Paul Parker - 1953-2024. Photo courtesy Scott Cramer.
“We are a bunch of passionate people, passionate about our sport,” Paul Parker, the telemark polymath, told Descender Magazine in an interview that ran in January of 2000. “And it's human nature, too, to want to think that our way is the right way. I think that we should try to resist that. We have to be careful about creating more rules.”
This comprehensive ethos embodied the revolutionary telemark thinker, who passed away on October 28th at the age of 71.
Parker’s long arc in telemark was not only impressive, but touched upon nearly every facet of the modern sport, influencing its trajectory as few others have. And his expansive philosophy - one that extolled the virtues of the telemark while defying over-zealotry - was fundamental to a wider take on the sport, especially as it ever evolved in both gear and character - both unavoidably molded by Parker.
Those close to Parker knew him for his kind, humble, and private nature as much for his storied telemark career. Often seen wearing his trademark driving cap while skiing, Parker long made his home in the mountains of Colorado, and was amongst the small cadre of North American free-heel trailblazers who rediscovered the turn in the 1970s. Parker’s early focus on Nordic instruction brought him to Colorado Outward Bound, where he would become the course director for winter and summer outings. And in the 1980’s he taught skiing at Copper Mountain - both of the Nordic and Alpine disciplines.
In 1983 Parker became the ski product manager for Chouinard Equipment, marking his entrance into the world of telemark gear production, a realm he would greatly influence. He would eventually become the vice president of research & development and manufacturing for the core climbing and skiing firm, staying on in a consulting role as the company evolved into Black Diamond equipment.
In 1985 Parker joined the distinguished company Tua Ski, a partnership that would last nearly two decades. In that time Parker headed the ski development arm of the brand, bringing to life many classic skis under the Tua banner as well as for other firms like Black Diamond and Chouinard Equipment, including the legendary free-heel planks the Expresso and the Tele Sauvage.
“I was lucky enough to be involved in the early stages of the sport when there was so much room for development and change,” Parker said modestly in the Descender interview.
Parker was not finished innovating telemark gear. As part of the group of former Chouinard Equipment and Black Diamond developers, he played an important role in the conception of Scarpa’s first all plastic telemark boot, the Terminator, released in 1992. From there Parker joined the renowned bootmaker Garmont in 1996 as product manager. Under his leadership the company released many classic models, including the Gara and Energy, amongst others.
Parker long strived to bridge the performance gap between telemark and alpine equipment. Speaking to his history in free-heel skiing - and its more feeble gear of the past - Parker said, “we got a lot done on that gear, but there were those of us who occasionally - against the tele dogma - went out on Alpine gear. I wanted to feel that precision and control and then try to apply it to tele. That's what I've looked for in my gear development through the years, and today.”
While Parker’s influence on free-equipment was undeniable, his most lasting impact may be in his writing. In 1988 he published his seminal telemark instructional book Free-Heel Skiing: Telemark and Parallel Techniques, often regarded as the preeminent work on not only telemark technique, but also its vibe and ethos. “It was the incredible line drawings, Paul’s logical, pure, explanations, and a book mojo that consolidated everything telemark meant to me,” Bob Mazarei, friend of Parker's and long one of telemark skiing’s leading ambassadors says. “Paul’s book changed everything.”
Parker would update the work in a 1995 second edition, with the third edition coming to press in 2001, which by 2014 had seen its seventh printing.
The classic Paul Parker style. Courtesy Scott Cramer.
“He spelled it all out, how to ski beautifully,” says Ace Kvale, the renowned photographer and long-time friend of Parker’s who shot the photography for the second edition of Free-Heel Skiing, and credits Parker with helping him start his career. “He was a beautiful, technical skier where most of us on telemarks were just hacking our way around,” he says.
Parker’s lengthy resume points to his tireless pursuit of progressing all things telemark - from instruction to gear production and all points in between. But through it all Parker still simply loved telemark skiing. “The whole free-heel thing has been hugely rewarding for me,” he told Descender. “The best indication is that I still love to ski on most anything, from skating gear to heavy metal. That hasn't changed. Come winter, I'm up at 5am every morning just because it's out there. Waiting for it to get light. There is so much to do on skis.”
That passion will be sorely missed in telemark. Scott Cramer, who grew to be friends with Parker when hired to shoot imagery for the latest edition of Free-Heel Skiing remembers him as “a great talent with forward thinking vision, who was probably single handedly responsible for telemark skiing becoming so popular in the United States and elsewhere from the mid 90’s on.”
Parker leaves behind his partner of many years, Lanie, as well as a brother, Roland, along with myriad friends and associates. And a telemark culture that has long stood on his shoulders.
Parker’s influence indeed lives on in nearly every aspect of the sport, including an indelible mark on its ethos. In the aptly titled essay “Anything Goes” from his seminal instructional opus, Parker espoused what he saw as telemark’s spirit.
“After taking a hard look at the sport… I realized what’s more important is freedom,” wrote Parker. “Both the mobility to get away from snow that has been disturbed by man, and the freedom to make a decent version of the telemark - or whatever kind of turn you choose - without worrying about final form.”
“Free heels,” concluded Parker, “Anything still goes. It’s all about freedom, not final form.”
