Jack O'Brien
The Toil That is the Backcountry
We didn’t really have a great plan – at least that’s how I felt. My backcountry partner wanted to ski a certain line that I was sure...
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Jack O'Brien
Dec 7, 20235 min read
75mm Resurrected?
Rumors of 75mm’s death may have been exaggerated as Scarpa’s leaked 2024/25 catalog now shows a curious thing – more 75mm models than...
2,082 views3 comments
Jack O'Brien
Nov 9, 20234 min read
Does a Telemark Culture Actually Exist?
Does this lowly band of free-heelers constitute a subculture? Photo credit Noah Wetzel, courtesy Big Agnes Ask anyone about telemark...
1,325 views1 comment
Jack O'Brien
Oct 27, 20238 min read
Do You Need To Hoard a Telemark Boot Quiver? Part II: Compatibility Blues
To take part in the breadth of free-heel skiing may now forever require a collection of boots, but telemark innovators have in mind...
839 views1 comment
Jack O'Brien
Oct 25, 20237 min read
Do You Need to Hoard a Telemark Boot Quiver? Part I: Work-Arounds and the Waiting Game
Vintage, bellowed F1s and F3s? The New Scarpa Boot? The death of 75mm?? One boot will never be able to do it all. So is it time for...
684 views0 comments
Jack O'Brien
Oct 14, 20235 min read
An Ode To The Telemark Instructor
Sitting on the floor of my parent’s old house in Steamboat Springs, I helped distribute gifts to my sister, mother, and father while...
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Jack O'Brien
Oct 7, 202310 min read
It's 2023. What Telemark Gear Should You Start On?
So you want to try telemark. Check. And you have a little cash to burn. Great. But the dudes in the local ski shop don't know tele, and...
1,945 views4 comments
Jack O'Brien
Sep 30, 202317 min read
Who's Behind The Outdoor Web Content You're Reading?
Conglomerate takeovers. Unwavering adherence to SEO strategies. And the ascendence of affiliate-link revenue models. A new ambiguity...
150 views0 comments
Jack O'Brien
Sep 18, 20235 min read
Howelsen Hill – A Short History of a Little Telemark Oasis
I was scared. Standing at the base of Howelsen Hill, having just stepped into my pin bindings affixed to my skinny XCD skis, I felt...
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Jack O'Brien
Aug 31, 20236 min read
Telemark and the Machine
What's the route forward for free-heel skiing? A misty , aborted morning on Klickitat Another fall is upon the Northern Hemisphere, and...
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Jack O'Brien
Aug 22, 202313 min read
One Man Saved Telemark
Telemark stands where it does now in large part because of one man’s blog. Meet Craig Dostie and his humble website, EarnYourTurns.
1,085 views0 comments
Jack O'Brien
Aug 10, 20234 min read
Fatherhood, Unexpected Discoveries, and an Ode to the Biggest Winter
The ski season had weeks ago ended, but the five-hundred-foot hill in town still held ample snow. It had been the winter of the ages; all...
193 views0 comments
Jack O'Brien
Jul 27, 202311 min read
What Does Telemark Need Next? Part II: The Great Free-Heel Knowledge Gap
A coming new gear paradigm gives reason to think that telemark could be well positioned for the future. But is it - and telemark as a...
466 views2 comments
Jack O'Brien
Jun 15, 20237 min read
Don't Be Fooled By The New Powder Magazine
To be honest, I never loved Powder Magazine. I imagine that comment might trigger defensive reactions in many a skier. How could someone...
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Jack O'Brien
May 10, 20235 min read
Enough About Telemark
From the haters to the zealots, the discussion on telemark is rife with ineloquence. Let’s elevate the conversation or give it a rest....
73 views0 comments
Jack O'Brien
Apr 13, 20234 min read
Reflections on a Year of Writing
Amazingly, a year has gone by since I started writing with any seriousness. And though I haven’t made much of a mark, it has surely been...
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Jack O'Brien
Mar 29, 202310 min read
A Short History of the Modern World (of Telemark Skiing)
Every so often, everything can come together, and, for a moment, something stands in the limelight, enjoying a fleeting instant as part...
32 views0 comments
Jack O'Brien
Mar 29, 20236 min read
An Ode to Winter (or They Never Mentioned We'd Get Old)
It’s 5:00am as the alarm dutifully sounds. Last night the sky was full of snow, and it kept falling. A foot of fresh powder lies on the...
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Jack O'Brien
Mar 14, 20234 min read
The State of Telemark and Why You Should Try It
There is more going on in telemark than most know – here’s a quick guide to the latest developments, and why you should think about...
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Jack O'Brien
Mar 14, 202314 min read
Affiliate-Link Influence And The Demise of Independent Outdoor Journalism
Wall Street-backed firms with less-than journalistic mores are aiming at commoditizing not just larger publications, but even niche...
367 views0 comments
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