X-C Ski Lessons

Aengus McCullough – Aengus discovered the delights of cross country skiing when he moved to Alberta from the UK in 2011. After floundering in the snow for his first winter season he realized that skiing was not as effortless as it looked and decided to join Edmonton Nordic to develop his technique. Aengus progressed through Edmonton Nordic’s adult skiing program through to their Master’s program after which he went on to take CANSI instructor courses so he could help others on their skiing journey.

Murray Farbridge – Murray is a former Telemark head coach and BC Ski Team Assistant coach. He was also a visually impaired ski guide on the IPC World Cup circuit. Murray has competed in over 100 ski marathons on 3 continents.
As a NCCP Level 3 coach and CANSI certified instructor, he loves to share his passion for skiing whether it is your first time skiing or you are wanting to improve your technique to enjoy skiing more.

Mike Edwards- For Mike XC skiing is a lifestyle and lifelong passion.  Mike has worked in XC skiing for over 25 years as retail manager, ski instructor, facility manager, National Team director and event manager. Mike is busy as the current general manager for the Telemark Nordic Club but loves getting out on snow and helping people to enjoy the sport of XC skiing as much as he does. Mike has a broad perspective with both CANSI certification and NCCP experience.

Leslie Manders: Leslie started cross country skiing in the 1990s when she moved to West Kelowna and discovered the beautiful trails and friendly people at Telemark Nordic Club. She bought herself Skate skis in the early 2000s and there was no going back to Classic skiing – until enrolling in the Master’s program at Telemark five years ago and learning that classic technique is actually fun if you do it right. Leslie recently completed the CANSI Level 1 instructor course and is excited to help others discover the joy of both Skate and Classic skiing.

Deepa Filatow – Deepa has been part of the Telemark XC ski family since 2008 when her first child started bunny lessons. Since then she has coached in Telemark’s youth program for ages 3 through 15 including coaching at the BC Winter Games in 2018. She is an L2T certified/T2T trained  NCCP coach and a CANSI level 1 instructor. In her day job she is a professional Geoscientist and Agrologist with an in-depth knowledge of the local geography. In addition to individual and group lessons, Deepa also offers family lessons to encourage parents and kids learning the sport together.

Alison Campbell Urness – Alison has been skiing since a toddler, learned in Kananaskis country, Alberta. Alison has been a part of the Telemark community since arriving in the valley in 1999. Helping with the Jack rabbit program, then coaching the Nordic Race team for 4 years. Alison enjoys introducing and encouraging people to be active in the outdoors. She hopes to help people improve their skiing skills, have fun and increase their joy in the sport.

Kaelin Urness: Kaelin discovered skiing at the age of 2! She started racing and joined the Telemark racers at 8. She raced all over BC and went to the International Children’s Winter Games where she met tons of different skiers from across the world who shared the same love for skiing as she did. She is a CANSI trained level 1 instructor and has experience with coaching and instructing with the Kelowna Paddle Centre. Now she wants to share her passion for skiing with others by helping them enjoy the sport.

Darya Sepandj: Darya wants to share her love of cross-country skiing with you. She has recently moved to Kelowna after representing Canada internationally for the past 7 years in biathlon. Darya is now attending UBCO, studying Health and Exercise Sciences. She can easily be spotted on the trails with a huge smile and enthusiastic energy. During her competitive years she took opportunities to coach at levels ranging from children in the Jackrabbits program to elite athletes. In addition, Darya has both CANSI level 1 certification and NCCP experience.