Most Tahoe resorts didn't even allow them on their slopes until the mid-1980s. The almost surf-like form, with one foot forward and the trailing ski carving, attracted a cult-like following quite foreign to the smug, hip set at alpine resorts.

How wrong we critics were.

Freeheel (Telemark and Randonee) Skiing
At its core, freeheel skiing, which includes both telemark and randonee, is an all-mountain sport that has a freshening image and growing popularity. With advances in equipment technology and the ability to move easily within and outside resort boundaries, more and more alpine enthusiasts are being attracted to the mobility, freedom, and challenge of freeheeling.

"Freeheeling is no longer alpine skiing's redheaded stepchild, but a sport that is captivating audiences of all ages," explains Josh "Bones" Murphy. Murphy, 34, is founder of Unparalleled Productions, a Lake Tahoe film company dedicated to the freeheel turn. "As the sport has progressed, its unique feeling has attracted new participants that were once die-hard alpine skiers or snowboarders. Freeheeling is no longer fringe, but a major niche in the ski industry."

According to the Ski Industries of America. there are 3.5 million people freeheel skiing in North America. And if the telemark turn has breathed new dollars onto resort slopes, it has influenced its enthusiasts to new challenges and the limitless boundaries of snow sport. The telemark turn to some is so elegant and graceful that onlookers often say it looks like a waltz. It is also a powerful turn and can be used on any snow condition and for ski-lift-free outings in the winter backcountry

"Tele-skiers now have their own magazines, their own movies, their own events," concurs Stephane "Frenchie" Riendeau, a filmmaker whose Tough Guy Production company strives to expose the beauty and freedom of freeheel skiing. "Free heelers are cutting edge. The sport is going bigger and faster every year."

History
A Norwegian a ski jumper by the name of Sondre Norheim invented the telemark turn over 130 years ago. He invented a toe to heel binding and adapted a turn from the natural landing position of ski jumpers: one knee behind the other for stability, arms extended for balance.

The odd looking turn was named after the Norwegian county that was then the center for jumping. It remained the basic downhill maneuver until mid-1920s when Austrian, Hannes Schneider, came along with the parallel turn and developed modern-day alpine skiing.

Telemarking
Telemarking combines the diagonal stride of the Nordic skier and the carved turn of the alpine racer. Classic three-pin bindings leave boot heels free to swing up and down. It enables a walking motion that allows uphill climbing, yet stability for downhill descents. Telemarking had its revival in this country in the early 1970s when patrolmen at Colorado's Crested Butte resort began using Nordic equipment for search and rescue and for avalanche control maneuvers.

Randonee
Randonee offers many of the same freedoms that telemark skiing provides. But a randonee set-up uses equipment more akin to alpine gear. Randonee bindings lock the heel down whenever the skier is ready to descend. The binding allows the skier to make the same parallel and snowplow turns as an alpine skier.

Although introduced by the Europeans, randonee skiing blossomed in this country in 1978 when mountaineer, Paul Ramer, unveiled a randonee releasable alpine-style binding. By the mid-80s, Chouinard Equipment had introduced Tua randonee skis with Salewa bindings that allowed for more control and confidence in turning.

Equipment
Both Telemark and randonee equipment have become as high tech as alpine equipment. In 1992, boot manufacturer Scarpa unveiled the first plastic boot. In the last decade duck-billed tele bindings have been beefed up with stainless steel and compression springs for more power. Most randonee and telemark skis are now made from the same mold as alpine skis.

"Tele skis need a softer flex in the tail so the back ski will carve smoothly and they are lighter boards, but for the most part they perform like a high performance alpine ski and will ski the exact same terrain as a downhiller," explains Miles Gardner, manager of the Backcountry in Tahoe City.

Setting oneself up to freeheel can be just as expensive as buying alpine gear. Top telemark and randonee manufacturers include Atomic, K2, Black Diamond, Dynafit, Fisher, Volk, G3 and Karhu. Skis can run easily into the $700 range. Bindings such as Fritschi, Naxo, Rottefella and Silvretta can be priced at over $300. Top of the line boots by Garmont, Scarpa, Crispi and Dynafit sell for $600.

"Randonee equipment is bought almost as much as tele-gear. Unfortunately, there's no real cheap way to enter the sport, but to us the cost more than equals the fun to be had," says Gardner.

Equipment advances are also allowing people to learn the telemark turn a lot quicker. "I think its easier to learn than traditional alpine skiing," says Peter Leh of the Truckee based Alpine Skills International, an outdoor adventure and guide company that offers telemark clinics throughout the winter." These fat wide skis with wasp-waisted side cuts allow telemarkers to have more control and an easier time over mixed terrain. Kids are now mounting tele bindings on twin tips and going into the halfpipe to create new tricks. They've gotten so good that it's often hard to distinguish freeheelers from other young skiers and snowboarders."

Freeheeling + Snowboarding
One trickster is Ty Dayberry. Only 18 and a member of the Heavenly Freeride Team, the South Lake Tahoe native has created a new movement in tele-skiing with his phenomenal burgerflipping, rail riding, and big airs in the park and elsewhere. Last season he stuck an 85-foot leap off Palisades Tahoe's Palisades. He learned to tele-ski at age 10 and has never looked back.

"There's a core group of tele-skiers that love terrain parks and halfpipes," says Dayberry, a senior at South Lake Tahoe High School. "The skills we learn in the park we take to the natural terrain in the backcountry. It fun to throw down tricks. It blows away the snowboarders."