I broke my set of Black Diamond ClipWire ski leashes yesterday and had to replace them. While in my favorite local shop I looked around to see what was new in the world of free-heel ski leashes. Here is information, a review, and a comparison of the existing telemark ski leashes on the market today.

Safety First

Colorado Skier Safety Act

Colorado State law states, “Your skis must be equipped with a strap or other device capable of stopping your skis if they become unattached while skiing.” I can assume other areas have similar requirements. Yes, even non-releasable telemark skis can come off during big impacts, so wear leashes while you are on the hill. Otherwise your ski can become a missile after you crash.

AVALANCHE TERRAIN

When traveling in avalanche terrain leashes can be the enemy. When caught in a slide, the possiblity exists that your ski can be wrenched from your boot. If you are lucky enough for your telemark ski to come off but you have leashes on, the ski will still be attempting to drag you down. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU REMOVE YOUR LEASHES WHEN TRAVELING IN AVALANCHE TERRAIN.

Leash Selection

I have tried 3 of the 5 leashes outlined in the table:

G3 Plastic

I experienced repeated unclipping during crashes and broke the plastic clip several times. After several replacements, I gave up and moved on to the G3 Metal. My wife, however, has had her G3 Plastic leashes for about 3 years without unclipping or failure. He sole complaint is that she has to remove them when traveling in the backcounty instead of just clipping them to the cable of her binding.

G3 Metal

I had numurous releases of the clip from my boot, particularly when skiing steeps or washing out. I moved on to the:

Black Diamond ClipWire

The leashes periodically release when I wash-out or crash, but this happens nominally if I clip the carabiner with the spine facing the boot. I also break a cable about once per season. I am able to clip the carabiner to my cable binding when traveling backcountry rather than removing the entire leash. I intend to keep buying and using these leashes. I would only encourage Black Diamond to increase the integrity of the cable. As a note, the carabiners off of the broken leash work great for tarp rigging, etc.

Black Diamond Ski Link

I do not intend to try these leashes because of concern over having the ends of the clip rip my pants when I inadvertently get my ski behind the opposite boot…and CRASH. Also, several trusted people have told me of having difficulties attaching the leash to the boot.

EK Telecord

I only discovered these today, but I do not intend to try them because I feel plastic clips on telemark leashes are not adequate.

Brand Model	Black Diamond ClipWire	Black Diamond Ski Link	EK Telecord	G3 Metal	G3 Plastic
Image
Cable Material	Braided w/ Plastic Coating	Braided w/ Plastic Coating	Webbing	Braided w/ Plastic Coating	Braided w/ Plastic Coating
Cable Color	Metal	Metal	Black	Red	Red
Clip Material	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	Plastic	Stainless Steel	Plastic
Clip Color	Metal	Metal	Black	Metal	Red
Weight Per Pair (g)	45	26 Long 24 Short	?	77	20
Weight Per Pair(oz)	1.6	0.9 Long 0.8 Short	?	2.7	0.7
Price Range in U.S. $ (as of posting)	$19.95 - $22.95	$9.97 - $14.95	$6.01	$22.95 - $22.99	$15.93 - $22.95
Sizes	1	Short (US Men's 8 or <) Long (U.S. Men's 8.5 or >)	1	1	1
Country of Origin	China	USA	?	Emailed Question Requesting Information	Emailed Question Requesting Information
Notes			I have not heard of this brand before. I could find them only at one website; I found no additional details.