Telemark pioneer Paul Parker dies at 71

Backcountry and telemark skiing pioneer Paul Parker died Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, after a battle with cancer. He was 71.

Parker got his outdoor industry start in 1975 as an instructor for Colorado Outward Bound before working as a ski instructor at Copper Mountain Resort, where he specialized in Nordic and alpine. From there he made the jump to his life’s calling: ski gear development. He started working remotely for Chouinard Equipment in the early ’80s. From time to time, he’d make the drive from Breckenridge, Colorado, to headquarters in Ventura, California, to help the brand develop their ski product line.

During this time, backcountry skiing was still a niche sport made up of mountain town dwellers with leather telemark boots. Parker was an evangelist for the small community. As Chouinard became Black Diamond Equipment, Parker transitioned onwards to Scarpa, imported by Black Diamond at the time, where he developed the first plastic telemark boot, the Scarpa Terminator. Combined with his development of dedicated telemark skis with TUA in 1985, Parker created a groundbreaking setup. Aside from Scarpa, TUA and Black Diamond Equipment, Parker left his fingerprints on brands like Asolo, Marmot, G3, Garmont, Movement Skis, Scott Sports and Patagonia.

“Every product, every concept, every idea, especially the big ones, they need champions,” says Scarpa North America CEO Kim Miller, who first met Parker at Outward Bound in the early ’80s. “They need people who say ‘okay, this is my mission’ and those individuals have to have a good sense of foundation in being on the ground level of what’s going on at the hill. I think Paul really brought it together. He was a student of the sport, and he was the best at articulating the vision of a whole community.”

In 1988, Parker combined his telemark knowledge with his instructing background and released Free-Heel Skiing: Telemark and Parallel Techniques for All Conditions. Currently in its third edition with The Mountaineers Books, it’s considered to be the telemark skiing Bible. A quick read through online forums reveals its impact; 36 years later, fringe skiers dabbling with the idea of dropping a knee still get directed to Parker’s book. Bouncing between instructional tips and sport philosophy, the book made Parker a leader of the free-heel community.

Longtime-Backcountry columnist and friend of Parker, Jeffrey “Biff America” Bergeron, remembers him as a private individual, but one who never hesitated to help out. “He was a visionary; you know what I mean? He just kind of moved the sport so far forward so quickly with his designs,” Bergeron says. “I would call him up trying to refine my telemark technique, and he would pick up the phone and talk to you as long as you wanted, no matter how dumb the question. He was a good guy.”

In Free-Heel, Parker wrote, “Being able to go anywhere you want, with an element of precision and control, has been the goal.” With each precise, controlled turn made by a member of the telemark and backcountry communities, Parker’s legacy will live on.