Developed during the winter of 1996 by Martin and Erik Fey, the Teleboard consists of a long, narrow
snowboard
Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...
, or wide ski, with two free-heel
telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
bindings arranged one in front of the other at a slight angle to the longitudinal axis. This is similar to a
skwal
A skwal is the main piece of equipment used for skwalling, a hybrid sport combining the carving of skiing and riding feel of snowboarding. It is similar to a snowboard or monoski in that both feet are attached to the same board. On a skwal the fe ...
which uses fixed-heel bindings mounted in line with each other.
History
When experimenting with successively narrower alpine snowboards to allow for quicker turns, the Fey brothers ended up with a board that could not fit hard-plate snowboard bindings, and tried telemark bindings instead. After a successful trial down a mogul run at Killington (one of the only remaining open trails in New England at the end of that ski season), they continued to refine the design. The Teleboard earned them two patents between 1997 and 1999. The Fey Bros went on to found Telemarkdown.com and continue to sell Teleboards as well as Telemark and AT ski gear in their two New England shops.
Physical characteristics
The unique binding alignment coupled with the use of free-heel bindings on the teleboard allows the rider to face forward and have complete freedom over weight distribution. The rider can focus their weight down on the center of the board to flex it and carve tightly, or distribute weight over the length to keep the board straighter. Also, weight can be shifted vertically, by standing tall or kneeling. This extension and flexion is an essential part of carved turns, and the extent of them that the teleboard allows lends itself to deep or extreme carving.
The extremely close angle of the bindings, along with the long length and narrow width of the board make the Teleboard extremely easy to use for quick edge changes, rendering the board ideal for riding bumps, carving tight turns, and reacting to unexpected obstacles. Also, the edge radius of Teleboards tends to be very small, comparable to slalom skis, which is unusual for skiing or riding devices as long as a teleboard.
Because the bindings are mounted almost in-line with the direction of the board, it is possible for the rider to use poles, which can aid the rider in learning the sport.
Patents
The patent for the Teleboard is held by Uniboard, Inc. (US Patent
6000711
The abstract is as follows:
A skiboard system is provided, which includes a divisible skiboard having left and right skiboard halves and left and right loose heel binding. When the skiboard halves are joined, the skiboard has a central, waist portion and an upward curving front shovel area. The left and right loose heel bindings may be secured on the left and right skiboard halves when the skiboard halves are divided, oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes or the skiboard halves. When the skiboard halves are joined, the left and right loose heel bindings are mounted on opposite sides of the skiboard waist at an acute angle less than 35 degrees from the longitudinal axis.
No implementation of this 'split' board described in the patent is commercially available. All commercial teleboards are made of a single monolithic piece, and therefore are most appropriate for resort skiing, not the
backcountry
In the United States, a backcountry or backwater is a geographical area that is remote, undeveloped, isolated, or difficult to access.
Terminology Backcountry and wilderness within United States national parks
The National Park Service (NPS) ...
approaches which would be possible with a
splitboard
A splitboard is a snowboard that can be separated into two ski-like parts used with climbing skins to ascend slopes the same way alpine touring or telemark skis are. The main difference is that a splitboard will have an additional metal edge (d ...
.
Specifications
There are currently four different models of teleboards ranging from 168 cm to 191 cm.
Pipe Dreamer 168
The Pipe Dreamer 168 was designed for the pipe and park, and for younger, lighter riders. The deck is 168 cm long, with dimensions (Tip / Waist / Tail) of 187mm, 120mm, 183mm. The sidecut radius is 9.4m with an effective edge of 148 cm.
Legend 181
The legend 181 is based on the design of the original Teleboard. It was the first Teleboard to make the descent of
Mount Washington
Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River.
The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, ...
's
Tuckerman Ravine
Tuckerman Ravine is a glacial cirque sloping eastward on the southeast face of Mt. Washington, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Although it draws hikers throughout the year, and skiers throughout the winter, it is best known for the ma ...
. The deck is 181 cm long with dimensions (Tip / Waist / Tail) of 195mm, 122mm, and 179mm. The sidecut radius is 9.3m with an effective edge of 158 cm.
Pursuit 191
The Pursuit 191 along with the King Carve 191 are the two longest Teleboards available. The Pursuit 191 was designed to be the longer brethren to the Legend 181 for those who want the additional stability which comes with a longer plank. The dimensions (Tip / Waist / Tail ) are 199 cm, 127 cm, and 185 cm. The sidecut radius is 9.3m with an effective edge of 168 cm.
King Carve 191
The King Carve 191 was a stiffer version of the Pursuit 191 mounted with 25mm solid polymer risers and Rottefella Cobra K hardwire bindings. The dimensions are identical to the Pursuit 191.
2013 Mark F 186
186cm. Added early rise; gives the board much better float in powder AND also makes the tip easier to manage in moguls
2013 Sheriff 198
Even bigger. Even more stable.
See also
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Winter sport
Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold area ...
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Skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
*
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
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Freestyle skiing
Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, Mogul Skiing, moguls, Ski Cross, cross, Half-pipe skiing, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics. It can consist of a ...
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Mogul Skiing
Mogul skiing is a freestyle skiing competition consisting of one timed run of free skiing on a steep, heavily moguled course, stressing technical turns, aerial maneuvers and speed. Internationally, the sport is contested at the FIS Freestyle Wor ...
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Monoskiing
A monoski is a single wide ski used for skiing on snow. The same boots, bindings, and poles are used as in alpine skiing. Unlike in snowboarding, both feet face forward, rather than sideways to the direction of travel. Similar equipment inclu ...
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Skiboarding
Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...
*
Skwal
A skwal is the main piece of equipment used for skwalling, a hybrid sport combining the carving of skiing and riding feel of snowboarding. It is similar to a snowboard or monoski in that both feet are attached to the same board. On a skwal the fe ...
*
Snowkiting
Snowkiting or kite skiing is an outdoor winter sport where people use kite power to glide on snow or ice. The skier uses a kite to give them power over large jumps. The sport is similar to water-based kiteboarding, but with the footwear used in ...
External references
Uniboards Corporate WebsiteUS Patent 6000711US Patent 5816590Free-Heel-Boarding: The Techniques and Unique Aspects of Free-Heel Boarding (Book)
Snowboarding