Telemark skiing has a new podcast. Alone, this fact seems of little consequence, what with the absolute plethora of programs available on the platform the internet over. But in the ever-quiet world of free-heel skiing it seems to say much more. The new Pretty Good Telemark Show, as much an example of modern telemark's building momentum as it is a contrast with its past, seems to speak to the long talked of new day for the sport.
Before, one person – and one person alone – essentially anchored telemark content single-handedly. For better or worse, whether one appreciated him or not, it was Josh Madsen. And with Madsen's absence, The Pretty Good Telemark show does much to give the discussion on telemark a renewed, wider visibility.
The void the show steps into is chasm-like. From Telemark Skier Magazine, to his Freeheel Life Podcast – a program that ran mostly uninterrupted for nearly 200 episodes – no one captured the recent telemark movement as broadly as Madsen. And the role his Freeheel Life ski shop played for the sport goes without saying. It marked the zenith of telemark retail and content so directly it was woven into the very fabric of the subculture.
Problematic or not, and with a singleness that was almost assuredly counterproductive, Madsen nonetheless was a lynchpin of the sport, especailly so considering that telemark enjoyed so few other content options during his time, and that essentially none of those that did exist continue to this day. Freeheel Life’s video how-to’s have few contemporaries in the telemark canon (René-Martin Trudel's Absolute Telemark notwithstanding), while the long form that inhabited Telemark Skier until it was unceremoniously terminated in 2022 was not only a brief source of excitement in telemark, it was a historical resource for the sport in a way only Craig Dostie's now dormant EarnYourTurns equaled and often bettered. For a generation of telemark skiers, Madsen acted as the progenitor for much of the sport’s discussion.
And nowhere was that more clear than in his typically weekly Freeheel Life Podcast, long one of the most important resources in all of telemark. Though the program was unavoidably tied to his retail apparatus as a quasi-marketing branch, it nonetheless allowed the minutia of the subculture to be dissected every week. And the podcast occasionally transcended that role. His wide-ranging interview of legendary telemark gear innovator Russell Rainey exemplified the historical stewardship Madsen held dear, while episodes like “Is Telemark Skill Relevant in 2022?” and “The Death of 75mm” allowed a metacognition on telemark that could scarcely be found anywhere else, and certainly not as easily.
No matter how much content Madsen created, the wider discussion in telemark would have benefited from more voices. Madsen's ubiquity was matched by an often rigid set of opinions, and the mostly empty space of telemark media afforded few opportunities for counterpoint. Moreover, as time went by his telemark content empire did little to provide the budding newschool revival with media they could relate to.
But Madsen has receded into the shadows, and, in the telemark circles tired of his approach, in the corners of the sport that don’t miss his omnipresence, mention of his name has muted to an almost Voldemort-like omission. His departure recognized – maybe even appreciated – as absolute.
Both the void and lack of contrast in telemark content is poised to be filled somewhat with the new Pretty Good Telemark Show, hosted by TELE COLO’s CJ Coccia and podcaster Adam Sauerwein. The program will run every third Wednesday on Sauerwein’s Pursuit Podcast from October through April.
The first installment ran October 15th, an extensive if casual 100 minute affair. But fodder it is for the telemark skier who is typically starved for media. "It's just two guys talking about telemark," Coccia says. "We want to create space for people to talk about what they're doing" in telemark. While Coccia says the new show is not specifically designed to speak to one subset of the sport, it seems poised to resonate with those who identify with the revitalized new school. The podcast aims to be fun and light-hearted - with a good dose of ironic telemark self-effacement - while covering figures, equipment, and culture. And they have thus far succeeded in that. Coccia's disarming good nature juxtaposed with Sauerwein's often humorous if blunt takes makes for an interesting pair. Sauerwein's critical take on Scarpa's launch of the new TX Pro is particularly ear-catching.
Both Coccia and Saurerwein are contemporary telemark figures with a penchant for looking forward. And with a freewheeling vibe and modern focus, the podcast offers something for the newschool and younger telemark skiers to sink their teeth into; something that earlier telemark content didn't quite seem to capture. While the inside jokes and self-referential nature of the topics may give the program a narrower focus, it nonetheless offers telemark another avenue for exploration and discussion. One it sorely needs, and misses. And their approach clearly speaks to a newer fork of telemark in a way that previous outlets never seemed to.
It leaves a telemark overthinker to wonder if The Pretty Good Telemark Show could have added a strong and needed counterpoint to Madsen’s more serious but deep focus. Alas, we’ll never know. The timing of Madsen’s demise – and that of Telemark Skier’s relaunch, and the death of his podcast – seem ironic now given that telemark appears to be rising anew, especially with the aforementioned launch of the new Scarpa Tx Pro.
But also ascending is a telemark newschool that has its own vision, its own figures, and now its own podcast. And as the nascent telemark scene grows, it soon may not be alone.
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