The BC X-C Championships will continue on Saturday. Click here to read about trail closures. All skiing and snowshoeing trails are open at 02:00 PM on Sunday. The parking lot will be very busy until that time. The Jack Rabbit Ski League lessons are cancelled on Saturday. For the best place to get Telemark trail information click here. For race participants, for safety reasons, all day bags and skiing equipment must be stored in the aluminum grooming shed. None in the upper lodge this weekend please.
General
Trail Closures for This Weekend’s BC X-C Champs
The BC X-C Championships are being held this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 650 athletes are registered, so our parking lot will be very busy until about 2:00 PM.
Forest Lane and Memory Lane will be open. Telemark and Panorama can be accessed via Telemark trail, during race times. Stay to the right on the first hill of Telemark trail and be careful of race participants. Recreational Skiing access will be closed on the Fern Creek side until 2:00PM each day. All trails are open after 2:00 PM. The Doggy Ski trail is open during race times.
The Chalet Loop and Doggy Snowshoe trails are open all weekend. Pine Forest, Jack Creek and Crystal Rim snowshoe trails are closed until 2:00 PM on race days, this weekend.
2018 Teck BC Championships
The Teck BC Championships cross country ski races will be hosted by Telemark Nordic Club February 16 -18, 2018. We will see teams from throughout BC as well as from Alberta and the Methow Valley in Washington state. Teams from the Thompson-Okanagan, Vancouver Island, and the Lower Mainland will be joined by the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club (Prince George) and the Bulkley Valley Cross Country Ski Club (Smithers), along with skiers from the Kootenays (Black Jack and Kimberley Nordic) and a large turn out from the Revelstoke Nordic Club. Other athletes are visiting from even further afield. More than 300 athletes have registered and this event promises to offer some great competition for our local Okanagan skiers.
This three day event helps the Telemark club raise money for youth skier development and attract attention to the programs.
Telemark athletes are in the news with their accomplishments both locally in BC, across Canada, and abroad. Claire Littlefair posted a personal best at the Haywood NorAm Westerns and a bronze medal with it. Gareth Williams and Hannah Mehain, are representing Team Telemark, and Canada at the World Junior Championships in Goms, Switzerland. Both recently posted first-place finishes at the Canadian World Junior Trials in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Que.
This is a great location to host this event and it is inspirational to watch these young athletes take on the challenge of a great course. Volunteer positions are still available; be a part of the fun during the event weekend. For more information email Alison or sign up online.
Alison Campbell-Urness (Media contact)
acampbellurness@gmail.com
Telemark Grooming Information Day – Saturday, February 24th
Phil Klotz and his experience grooming team will be in the stadium from noon to 02:00 PM on Saturday February 24th to answer any questions you have about Telemark’s grooming. They will be rolling out all the grooming machines and equipment if you would like to learn more about Nordic trail grooming. Who ever asks Phil the best question wins two free trail passes.
Telemark Special Olympics Event
Special Olympics Kelowna and Telemark Nordic Club will be hosting the Special Olympics Regional Games for skiing and snowshoeing on Saturday February 10, 2018 at Telemark. Sixteen of our skiers and seven snowshoers will compete against athletes from every region of BC. Tracey Melesko and Francis Stanley, both gold medal winners at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games, will join. This is a small event and will not impact skiing and snowshoeing. The left side of Rabbit trail will be closed for an hour or two during this event.
Find the Telemark Snow Gauge Contest
Telemark has a good problem. The four snow gauges are buried. Lots of snow to groom, for great skiing. The first person to tell Ron Earle the depth of the Crystal Rim snow gauge receives two free trail passes. There has been powder on the snowshoe trails for two weeks. Come and get above the clouds.
Where Did the Stadium Gauge Go?
On Friday the stadium gauge was buried. If anyone can find the one on High Country let us know. It is warmer, and there is mucho snow. No events on Saturday afternoon, or Sunday. Come up for some great skiing and snowshoeing. Tickets and rentals are available.
Telemark Developing Top Young X-C Skiers From Across Canada
The new Telemark Post Secondary Program (TPSP) is in it’s first year. Establishing the program — with the help Kelowna Toyota, its main sponsor — is an attempt to address the decline of skiers graduating from high school, but unable to continue competitive racing. The TPSP is providing professional training and allowing athletes from across Canada reach their full athletic and competitive potential for high-level racing. Click here for a Kelowna Now article about the new program.