Mike Edwards

The sun has set on an amazing winter and The Telemark Nordic Centre is now closed for the season – and what a season it was! It started with a bang on November 4th when we had over 80cm of snow in just 3 days and we scrambled to groom the trails and get everything ready to open. We opened over a month earlier than usual (the earliest in 30 years) on Nov 12th and we stayed open until April 2nd making this our longest season on record with great snow conditions for both skiing and snowshoeing all winter long. Season passholders certainly got their money’s worth this year. We had almost 1800 members (the second most ever), record numbers in our programs, held our first winter outdoor concert on Valentines day, hosted a successful BC Championships & Loppet and started planning and fundraising for the Panorama Cabin.

Thanks to everyone -all the staff, volunteers, sponsors and especially the many skiers and snowshoers who helped to make this one of the best seasons ever!

See you all next fall for another great season of XC Skiing and snowshoeing at Telemark. Season passes and program registration for the 2023-24 season will be available by mid August.

Telemark still has lots of great snow. We are grooming daily and have amazing spring conditions. Sadly, we know that the xc ski and snowshoe season is coming to an end soon. We will have daily grooming on most trails until April 2nd. After that we will groom a few more times every 2-3 days as conditions allow. The snowshoe trails remain fully covered in snow and in great shape and will last a while longer as well.

Telemark will remain open daily 8am to 5pm until April 2nd. After that the day lodge will be closed for the season but some skiing will still be available with limited grooming. The last day for the day lodge to be open for night skiing is March 17th. For those who still want to ski in the evening the trail lights will remain on until 9pm daily until March 24th.

Spring Conditions! While we have lots of great snow and we are grooming daily until April 2nd, spring is here and conditions may vary. The snow is generally thawing during the day and freezing in the evening. The best time to ski will be in the mornings when the snow is hard, fast and smooth.  The snow will get softer and slower in the afternoon but skiing will still be good. In the evening when the temperatures cool the trails may be a little icy but still skiable for the experienced skier.

Come on up to Telemark for some amazing spring skiing and snowshoeing while the great conditions last. Check our Trail Conditions webpage to see the latest grooming and conditions.

Congratulations to the following Prize Winners of the Annual Fundraising Raffle in support of Team Telemark Competitive Youth Program. 2800 tickets were sold for $5 each and together we raised $14,000. Thank you kindly to the generous prize donors listed below.

1. Vinny Sharma ~ Fresh Air: Madshus Nordic pro skis/bindings/poles value $680
2. Chris Gramlich ~ Kelowna Cycle: Gift card $500
3. Elaine Sparks ~ Silverstar Mountain Resort: One night stay & 2 Nordic day passes – value $400
4. Carolyn Durley ~ The Cove Resort: One night stay – value $400
5. Erik Rozek ~ Swagman Sports Cargo Systems: Gift card $250
6. Royant Franck ~ Waterfront Wines: 3 course dinner for 2 – value $250 
7. Donna Bridge ~ Nineteen Okanagan Grill/19 Bistro @Fitz & Two Eagles: Restaurant gift card & round of golf for two – value $218
8. Prue Bernhardy ~ Fortis BC: Deluxe emergency hwy kit – value $180
9. Melanie Wilkie ~ Vega smoothie kit & mini blender value $170
10. Tammy Brown ~ Vega sport nutrition products – value $140 
11. Kerry Kriese ~ Snowshoes – value $80
12. Wendy Barnay ~ Kelowna Toyota auto detail – value $99
13. Sarah MacLeod ~ Hydration backpack – value $110
14. Chase Schiervon ~ Annabel Stanley Orb Sculpture – value $65 
15. Pendergast ~ Lakesider Gift Basket, value $50
16. Lynne Tereposky  ~ Nester’s Market gift card $25

Winners will be contacted by a Telemark representative to arrange prize pick up.
Prizes were drawn from lowest to highest value by a Telemark board member and other volunteers on Thursday March 9^th at the main lodge.

Last weekend – March 3-5, 2023 Telemark hosted a very successful BC Championships event. Over 600 competitors from all across BC and beyond came to Telemark to compete in three days of fun and challenging racing.

By all accounts it was a well run event and everyone had a great time and went home happy. It did not hurt that weather was just about perfect all weekend but the biggest reason for the success of the BC Champs is our many wonderful volunteers who put in many hours of time and commitment to help pull off such a great event. Thanks so much everybody who helped out.
Thanks also to all the many competitors and their coaches and families for coming to Telemark for the event. We love to see so many friendly faces, both new and familiar, having fun and challenging themselves at Telemark.
To top it off Telemark won the Club Points Championship for the second year in a row. There were Telemark competitors from age 5yrs to 85yrs contributing to our success. Congratulations to our hard working athletes young an old!

Last but not least…a BIG Thank-you to our Title Sponsor Teck Resources Limited, and our local sponsors: Stussi Sport, Fresh Air Experience, BMO Private Wealth, It’s a Bakery Lunch & Coffee, Marriott Towneplace Suites,  Nester’s Market, West Kelowna Save On Foods, and Vega. In addition, this event would not have been possible without a generous grant from ViaSport BC.

Next week we host the Biathlon BC U13 Championships and our annual Apple Loppet.

Let’s celebrate the ski season! Please join us for the Telemark Friends & Family Spring Apple Loppet –  Saturday March 11th.  Once again we will be running the Telemark Apple Loppet as a fun timed participation event with some differences from our regular Loppet.

• 5 different courses to choose from 1.5km – 3km – 7.5km – 15km – 30km based upon our traditional Loppet distances. Stadium Layout
• Ski classic or skate technique or mix it up and ski 1/2 & 1/2. There is no relay event.
• Challenge the distance that best suits your mood and ability
• Start anytime between 8am and 11am (must finish by 2pm)
• Pick up a timing chip in the stadium area
• Cross the start line to activate your timing chip
• Ski your chosen course with your friends and family, Youth Programs group or all by yourself
• Cross the finish line to get your official time
• No bibs, aid stations, prizes or medals
• BBQ included for all registered participants
• Music and fun for everybody
• Low cost
• Register on Zone 4 Entry deadline: Friday March 10th 8pm

Are you new to XC Skiing or Snowshoeing? Are you new to Telemark? We would love to make you feel welcome by giving you a free lesson/tour at the Telemark Nordic Centre. Come on out to Telemark for an instructor led beginner group lesson on Saturday February 25th at 1pm… and/or…. a guided discovery snowshoe on Sunday February 26th at 1:30pm. One more ski date in March as well. Call to book 250-707-5925. See the poster for all the details.

Come on out to the Telemark Nordic Centre on Family Day for  some family fun in the snow. Telemark has lots of great snow for skiing and snowshoeing right now with some of the best conditions all season.

Telemark is offering FREE trail passes and rentals for all kids (18-under) on Monday Feb 2oth in celebration of Family day.

Tuesday Feb 14th 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Join us for a fun evening at the Telemark Valentines Celebration with live music by CRISPRR.

CRISPRR is a fun, friendly, Kelowna based 4 person live band made up mostly of Telemark Club members.  They play mainly upbeat dance-able cover tunes  with a few originals thrown in. 

Come up to Telemark early for a romantic ski or snowshoe under the glow of our trail lights and then enjoy the music with a “Snow Dance” outside in the Telemark stadium area. The concert is FREE and we  will be offering a special $10 rental & trail pass deal for guests, and of course, free hot chocolate for everybody.  This is a no alcohol family friendly event.