Page 24 - 2008 AMA Summer
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WORLD CUP TELEMARK SKIING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2000
This year two members of tour, and for the proficient, ski the AMA competed in the mountaineer. The only deci WORLD CUP Telemark sion is whether to go with cham pionships. The author.
Republic, Norway, Finland and USA. Each location would hold Classic, Grand Slalom and Super Classic races. Each race comprises of two heats, with accumulative times and penalties, and a prize-giving ceremony each evening.
Telemark events require the participant to dem onstrate jumping and skating, in addi tion to downhill skills. The Classic race - a series of
slalom
jump (with a set distance to clear and split leg landing to be achieved), followed by more slalom gates and a short ‘Nordic’ style skate section to finish. Super Classic - as above with a longer, uphill skate section to finish and the Grand Slalom - like an alpine slalom race with a jump half way down the course.
Technique judges are placed at each slalom gate and penalties awarded for
improper Telemark technique (as I found out). Each penalty Is worth one second. The jump penalty is worse - falling short, three seconds and not landing correctly, one second. Speed is the only answer!
After Rauris, we drove to Slovenia and turned up at the Amityville House of Horror Hotel on the hill! Those on the early Bosnia and Kosovo tours would not have felt out of place. Fortunately the locals were friendly and not intent on ethnic cleansing.
Even though rain persisted and the snow shrank up the slopes, the races took place and at least this year there were other com petitors finishing behind the GB Team. We raced four times, a GS and a Classic. The weather was so Scottish, we felt quite at home.
From Slovenia to the Czech Republic the rain cloud fol
Philip (Telemaddog) Maddox and Andrew (Nobby) Clarke.
What is Telemark skiing? Have you not heard of 'Free Heelers’? Dude where have you been all this time? Never mind your alpine downhill or snow boarding, try the origi nal art of skiing.
Telemark skiing was devel oped as early as the 12th cen tury in the Telemark region of Norway. Developed for getting about during the long winters, it’s primary feature is versatili ty. The heel is left free, allow ing full range of movement of the leg and the turn is execut ed with one foot in front of the other adding another dimen sion of directional stability.
Thus one pair of skis can allow you to ski down hill, alpine or free heel style, ski
lightweight Nordic gear (great for covering distance but less robust in steep terrain) or with downhill Tele gear, much akin to Ski Mountaineering kit.
The army conducted it’s first Telemark Ski Championship in January. Held in the pic turesque village of Rauris, Austria, seventy-five soldiers entered the event with all skiers being provided with some form of advice on how to Telemark beforehand. It was a great trip which has sparked an interest that will, no doubt, snow ball in the future. It was also an ideal training period for the recently selected British team consisting of five army personnel, one royal marine, one RAF and one civilian, preparing for the World Cup.
The World Cup events were to be held in Slovenia, the Czech
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22 ARMY MOUNTAINEER
