Summary
To solve the edge problem, they decided to make outside edges from the middle of the board - that way, the ski would be apt to smear across the snow instead of digging into the earth. Then they needed to figure out a way to mount the telemark bindings. Regular skis have special inserts for that purpose. Drilling screws into the soft base material of a snowboard would produce disastrous results, as the bindings would probably rip out once put to the test. [Dave Bouchard] settled on countersunk T-nuts, which turn the ski into a sort of binding sandwich with the circular washers protruding on the base of the boards. "You know, they're old, junky boards," Bouchard says, "so it doesn't really matter." The system hasn't failed yet.
Bouchard and a few of his buddies rack up about 10 days a year on the junkboards at Mad River Glen, Sugarbush and Stowe, both in the early season and long after the mountains have closed for the summer. But it's the beginning of the season that's most important, Bouchard says. There's no ideal way to get the legs in shape for telemark skiing, but a few days of junkboarding can be a good primer. And when the snow starts to pile up, Bouchard is ready. "When you can say, 'I started making turns in October,'" he points out, "it makes all the difference."See the full content of this document
Extract
Jonesing for Junk
It'll be at least three weeks before the first ski lifts start spinning in Vermont. So why is Dave Bouchard, an avid telemark skier from Hinesburg, keeping a close watch on the mountain weather n...
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