General

A big congratulations to Telemark’s own Francis Stanley…The deserving winner of Special Olympics Canada’s 2022 Athlete of the Year award! Stanley and his fellow national award winners were announced during the 2022 Special Olympics Canada National Awards Night on November 1.

The Special Olympics Canada National Awards annually recognize the outstanding athletes, coaches, and volunteers from across the country who exemplify the spirit and essence of the SO movement.

Stanley is very appreciative to those who helped him in his athletic and personal journey.

“I would like to thank my coaches Garth, Ray, Les, Adam, and my mom Annabel who helped me choose a healthy lifestyle and to be a mentor to other skiers,” he said in his acceptance speech.

Stanley has been part of Special Olympics for 13 incredible years. His athletic achievements include multiple gold medals in cross country skiing at both the national and international levels, as well as earning a spot on Special Olympics Team Canada 2022. For many years Francis was integrated fully into the Telemark Competitive program to help him achieve his success.

As a multi-sport athlete competing in athletics, cross country skiing, and soccer, Stanley understands the importance of being a team player and having a positive attitude. His coaches, friends, and family members marvel at how determined he is in reaching his goals, as well as encouraging his teammates to do the same.

Congratulations to Francis and all the other deserving award winners and finalists. Watch the 2022 SOC National Awards Night, co-hosted by TSN‘s Vic Rauter and Special Olympics New Brunswick athlete Jojo Landry:

2022 SPECIAL OLYMPICS CANADA AWARDS NIGHT

Francis was also the recipient of the 2022 SOBC Athletic Achievement Award, one of the six annual awards that recognizes the inspiring athletes, volunteers, and sponsors of the SOBC community. Congratulations to this year’s award winners! Learn more by clicking here.

It’s never too early to start ticking those tricky gifts off the list for the holiday season! We’ll make it easy for you with Purdy’s delicious chocolates. Purdy’s has something for everyone!

Purchase Purdy’s chocolates online through this new fundraiser for the Telemark Youth Competitive Program. 25% of sales will go directly will go towards Team Telemark. Use the QR code in the poster or visit the Online Campaign here.

Treat yourself or your friends & family and support Telemark at the same time.
For enquiries, please contact Isabelle by email.

Well after 80 cm of new snow since last Friday we are off to a roaring start to the season. It has been a scramble to get the trails groomed, finalize our staffing and do all those last minute chores to get the season underway… but… we are ready to open Telemark for a great season of skiing and snowshoeing on Saturday November 12th.  This will be the earliest opening day in almost 30 years.

…and yes, the day lodge will be fully open to the public this year. So you can sit in front of the fireplace and enjoy a warm hot chocolate after your ski.

Season Passes will be available for pick-up at the day lodge the first time you come skiing.  Normally we like to get ahead and have them already printed but due to the early opening date we have not been able to do that this year and there may be some delays and pass pick up will take a little longer than normal.  It’s ok to just go for a ski without the pass the first time you come skiing and the passes will be ready for you the next time.

Hope to see you all soon!

Winter has arrived at Telemark! On Nov 7th. After three days of snow there has been more than 70cm of new snow at Telemark.  What a fabulous start to the season. 

The snow is great and will help us open much earlier than normal this year.  We continue working on getting the base of snow packed over the next few days but we will not be open for the season quite yet.  This is a pretty early snowfall for Telemark.  When we open we want to make sure it will be safe and we are able to stay open. We also need to get all our staff in place which usually does not happen until December.  In the meantime we have been grooming and there is some good skiing on many trails.  Check out conditions page for more timely updates

October was busy month as we were getting ready for the coming winter.

Oct 16: Bottle Drive Team Fundraiser –  Thanks to all those who helped collect & sort and to those who donated their recyclables.  We raised over $4000 for the Youth Competitive Program.  That’s a lot of bottle and cans!

Oct 22:  Ski Swap –   Thanks to all those who volunteered and consigned/purchased equipment.  We raised $4000 for the Youth Competitive Program. Kelowna Cycle was great venue.  The 50/50 draw remains unclaimed.  The winning ticket number is 688962. Please contact us if you have the winning ticket.

Oct 23:  Orienteering event – Telemark hosted our first orienteering event in co-operation with the Sage Orienteering Club.  There were over 70 participants in this inaugural event. The event was great fun and nobody got really lost. Info and results here.

Oct 25:  Valley Championship XC Running Event – 300 kids from all over the Okanagan and beyond raced in this fun event that brings together the fastest kids for some friendly competition.  Many of Telemark’s own Youth Competitive Program kids raced and a few qualified for the Provincial Championships happening Nov 5th in Victoria.

Oct 29: Volunteer Work Party – Thanks to everybody who came out for our volunteer work party. We had a record turn-out with about 100 people helping out, including many of the program kids. We accomplished so many jobs and enjoyed a great BBQ on a beautiful day.  Telemark is ready for the snow now!

Oct 29: AGM – We held our AGM where we welcomed 5 new board members to Telemark and thanked 3 retiring board members.  For a complete list of board members please go to “Our Team” webpage.

Now we are just waiting for snow!

 

The Farmer’s Almanac says it will be a cool and snowy winter… perfect for XC skiing and snowshoeing at Telemark! The first dustings of snow have already fallen on the trails as we get ready for the coming winter.

Get your season pass now to take advantage of the Early-Bird pricing!  The Early-Bird price for a season pass remains in effect only until 11:59pm Oct 31, 2022.  The Youth Programs (Bunnies, Jackrabbits, Adventure) registration deadline is also October 31. There is still some space in those programs, but they are filling up fast.

Season passes and program registration are available on our Zone 4 Registration Page.  For more season pass pricing and info, please go to our Season Pass webpage

There is again a 10% discount on selected items at local xc ski retailer Kelowna Cycle and a 25% discount on rentals at Telemark for all season pass holders.

Don’t forget about the early-bird draws, with a total prize value of over $1,000 (Generously provided by our sponsor partners Kelowna Cycle and Fresh Air Experience.) Four people have already had their names drawn for prizes. There are two more draws to go – this Friday Oct 28 and then a final draw right after the early-bird deadline.

XC ski equipment is still hard to find, so our swap is a great place to buy and sell equipment.  We are again holding our own XC specific swap at Kelowna Cycle. Everyone is welcome. If you are selling equipment, please complete our consignment form ahead of time.

DATE: Saturday Oct 22, 2022
LOCATION: Kelowna Cycle 2949 Pandosy St
CONSIGNMENT DROP OFF: Friday Oct 21 – 4pm to 8pm
CONSIGNMENT FEE: $3 per item
CONSIGNMENT FORM: Please complete this Consignment Form in advance
ONE DAY SALE: Saturday Oct 22  – 10am to 3pm
PAYOUT & EQUIPMENT PICK UP: 3pm to 5pm Saturday Oct 22 
50/50 DRAW  $2 per ticket (or $5 for 3) BC Gaming Event License #136355

This is a fundraiser for the Telemark Nordic Club Youth Competitive Program with 20% of the sales going towards the Team.

Are you willing to serve your club by volunteering for a one-year term on the Board of Directors? The commitment required for a rewarding and enjoyable experience is to attend a 2-hour board meeting once per month where you will participate in discussions about everything skiing and snow.  Most board members will also take on an additional project to help develop and enhance our club. Detailed job description here

In accordance with the club bylaws all board positions are open for nominations and election each year.  This year we will have up to 4 vacancies due to retiring board members or current unfilled positions: Secretary and up to three Directors at Large

Nominations for all positions are welcome:
President
Vice President
Secretary – Vacant
Treasurer
Director – Past President
Director at large – Snowshoeing
Director at large -Youth & Masters Programs
Director at large – XC Junior Racing
Director at large – Biathlon
Director at large – Special Olympics – Vacant
Director at large – Vacant
Director at large Vacant

Please submit nominations by email to nominations@telemarknordic.com.  Nominations close on Sunday Oct 9th, 2022 at midnight. Nominations will not be accepted from the floor during the AGM.

The AGM will take place at The Telemark Nordic Centre day lodge in person 1:00pm on Saturday October 29, 2022.