telemark skis, risers help you take advantage of the design characteristics of shaped skis. They accomplish this by lengthening the skiing "lever"--composed of your lower leg coupled with your binding---that allows you to put pressure on your ski's edge. Once the edge is engaged, the shaped ski's wide tip and tail allow it to bend into an arc that determines the path of a carved turn. When you're arcing across a slope covered in snow that alternates between powder and icy crust, the tall Norwegian risers function to keep your edges engaged.

Unfortunately, we never had the opportunity in Norway to see how the risers perform on steep, hard snow, but I can tell you that they do just fine riding out an avalanche--a test environment in which I inadvertently immersed myself. On the occasion of this slide, I was skiing deep powder across the valley from Beitostolen in a rather rugged area called Raudalen. A local fellow was leading me to an off-piste powder stash he knew of. Once there, I started down first and was delighted by the sloughing snow keeping pace with me as I skied the slope. My delight quickly turned to concern, however, when the slough suddenly grew in size and knocked me down. To my relief, I came to a stop a moment later, and although flushed with adrenaline, I was unburied and unhurt. Likewise, the sturdy risers emerged from the incident unscathed.

Risky rides aside, one important note has to be made about risers. Unless you have the right equipment to go along with them, you won't be able to enjoy all their benefits. If you're the kind of person who has weathered the decades with gear passed down from your grandparents, you're out of luck. Regarding footwear, risers will only improve your performance if used in conjunction with modern high-topped plastic boots. Leather boots, even those with plastic cuffs or stiffeners, don't have the lateral rigidity where the sole joins the upper at the ankle to allow for the increased leverage a riser can provide with all-plastic boots.

Your skis, fortunately, are more forgiving than your boots when it comes to the riser interface. Although narrow boards are not ideal for use with risers, combining the two will still help to prevent boot out. Before you try putting risers on a pair of narrow skis, you might want to demo a pair of wide or shaped skis with risers because this is where you'll really feel the difference. Risers were made to be used with wide or shaped skis and on an alpine ski slope. While they don't serve any purpose in ski touring, there's no disadvantage to using them in the backcountry.

If you're looking to gain stature on the slopes this season, give yourself a boost. And if you're simply thinking about upgrading your equipment, try out a pair of risers before you spend a lot of cash. They might be just the pick-me-up you're looking for.

An instructor at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and the Tamarack Nordic Resort in California, Urmas Franosch is also a member of the PSIA Nordic team and the PSIA-W Board of Directors.