The Freeheel Life Podcast

Armond DuBuque grew up just outside Seattle, Washington, and started skiing at the age of nine. He later picked up snowboarding, but by the early 1990s, while working at Stevens Pass Ski Area, he discovered Telemark skiing—and it stuck. In his mid-20s, he set out to design his own Telemark binding, incorporating features he felt were missing from the options available at the time. With the help of...

Dickie Hall played a pivotal role in reviving the Telemark turn, alongside many others, beginning in the 1970s. While he introduced the turn across the United States and later Europe, his influence on Telemark skiing in New England remains undeniable.   He was the founder and director of the North American Telemark Organization (N.A.T.O.) from 1975 to 2015, running a yearly schedule of workshops,...

Today's guest is a legend in the skiing world with roots that trace back to Seattle, Washington, where he discovered skiing at the age of 11 at Alpental Ski Area. Embracing the freestyle trends of the 1970s, he became a passionate mogul skier with his sights set on the US Freestyle Team. Though he achieved that dream, it was tragically cut short after a knee injury on his very first run. But that...

NOTE: Originally published Dec 26, 2024 for YouTube Members  Today I've got Kate Galliett Madsen on the podcast to talk over health and fitness in Telemark skiing. This has really proven to be a topic of interest that folks on my channel have been requesting more of lately and I wanted to have her back on to drop some knowledge for us. Kate and I are going to be working on some other video content...

NOTE: Originally published Nov 25, 2024 for YouTube Members  In this engaging conversation, Josh Madsen and Craig Dostie delve into the world of Telemark skiing, discussing their unique experiences, the evolution of Telemark gear, and the recent release of the TX Pro boot. They explore the nuances of boot flex, the importance of subtlety in Telemark technique, and the challenges faced by skiers tr...

On this week's podcast I sit down for a conversation with the founding members of Midwest Telefest that included the owners, employees, and friends of Life Tools Adventure Outfitters. The Co-op turned outdoor shop was a hub for Telemark equipment in the Green Bay, WI area for many years and helped bring awareness to the great Telemark turn.  Midwest Telefest info: midwesttelefest.org  

Today's guest has been in the Snowsports industry for nearly 30 years. He has worked in various retail positions along with working as a rep for such brands as Karhu, Dynafit, and more. We had a great discussion about where Telemark has been and where it's headed, where specialty retail might be going in the future, shifts in manufacturing, and why Telemark skiers are so passionate. I'm psyched to...

Andy Jacobsen has been a friend of mine for 20+ years and is a Telemark skier that I've always respected for his great style, backcountry proficiency, and determined and skillful competition skiing. He was always a top performer in the early Telemark Freeski competitions during the early to mid-2000s and graced the big screen not only in the early Toughguy Production movies, but also as one of the...

Drew Nylen lives in northern British Columbia, on the Alaskan border, in a town of 300 people. His interest for Telemark skiing began in his youth when he started working at his local gear shop and was able to get his first freeheel setup. He's an ACMG apprentice ski guide who will be taking his full ski exam in April. His extensive guiding has taken him to the Arctic, including: Baffin Island, Gr...

World Telemark Day Celebrates 10 Years For Telemark skiers from around the world the 1st Saturday in March is a special day, it's always World Telemark Day (WTD). This international celebration takes place this 2023-24 winter season on Saturday March 2nd, 2024 and marks one decade since its inception. "As a Telemark skier myself I saw how great the energy at Telemark gatherings always was," said W...

The other day I had the opportunity to teach a friend how to Telemark ski for the first time. I absolutely love sharing the turn with my friends but it's been awhile since I've gone out with someone that has never made drop-knee turns before and starting from scratch. It reminded me of of things that I wanted to share with you as we head into this holiday season. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SEEING ME...

Todays podcast is all about fitness and some of the important ways you can keep you body healthy and strong during the Telemark ski season. Kate Galliett and I discuss five important tips that range from diet and warm-ups to joints and apres-ski. Kate Galliett has been a Personal Trainer and Coach for 22 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science and has earned a multitude...

Every year we get so many voicemails, emails, DMs, and the like regarding Telemark skiing. A lot of these questions are the same because there's generally a lack of information online or people have a hard time finding the answers they need. So today I thought I'd put together my top list of FREQUENTLY ASKED TELEMARK QUESTIONS IN 2023 and see if I can offer some answers, opinions, and insights on...

This week I talk to me good buddy Cody Smith. Cody grew up near Aspen, Colorado where he started skiing at a young age as well as Telemark skiing. He attended the Colorado Rocky Mountain School and was a part of the school Telemark team. Following high school he filmed with Falling Forward Films, competed, and then eventually started Lipstick Films with myself in 2006. Since We Last Spoke Telemark...

You all know how much I love the history of Telemark skiing and that's one of the big reasons I started the podcast. In Today's episode I talk about 5 fun Telemark history facts that I've always thought were important to the rich history of the turn.  This episode is especially good for new Telemark skiers and those that may not know much about the history of things. I hope you enjoy.  More info o...

There's been some things that have gone down lately that really got me thinking about the current state of Telemark and where I think it's heading in the next few years and beyond. At first these things that happened seemed like incidents that didn't have much to do with each other, but as I started thinking more and more about them the connections between them become much more apparent to me. So...

This week I speak with my good friend Richard Schürf. He grew up in Munich, Germany and was introduced to Telemark skiing through Paul Parker and Yvon Chouinard while he was working for Patagonia in the 1980s. He's had a long career as a distributor for iconic Telemark brands like Karhu as well as many others. These days he runs a successful Telemark event tour with nearly a dozen stops and is end...

This week on the podcast I'm digging into my deep mailbag to answer a few questions from listeners. If you want a question or thought to be considered for a Mailbag Episode, please send in your thoughts, questions, hate mail, etc. to podcast@freeheellife.com . Our weekly e-mail newsletter is a great way to stay in contact with all of our content, events, product launches, etc. You can sign up here...

This week Craig and I sit down and catch up about his recent trip to Bariloche, Argentina. We discuss hanging out with Diana Rivera from We Telemark, teaching kids to Telemark in South America, and where are the best spots to go when you visit there. Sign-up for the mailing list: https://bit.ly/FHLMailingList Connect with Josh and the Freeheel Life Family  Josh on  Instagram , Facebook , and  Twit...

Today's podcast is with my good friend Keith Opperman. He is the the Midwest Tele Fest Organizer an annual event that will take place on February 9-11th, 2024 at the Porcupine State Park Ski Area in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan.  We discuss the upcoming event details, Keith's latest move to make the festival a 501c3 non-profit entity, Telemark skiing in the Midwest, and the importance of keepi...

It's time to fire up the podcast again as we head into the 2023-24 Telemark season. Thanks for the wonderful break over the summer! I'm psyched to get back and talk your ears off about what we have going on at Freeheel Life along with a little history, equipment banter, etc.  Today I just want to catch you up on some changes this year, re-focusing on the objectives, and more. Thanks for your inter...

Paul Flück started Telemark skiing back in 1989 and has been involved with everything from retail, to event management, marketing, and more. During the 2014-15 season he came up with a way to rent out the entire ski area of Schilthorn Piz-Gloria and create an on-hill experience called Telemark Only , where only Telemark skiers are allowed on the mountain for a private weekend event. 500-600 Telema...

Jakob Schiller is from New Mexico where he grew up and went to school. As a high schooler, and when the snow was lousy at his local resort, he used to pull out a pair of 210 cm Tua skis mounted with flimsy Voile telemark bindings and then strap on a pair of thrift shop leather telemark boots. This is how he got started in Telemark skiing many years ago. He's worked as a journalist for the likes of...

As we start nearing the end of another killer Telemark season I wanted to do a little clean-up in the mail department. Today I'm answering more of your questions regarding Telemark skiing in Mailbag Episode #13.  Sign-up for the mailing list: https://bit.ly/FHLMailingList   Connect with Josh and the Freeheel Life Family  Josh on  Instagram , Facebook , and  Twitter Telemark Skier Magazine on  Inst...

Craig Dostie joins me on the podcast after a day in the Utah backcountry to discuss the new Voile Transit Telemark tech binding. Our conversation goes over the new offering from Voile along with other tech-toe NTN Telemark binding offerings like the InWild Meidjo & 22 Designs LYNX.  Craig shares some details about the Transit mounting pattern, cable configurations, and what he's liking about the n...