FIS Telemark Chairman’s Report

Following the 48th International Ski (FIS) Congress that took place last week in  Kangwonland (KOR) - Andrew Clarke, FIS Telemark Chairman and British Team racer said it was a huge success with telemark racing moving forward towards the Olympic ideal.

Andrew Clarke, FIS Telemark Chairman

Andrew’s report:

It has been a very interesting 12 months in this my second year at the helm of the FIS Telemark Committee. As we continue to gain traction in our quest to become a Olympic Winter Games (OWG) discipline I have seen our sport go from strength to strength. Last season we saw an abundance of new talent from 15 nations at events that spanned from the North American Rockies to the South West European Pyrenees and delivered 20+ races at FIS World Cup level.

We have made some significant changes to our events; to maintain variety and accepting that head to head racing is de rigueur we created a new event, the Telemark parallel sprint (TPS). This adrenaline fuelled race presents the most spectacular showcase of telemark skills carried out in direct and often nail-bitingly close competition. This departure from the old-school along with some distinct rule changes makes telemark racing more spectator and competitor compliant. Our move to include more juniors by holding a JWSC annually is showing promise. Juniors from eight nations competed at the JWSC in Espot, Spain with great success.

Competition for the top spot was fierce; 2012’s sprint and TPS globes went to the unstoppable Frenchman Phillippe Lau, who romped home with the overall globe too. Once again Sigrid Rykhus (NOR) and Amélie Reymond (SUI) who were a considerable margin ahead of the other ladies showed great form. It would be remiss not to mention the potency of the Germans who have taken on a quest of their own to dominate podium places. Juniors Tobias Mueller and Johanna Holzmann were simply ‘on-fire’; Mueller in his own right came 2nd in the overall World Cup. He and Holzmann won the overall JWSC and were presented Sondre Norheim Trophies, kindly donated by the Telemark region of Norway and Jasmin Taylor (GBR) recorded her first ever podium at world class level.

Committee members have been working extremely hard to make telemark more attractive. Our exposure on national television has proliferated, with several networks’ sports channels showing live feed from around the World Cup. In terms of venues we intend to cast our net further and hope to take the World Cup tour to Japan in 2013/14. Indoor events in the UAE are on the cards and this would expose our sport in regions of the world like never before.

This coming year will see the Committee shift focus to advertisement and marketing campaigns to expose telemark more globally and our efforts will be consolidated in our pursuit of the most venerable position for any sport; a place on the Olympic programme.

Full report here: http://www.fis-ski.com/data/document/fis_congress_2012_book_reports_web.pdf

Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games

This last week I joined Fast Track’s events team at ExCel and the Olympic Park for what has been a truly inspirational five days of hard work.

After hundreds of hours preparation over the last six months, the Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games were finally delivered with great precision and success. As one of Fast Track’s managing partners commented on the final day of competition, “this is by far the largest and most complex event we have ever run” and I completely understand why!

After a couple of team meetings back in Victoria I was not quite sure what I had got myself into as I made my way towards Stratford last Saturday morning. Meeting at the East entrance of the ExCel exhibition centre I threw myself into the ‘build’ before the ‘sports’ (National Governing Bodies) arrived the following day to install all the technical equipment required for competition.

After a couple of early mornings and late nights the build was finally complete and ready for training on Monday morning ahead of competition during the afternoon and the following day. Assigned to managing two of the 12 sports, badminton and judo, I was responsible for ensuring the competition ran smoothly; coordinating with the tournament directors, officials, security, facilities team and the athletes as well as managing a number of volunteers. Luckily I had two very capable Youth Sport Trust workers helping me on each sport.

In the photobooth with my colleague Tash

Following two long and very successful days at ExCel (18 hours to be precise) it was time to de-rig quickly before getting a few hours sleep prior to the final day of the Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games.

With an early 04.45 start the Fast Track team made their way to the Olympic Park in Stratford from our hotel in Canary Wharf. With ‘all hands on deck’ for the final day of competition at the London 2012 Olympic venue we had our work cut-out for the day!

This was my first time on site and it was absolutely amazing taking a look around the venues which will host the worlds most prestigious sporting event in just over two months time. Having had a good look around main stadium I made my way over to the velodrome to help the team and start preparing for the closing  ceremony which took place in the basketball arena, just next door.

Fast paced action in the velodrome!

The closing ceremony was a stunning display of live music from Cover Drive and a performance from gymnastic troupe Spelbound along with inspiration speeches from various Olympic athletes and School Games officials. There was a great atmosphere in the arena as all 1,600 competing athletes came together to celebrate what had been a superb competition and one they will probably remember for a long time.

Prime Minister, David Cameron commented, “Without a doubt, one of the most important parts of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has always been the legacy, so it’s brilliant to see over 12,000 schools signed up to the School Games, encouraging children to take part in competitive sport, and it’s very fitting that some of these young people are amongst some of the first athletes to experience the thrill and excitement of competing at the Olympic Stadium, Velodrome and Aquatics Centre.”

The closing ceremony

As my line manager, Sarah warned me before the event – it was bloody hard work but at the same time it’s been such an interesting and rewarding experience. Throughout the five days I’ve learned so much from the exceptionally talented operators on Fast Track’s events team.

I now look forward to a restful weekend at home before returning to the office on Monday morning for my next challenge!

Telemark in the Media

So recently I’ve noticed a large increase in the amount of telemark related online content. In an effort to gain more exposure for our beautiful sport my Norwegian, French and American friends are all producing, publishing and sharing some amazing video which really brings the sport to life.

With the push towards gaining Olympic status for telemark racing – it’s crucial for the wider winter sports community to understand that telemark is no longer about leather boots and long bearded, unwashed hippys – which was once the case I’m told!

With the introduction of the Telemark Parallel Sprint (TPS) to the FIS World Cup circuit this season, the sport has evolved into a fast, exhilarating and tactical display of speed and agility. With the combination of: big crashes, broken poles and dodgy start gates – this new discipline has no shortage of high-octane action. As a result of this, the racing is much less predictable than in some of the other more traditional telemark disciplines and we see some new faces on the podium – which is always refreshing.

Here are a few of my favorite videos which really show the TPS at its best -

There is also, one other very special video I am unable link to my blog – but have a look here.

Enjoy and spread the word!

Season Over.. Back to the Real World!

Exactly one month ago I wrote a blog post from the small, sunny, Spanish ski resort of Espot – where the World Cup Finals and Junior World Championships took place.

This morning I joined the re-joined rat race, after six months away competing as a ‘full-time’ athlete, and was on the 07.08am train from Virginia Water to London Victoria. Today I started work at one of the fastest growing international sports marketing agencies in the world, Fast Track. (More to follow soon)..

In between I have been very busy with British Telemark Team commitments and finishing off the season in style with various alpine adventures!

Here are just a few of my favourite pictures, which really sum up the end of what has been an amazing season:

Jasmin Taylor GBR taking bronze medal in TPS at Junior World Championships (full story to follow)..

Hiking up the Col du Passon for those turns..

Cory Snyder shredding on the way down!

Best day ever on skis? Quite possibly..

The beautiful Couloir Chevalier on the Petite Aiguille Verte

Cory seconding up the steep snowy pitch

Looking forward to the descent!

A rather tired and scared looking American..

"Cory on course, Jack in the gate"!!

So – that concluded my season. Back to work tomorrow!

Now I am back in London for the summer I hope to share some of my thought and ideas on work, telemark skiing and the ‘real world’. Stay tuned!

Hola!

On Wednesday morning Jasmin, Cory and I departed Chamonix for the small Spanish resort of Espot. The 10 hour drive passed surprisingly quickly and with plenty of banter along the way! Arriving at the Hotel Roya that evening to had an early night in preparation for training the next day.

With the arrival of Andrew, yesterday – the team was complete and ready for the World Cup finals. Today we started with the Classic race which was held on a new slope this year in Espot. Starting off with a flat pitch, it was not long before the gates fell away and the jump quickly approached.

Finishing in 27^th I was pleased to have stayed on my feet on such a tough course but now regret not skiing as aggressive line as I probably should have.

Following on from the Classic – there was a very quick turn-around before we did our one qualification run for the Telemark Parallel Sprint. Skiing much faster, I was happier with my run but unfortunately I have not made the top 16 for tomorrow…

Pictures from today…

 

Womens Junior Classic: Argeline Tan, Johanna Holzmann and Madi McKinstry

Men: Phil Lau, Chris Lau, Tobi Muller

Cool kids 'downloading'..

Britain and America's Top models!!

Our beautiful skis drying in the sun

Finally I thought I would just post this ‘warm-down’ technique the British Telemark Team use after racing to loosen and stretch muscles:

Sunny Les Contamines

Having had two races in the space of 12 hours I am now starting to feel pretty tired… Yesterday we finished off the Chamonix World Cup with an excellent night Sprint on Les Planard. Getting off to a slow start, I had a slow first run before picking up the pace and charging the second run to finish in 27th position.

With an early start this morning I was up at Les Contamines at 08:30 and ready to race! With the cancellation of the Rauris (AUT) World Cup back in January, Les Contamines agreed to host a Sprint today to replace the lost race. Weather was perfect with blue skies and there were many spectators, many of which were people from the surrounding area who had come to supprt local legend Antoine Bouvier.

Fun course!

Helmet and goggle swap..

After a reasonable first run, I was running in 30th position in a tough field of boys. Having made the jump line, I was happy! With the changes in the rules that have come in this season, I started first in the second run as a result of the ‘flip’ now including the top 30 competitors instead of 15.

Starting the second run, I struggled at the top of the course to acring clean turns with all the soft snow in the gates. This slowed me down considerably as I headed towards the jump meaning I did not take enough speed in to clear the line. Picking it up a little in the bottom half of the course, I crossed the line with a slow time and three penalty second for not making the jump line.

Funky loom!

Left to right: Antoine Bovier, Bastien Dayer, Phil Lau and Tobi Muller.

After the racing, many of us followed Antoine down to his little chalet located right in the middle of the piste for a ‘World Cup Apres Ski’ before heading down to the village for prize giving!

Well that’s all for now – off to Espot, Spain early tomorrow morning for the World Cup Finals.

Vallee Blanche to Telemark Classic..

The Chamonix World Cup has arrived and yesterday (Sunday) we had our first race, the Classic.

Back on Saturday during the unofficial training in Les Houches, I took a group of American telemark friends up the Vallee Blanche for some rather unconventional ‘training’.. Joined by my race coach James Bennett, from JJC Training, and Alpine racer Ed Drake – we all headed up the Midi.

The Team!

Taking the Petit Envers route down, we found some good spring snow high up. Perfect training for the soft slushy course we raced on yesterday at Les Houches!!

Up top with Madi McKinstry and Cory Snyder

Left to right: Ed Drake, me, James Bennett, Madi McKinstry, Roy McKinstry and Cory Snyder

After a great ski with dramatic views over the Mer de Glace we made our way back to Chalet Jambon to refuel before attending the team captains meeting that evening.

Yesterday racing started at 11am, by which time the piste was already getting fairly soft. The course was long with some interesting features which made for a great race. Fellow team-mate, Jasmin Taylor, put down a stomping run finishing in a creditable 9th position and was the third fastest Junior girl. Well done!

Starting bib number 20, I struggled finding my rhythm on the upper part of the course and found myself coming out of the racing line and into the slush..

The start!

British Telemark Team

This evening Jas and I will be racing at Planard, in the centre of Chamonix. The first run will be starting at 18.30 – so if you are in the area, please do come along and support!!

Chamonix Telemark World Cup

So the time has come for Chamonix to hold the penultimate FIS Telemark World Cup of the 2011/12 season.

I have now been training here in Chamonix for the last two weeks and I am super stoked for the races!

Starting off with the first race, the Classic on Sunday 11th March – this is take place on the ‘Verte des Houches’. Start time 11am. Having recced the course today with coach Seb Mansart I’m feeling confident it should be a good race. The slope is fairly varied and I am expecting a long, long skate!!

This is followed by the Sprint the following day, the shortest of the telemark disciplines. Taking place on Les Planard in the centre of Chamonix in the evening – this will be an amazing race, not to be missed.  Kicking off at 18.20, the ‘Mont-Blanc Youth’ will be putting on a show before the first run of the Sprint starts at 18.30, followed by the second at 20.20 and prize giving at 21.30.

This is the race to watch!!

After the Chamonix races we will make our way up to Les Contamines for a Sprint race which has been put on to replace the one that was cancelled in Rauris, Austria at the start of the season.

Antoinnnnne Boooouvier!

Then we are off to Spain..

So, if you are in the Chamonix area over the weekend – please come and support the British Team and watch some great racing!!

Skiing the Steeps

With a free weekend at Chalet Jambon – I took the opportunity to have some good friends out here for a play in Chamonix. On Thursday evening I made my way down to Geneva to collect Chris Trenchard and Eddie Russell, from the airport. That evening Ollie Philips also joined us from Meribel – where he is based for the season improving his French.. All ski instructors they know how to ski!

Me, Eddie and Ollie

After a great first day at Le Tour, the boys ‘found there feet’ after a little while off snow. In the evening we descended upon Chamonix and headed straight to the MBC for beer and burgers to finish a great day!

The following day was spent on the Grands Montets, in Argentiere. With top tickets, we made the most of the perfect weather and went straight up to the top of the Grands Montets to practice our steep skiing technique in some of the tight couloirs on the Glacier des Rognon.

Good spring snow to be had if you look hard enough!

Today we were joined by Celia Robinson a good friend of Chris and mine and fellow Bristol UWE student. Wanting to give the guys and girl a real taste of ‘Chamonix skiing’ we headed up the L’Aiguille du Midi.

Nervous looking faces after the arête

Taking the Petit Envers route down the Vallee Blanche, it was nice to get away from the crowds and take in some of the spectacular surroundings. Conditions were varied with some harder snow, which can be expected this time of year, along a few pockets of softer spring snow.

Tres bon!

After descending to the Montivers train, we had a short ride down into Chamonix and once again hit the Après at one of my favourite little spots in the valley – McDonald’s!

Chris looking rather excited!

Finally, thank you Celia and Chris for taking these great photos.

From the Vallee Blanche to the Stade..

Continuing with the active theme over here in Chamonix, yesterday I met fellow telemarker Ed Bonnar and a few of his friends for a day on the Vallee Blanche. Staying in Argentiere for a long weekend, Ed was keen to do something a little different on his last day – so we took a ride up to the top of the Midi and had a very leisurely ski back to Cham!

 

Heading down the arête

On top of the world!

Taking the classic route via the Col du Gros Rognon, we had perfect views over the north-east side of Mont Blanc du Tacul as we descended past the first heavily crevassed zone. After taking in the views we made a quick stop over at the Requin hut to re-fuel and take a few photos before negotiating our way down to the Mer de Glace, where we had lunch.

Conditions on the whole were pretty hard-packed and icy but we managed to find some good spring snow a little lower down which made for some enjoyable skiing.

Unfortunately the Montervers train was not running as a result of a big wet slide which went across the tracks – but luckily there was enough snow to ski all the way back to Chamonix.

The boys having a break

The Requin hut in the sun

Making our way back to town we hit the Après hard in McDonald’s with a cheese burger and coke before heading back up the hill to Argentiere.

Today I have also been skiing ice – but a very different type… Having made a few changes to the set-up of my Kneissl race skis I headed up to Le Tour this afternoon for a play. Jeremy Fournier from Fresh Tracks (the best telemark shop in the region), spent a couple of hours last night working hard mounting my new, pink Rottefella risers!

There she is! Beautiful..

Up at Le Tour I had the stade to myself today. With the run roped off to the public because of a race that’s due to take place tomorrow I took advantage and laid down some massive arcing turns!!

That’s all for now. But tomorrow I will be heading back into Chamonix for more skate training with a couple of laps of the track in the morning before going back up to Le Tour to carry out some drills and more freeskiing in preparation for the Chamonix World Cup – info to follow soon.