By Jessica Lyons
Skiers of all skill levels can spend a day celebrating winter at the sixth annual TeleFest hosted by the High Country Nordic Association on Feb. 20.
Anyone interested in telemark skiing competitions, clinics, and celebrations can head to Beech Mountain to participate. Tickets are $60 and cover the cost of the event, all-day ski lift, a t-shirt and raffle prizes. Preregistration will be at Footsloggers in Boone 5-7 pm on Feb. 19; otherwise participants can register at Beech Mountain the day of the event.
“The High Country Nordic Association has been around for about six years, and we’re dedicated to promoting telemark and backwoods skiing,” Bill Moore, the 2016 TeleFest coordinator, said. “We are a restart of the High South Nordic Guide Service that was present in this area in the 1980s.”
Telemark skiing began in Telemark Norway, and is its own entity from conventional skiing. The style combines cross-country and alpine skiing. Moore said he hopes that the event will help local ski shops to embrace telemark skiing and sell more equipment for the sport in their shops.
TeleFest is one of the biggest telemark skiing events in North Carolina, and even those without specific gear can still learn the style on normal cross-country skis. All proceeds from the event will be put towards hosting the event for next year and funding other efforts by HCNA.
“Our mission is to perpetuate what we do. It’s all about the skiing,” Moore said. “The community of telemark skiers is so friendly, everyone is always willing to help out a fellow skier.”
In addition to the clinics and competitions, TeleFest will be hosting raffles and contests for prizes at the event. More information about HCNA and Telefest can be found on the organization’s Facebook page.
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