Telefest 2012 Is In The Books
DAY ONE:
Telemark skiers from around the Midwest converged on Porcupine Mountains State Park this weekend to celebrate the telemark turn. Cold temperatures and fresh snow greeted early birds who have reported the tree skiing is pretty darn good!
Friday evening registration was up with Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan all represented. Participants were scoping out all of the deals on telemark equipment at the Down Wind Sports satellite store including all of the new Telefest merchandise.
- Ross Herr mounting some new boards
The fire was stoked in the A Frame and folks fired up the brat sticks for a little pre movie dinner.
We’re pretty excited to have Wisconsin native, now hailing from the Wasatch Range area, J.T. Robinson joining us this year representing Telemark Skier Magazine. J.T. is one of the knee dropping flyers that was a big part in the making of “Loyalty.” He rolled out the big screen for us at the Tele Social to debut the film Loyalty!
Loyalty explores the revolutionary youth telemark movement while also introducing some of the most profound telemark skiing on the planet. The flick blends appearances from TSM Crew, a first-of-its kind athlete/content creation team including the likes of JT Robinson and Weston D, along with performances by innovative newcomers like Kate Hourihan, Tony Gill and Dylan Garner. “This La Nina year made for one of the longest winters I can remember,” Madsen says. “The powder just kept on coming.” In scenes both on and off-piste, the film showcases the sport’s most avant-garde moves in the deep powder and in the park. “One of my favorite days this year was filming Dylan Garner doing tricks in the park that I’ve never seen before,” Madsen adds. “It reminds me of how important youth are to the progress of this sport.”
It was great to see so many of our old friends and we enjoyed sharing a beer (or two) with everyone- see you in the woods in the morning!
DAY TWO: On Saturday we woke to cold temperatures and a bitter wind blowing across Lake Superior. With that wind, snow was also falling offering participants some fresh turns. The hill was is pretty darn good shape for the season we have been having, but this weekend it was the tree skiing that was truly outstanding! Folks that ventured out to the back side of the hill were treated to a fresh 5-8 inches of fresh snow on top of hard pack that made for outstanding backcountry skiing!
Earning your turns!
In the morning many folks lined up to check out demos offered by Black Diamond, K2, Scarpa, Marquette Backcountry, Rossignol and Garmont.
Marquette Backcountry Demo skis
Want some satisfaction?
The morning brought full classes for the Introduction To Telemark skiing, Women’s Introduction to Telemark skiing, and an Avalanche Primer. Participants were able to check out demo gear and head to the hill to get top quality instruction from PSIA-certified instructors.
With the cold temperatures Tele Central was busy all afternoon with participants coming in to warm by the fire, shop for killer deals at Down Wind Sports, and check out new telemark gear from the demo center.
The Marquette Backcountry Race saw enough skiers to hold three heats as Dave Ollila brought a full fleet of Marquette Backcountry skis for participants to try these unique and locally made skis. The course was designed to show exactly what these skis are made of.
This fun race was a part of the Dan Wissman Adventure Challenge honoring former employee Dan Wissman. In September of 2011, Down Wind Sports and the Midwest Telefest lost a family member and dear friend. Dan ‘Danimal” Wissman was employed at Down wind Sports for eleven years where he was regarded as one of the best ski tech and bike mechanics in the Upper Peninsula. A fixture at our Houghton store Dan was an integral part of Telefest for many years.
It’s was a simple and the perfect way to honor Dan; a man who would go and try anything he had the opportunity to. If skiers participated in any of the 3 competitions at the Midwest TeleFest they were given a raffle tickets for a free pair of skis from Rossignol.
The classic Telemark Giant Slalom race returns to Telefest 2012! The slalom run was held on Copper run; with over 25 participants running the ‘gates’!
After a long day of skiing the day ended with the grueling Uphill/Downhill Race, The race started at Tele Central and raced uphill, around the radio tower, then back down to Tele Central. This years winner was Doug Kozeluh, who finished in an impressive sub 30 minute time!
Saturday evenings festivities started off with the perfect way to refuel, the annual Pastie Party. This Upper Peninsula’s delicacy was prepared by Syl’s Cafe in Ontanogan and was just the ticket after a hard day of skiing. The easiest way to describe a pasty, is a pot pie without the pot. The pasty came to the Upper Peninsula through Cornwall England, when mining started going bad in England during the 1800′s. The Cornish miners immigrated to America hoping to earn there fortunes in newly developing mines and along with them came the pasty.
Following dinner the fun really got rolling with a HUGE raffle including Skis, Hammerhead Binders, Osprey Packs, a Flylow Jacket, tons of K2 swag and so much more!
We were so excited to have Frank and Da Beanz perform at the 2012 Midwest Telefest! Frank and Da Beanz were the perfect way to spend Saturday night after an awesome day of tearing up the Porkies. These guys have an awesome sound of Bluegrass, Funk, and a little Rock n Roll.
A great moment channeling Dan Wissman while dancing by yourself!
Lights out and time to go hit the hot tub! So much fun catching up with old friends and enjoying a brew (or two)
Day Three
Sunday saw blue bird skies and the opportunity to catch some fresh turns in the backcountry. It was a perfect way to end telefest- with mild temperatures, fresh snow, excellent tree skiing and good friends! A huge thank you goes out to all of our sponsors and friends that came up and made the Midwest Telefest a big success!
See ya next year!
