I recently found a great stash of old VHS movies at a Hollywood Video library just down the street from my apartment. Each night on the way home from work, I manage to pop in there, just before close, and grab one of the old ski movies. They have all of the old Warren Miller flicks as well as some Kris Ostness vids and of course Teton Gravity Research. This time around I decided to grab one of the classics, The Continuum by TGR.
This was first of many videos that the Jackson Hole crew put together in the late 1990s. It documents some of the most progressive skiing of the time. Capturing images of young superstars like Micah Black and Kent Kreitler. When one steps back for a moment and thinks of what these guys were doing back then, it is mind boggling. They had no map of how to do things, or any sort of notion of how they should ski or look. They were creating something new every time they went out, and that has changed skiing forever. Now in the year 2005, these types of videos serve as a mile marker for a long journey that has taken us to places far beyond what people thought was possible. The standout segment definitely is their secret stash near Targhee. This segment abounds with Pow Pow and super big cliff drops and steep landings.
Telemark Skiing is at a similar juncture in the present day. There has been a revolution brewing for the past 10 years as gear has improved and more aggressive skiers have shown what could be done. This early TGR video reminds me of the revolutionary videos that Josh "Bones" Murphy began making some years ago. Guys like BJ Brewer, Scott Murray, and Charlie Cannon and many others began showing people the vision of what freeheel skiing could really become. With more young talent each year, Telemark skiing is poised to grow into what it truly can be - skiing without limits. It is only a matter of time before this underground uprising soon boils to surface and emerges, similar to the events in the Alpine world of skiing. One can only hope that ten years from now, this point in time can be looked back upon as the most crucial time for the progression of Freeheel skiing and everyone has a chance to be a part of it.
This was first of many videos that the Jackson Hole crew put together in the late 1990s. It documents some of the most progressive skiing of the time. Capturing images of young superstars like Micah Black and Kent Kreitler. When one steps back for a moment and thinks of what these guys were doing back then, it is mind boggling. They had no map of how to do things, or any sort of notion of how they should ski or look. They were creating something new every time they went out, and that has changed skiing forever. Now in the year 2005, these types of videos serve as a mile marker for a long journey that has taken us to places far beyond what people thought was possible. The standout segment definitely is their secret stash near Targhee. This segment abounds with Pow Pow and super big cliff drops and steep landings.
Telemark Skiing is at a similar juncture in the present day. There has been a revolution brewing for the past 10 years as gear has improved and more aggressive skiers have shown what could be done. This early TGR video reminds me of the revolutionary videos that Josh "Bones" Murphy began making some years ago. Guys like BJ Brewer, Scott Murray, and Charlie Cannon and many others began showing people the vision of what freeheel skiing could really become. With more young talent each year, Telemark skiing is poised to grow into what it truly can be - skiing without limits. It is only a matter of time before this underground uprising soon boils to surface and emerges, similar to the events in the Alpine world of skiing. One can only hope that ten years from now, this point in time can be looked back upon as the most crucial time for the progression of Freeheel skiing and everyone has a chance to be a part of it.
Contributed by Josh Madsen