The Ultimate Telemark Binding with Armond DuBuque | Freeheel Life Ep.196

Описание: Armond DuBuque grew up just outside Seattle, Washington, and began skiing at the age of nine. After spending time snowboarding, his path shifted in the early 1990s while working at Stevens Pass Ski Area, where he discovered Telemark skiing—a style that immediately clicked and became the foundation of his lifelong connection to the mountains.

By his mid-20s, Armond set out to design a Telemark binding unlike anything available at the time. With help from his father’s machine shop, he began prototyping a system that solved what he felt were the biggest limitations of existing Telemark bindings. The result became the Ultimate Telemark Binding (UTB)—a small-batch, highly innovative binding that made a major impression on the Telemark community.

The UTB introduced multiple groundbreaking features never before seen in Telemark equipment, including:
• Enclosed compression springs
• Rigid cables instead of wires
• A spring-loaded heel piece with bidirectional tension
• Six-hole mounting pattern
• A built-in step-in mechanism
• Integrated crampons

This documentary-style episode shares Armond’s story of youthful ambition, equipment innovation, mechanical creativity, and the legal battles that ultimately shaped the future of Telemark binding design. It’s a powerful chapter of Telemark skiing history, and I’m grateful I had the chance to document it. I hope you enjoy this deep dive into the legacy of the UTB and the incredible mind behind it.

🔎 SHOW NOTES — Patents & Reading

Armond DuBuque’s Original Patents:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US6...

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5...

https://patents.google.com/patent/US6...

Additional Reading:
North America, United States, Alaska, Denali National Park — Mt. Hunter First Ski Descent:
https://publications.americanalpinecl...

Mt. Hunter Ski Descent (Alaska):
https://pawprince.com/pawprince/adven...

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