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The 2018 Victorian backcountry festival

Thanks to everyone who made the effort to come along to the inaugural Victorian backcountry festival (BCF). More than 200 people attended over the two days, with more than 20 sessions being held, including clinics, tours, skillshares, presentations, and a film festival.

BCF grew from the world telemark day celebrations that have been happening at Mt Hotham the last 5 years. After deciding to bring it to Falls Creek, the idea morphed into an ‘all things backcountry’ event which would aim to bring together some of the backcountry (BC) community and offer an opportunity for ‘first timers’ to get involved. We focused on many forms of human powered winter adventure – including cross country, snow shoeing, alpine touring, telemark and splitboarding.

Continue reading “The 2018 Victorian backcountry festival” →

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World Telemark Day at Perisher, Sept 8 and 9

The NSW WTD will happen on September 8 and 9 at Perisher resort.

Telemark Association Australia (TAA) invites you to Join the Telemark fraternity for a day, or two, of Tele shenanigans.

Continue reading “World Telemark Day at Perisher, Sept 8 and 9” →

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World telemark day at Falls Creek – Sept 2 – free tele clinics available

The southern world telemark day will be held on Sunday September 2nd, as part of the Backcountry festival. It has been moved to Falls Creek this year. The backcountry festival aims to celebrate all forms of BC human powered adventure, including telemarking, cross country, alpine touring, snow shoeing and split boarding.

Full details here.

Facebook page here.

Great addition to the program for Sunday, September 2, 2018

Marking World Telemark Day

Ben Jackson is a Telemark Trainer for the APSI and a Telemark member of the APSI demo team. The demo team attends Interski, a world congress for snowsports instruction every four years, with the next congress in Bulgaria in March 2019.

To help celebrate world telemark day on Sunday 2 September at Falls Creek Ben will be available to present on snow telemark clinics in the resort. The whole idea is to promote APSI, and telemark instruction from Australian snowsports schools as a way to help improve people’s telemark skiing.

There will be 3 clinics running for 2 hours each on the Sunday.

Two of the clinics will be targeted at intermediate telemarkers. Topics covered will be:

  • Stance and balance using the telemark movement.
  • Blending good telemark movement whilst making turns on gentle slopes
  • Fluidity and the telemark movement.

A more advanced clinic for 2 hours will show:

  • Greater ski performance using the telemark movement on steeper groomed terrain.  Examples include creating more edge to carve and create grip and speed control.
  • Skiing ungroomed terrain such as bumps and crud.

 

Please note you will need a lift pass and your own gear for these sessions.

 

Ben is kindly offering these sessions for free. You’re most welcome to offer him a tip to help offset his costs of getting here from NSW.

To book in please email Ben and specify which session you would like to attend. snowyben@gmail.com

Time line

9.30am – 11.30am: first intermediate clinic

11.45am – 1.45pm: 2nd intermediate clinic

2.30 – 4.30pm: advanced clinic

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One month til the inaugural Australian backcountry festival!

Media release. August 1, 2018

Ski / Ride Hard. Do Good.

The Backcountry festival will happen at Falls Creek, over the weekend of September 1 and 2, 2018.

It aims to celebrate all things backcountry – telemark, split boarding, cross country, snow shoeing and alpine touring.

Festival organiser Cam Walker said “our vision is to host a grass-roots gathering at Falls Creek for backcountry skiers and riders of all abilities.  If you’re interested in any form of human powered adventure in the winter backcountry, you should be there. Beginners to advanced, all are welcome.

Continue reading “One month til the inaugural Australian backcountry festival!” →

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Australia’s first backcountry festival

The Backcountry festival will happen at Falls Creek, over the weekend of September 1 and 2, 2018.

It aims to celebrate all things backcountry – tele, split boarding, cross country, snow shoeing and alpine touring.

Our vision is to host a grass-roots gathering at Falls Creek for backcountry skiers and riders of all abilities.  If you’re interested in any form of human powered adventure in the backcountry, you should be there. Beginners to advanced, all are welcome.

We now have a fantastic program for the festival. Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Falls Creek Cross Country, we have some great telemark clinics and snow shoe tours, which are being offered for free.

A range of people have also offered to lead tours or offer skills workshops, like navigation skills and snow camping 101.

There will be demo skis available for hire, an outdoor bar in the afternoon, and a mini film festival featuring Australian made backcountry films and some great speakers in the evening.

Sunday will see the world telemark day gathering, with skiing both in and out of the resort as an option.

The program is available here.

What now?

Please invite your mates and spread the word. Facebook page available here.

Please register. This is free and makes planning easier if we know numbers. People who have registered will have first option on getting tickets to the film festival.

Start to build some stoke. If posting pics through winter, please feel free to tag us #VICbackcountryfestival

We know of one person who is planning to walk and snow shoe to the festival from Walhalla (!!). Where are you coming from?

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Australian backcountry festival. September 1.

This winter we will be co-hosting a backcountry gathering.

It has grown out of the World Telemark Day gatherings that have been happening at Mt Hotham in north eastern Victoria each September.

This year we have moved to Falls Creek resort and broadened the focus to cover all forms of human and gravity powered backcountry travel, including telemark skiing, split boarding, cross country, snow shoeing and alpine touring.

Continue reading “Australian backcountry festival. September 1.” →

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Winter 2018!

As another wave of hot weather beats down on us, of course its time to think about winter. I don’t know about you, but I find that life is crazily busy, so if I don’t lock trips in they don’t happen.

Here are early details on two planned events for winter 2018.

Continue reading “Winter 2018!” →

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Winter road trip bliss

What’s winter without a decent road trip? As I wrote earlier this year, I reckon the ultimate Australian winter snow road trip is the journey between the Snowy Mountains and the Victorian Alps via the Alpine Way.

There are lots of ways to cross the Alps or link up different mountains. But the Alpine Way has a special appeal I think, as it brings you under the western face of the Snowy Mountains, surely the most impressive alpine views on mainland Australia.

Continue reading “Winter road trip bliss” →

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Final details World Telemark Day, Mt Hotham, Sept 2

According to the poll, we have a slight majority keen to go sidecountry.
 
Let’s aim to go out to Mt Loch and possibly Machinery Spur, etc.
 
Please come prepared for an outing: lunch, water, skins, etc.
 
The skiing out at Loch is quite varied, so will suit all levels of skier. Its about a 70 min ski to get out there.
 
Let’s meet in or right outside the day shelter at the top of the Heavenly Valley chairlift. Its a 1 min walk from Loch carpark, or a 10 min walk up the road from Hotham central if you don’t have a lift pass.
 
Meet at 9am this saturday Sept 2, for a 9.15am departure.
 
I reckon I will ski in resort on the sunday, and would welcome anyone who wants to join me.
 
My mobile, if you’re lost or late: 0419338047
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Telemark Day at Hotham, September 2

We’re getting close to World Telemark Day. There will be an informal gathering at Mt Hotham on saturday September 2.

All welcome. Free event. If we have a mix of abilities, we may split into two groups. Please remember to fill out the poll if you’re coming so we can decide whether we’re going to ski in resort or backcountry.

Full details here.

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World Telemark Day 2017 – Snowy Mountains event

World telemark day is celebrated in both the northern and southern hemispheres

In NSW World Telemark Day will be celebrated on Saturday 9 September.

It will be held at Perisher. Meet at 8am at Perisher skitube.

The Plan: there will be two groups; 1 will go backcountry (ideal for those who don’t want to lash out on a lift ticket for the day) and 1 will take to the lifts to explore the great terrain that Perisher has to offer!

Both are great options, especially with the awesome snow that’s out there at the moment!!

There will be demo gear available through the Wilderness Sports Perisher store, with both NTN and 75mm gear to try!

Hire is also available through the store in Jindabyne on Friday night and Saturday Morning, as well as in our Perisher shop on Saturday morning. You can bring book through the WS website https://www.wildernesssports.com.au/pages/telemark-hire.

Come join us and have an awesome day with fellow freeheelers!

Please email or PM us to let us know whether you are interested in resort or backcountry to bruce@wildernesssports.com.au

 

For full details on world tele day, please check here.

 

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World telemark day, September 2017

Saturday September 2, 2017.

This is the annual day for telemark skiers (and any other backcountry inclined skiers and riders) to get together, share some turns, make new friends, and generally enjoy getting out in the mountains.

WTD was initiated by Telemark magazine, with events both in the northern and southern hemispheres.

At this point there are plans for gatherings at MT HOTHAM and the SNOWY MOUNTAINS. Any tele skiers are encouraged to come along to the organised events or plan their own on their local hill.

Full details are available here.

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