British Telemark Team

Official Website of the National Telemark Team

Archive for category Uncategorized

Great Britain’s Telemark Elite Announced for the 2011/12 Season

Oct 15

Posted by Skipper in Breaking News, Uncategorized, Welcome Note | No Comments

5 elite athletes chosen to represent Great Britain on the world stage at one of the toughest, physically demanding winter sports.

The British Telemark Ski Team today announced the 5 world-class athletes who will be competing at the 2011/12 Telemark World Cup with a further 2 athletes selected for the World Cup Development Team.

Selection took place on the Hintertux Gletscher, Austria during the second week of October. With a large turn-out the triallists were put through their skiing paces with tests to determine their ability with particular focus on the fundamentals required to be a successful World Cup telemark racer. “Conditions at Hintertux have been fantastic” said Jack Harvard-Taylor, one of the athletes selected to ski on this season’s World Cup race team which will also feature 2 new athletes to the women’s team including ex-alpine racer Jasmin Taylor who said she was delighted to have made the cut.


The 2011/12 British Telemark Squad will feature the following athletes:

World Cup Team

Andrew Clarke – Plymouth, Devon

Jack Harvard Taylor – Virginia Water, Surrey

Ian Roberts – Brighton, Sussex

Jasmin Taylor – Ipswich, Suffolk

Anna Morrissey – Beith, Ayrshire


World Cup Development Team

Hugh Long – Ontario, Canada

Colin Shepherd – Perth, Perthshire

 

Whilst previous team members, including the team’s vice-captain, unable to attend the trials it is hoped that they will trial under testing conditions during the British Championships in Rauris, Austria in January 2012. Team Captain Andrew Clarke reported that it was a good turn out but urged more telemark skiers from the UK to participate in the British Championships and unleash their potential and let the selection committee decide; participation at the British Championships is mandatory for anyone wishing to be selected to trial for the British Team.


The coming season the team will be taking part in a series of promotional events around the UK including appearances at the British Ski and Board Show at Earls Court. There is also a chance to mix with the athletes and hear from an esteemed record breaking mountaineer at the Team’s pre-season fundraiser to be held in Wimbledon on 22 Oct, more details are available from Cocktails with the British Team. There is a great prize line up from a year of free Meteor Meet and Greet Airport Parking to fabulous skiing prizes. We hope to see you there.

With an impressive last season the team hopes to build on that, with athletes breaking convincingly into the top 15. Confirmed FIS World Cup venues next season are Slovenia, Austria, Norway, USA, France and Spain. “With telemark skiing on the up this is an exciting time for the British Team as we look to introduce the sport into the Winter Olympics in the future” said Clarke who is also the FIS Telemark Chairman, “it really is exciting times”.


If you’d like more information about the team, would like to come and see us compete, or to schedule an interview, please contact the GB Telemark Communications Director Jack Harvard Taylor.

Six elite athletes chosen to represent Great Britain on the world stage at one of the toughest, physically demanding winter sports.

The British Telemark Ski Team today announced the six world-class athletes who will be competing at the 2010/11 Telemark World Cup.

Selection took place in Hintertux, Austria during the last weekend of August. With a large turn-out the participants were put through their paces navigating their way down the steep, icy terrain on the glacier. Vice Team Captain Chris Wotton said, “Despite the difficult conditions and problems with timing equipment, all the trialists performed well over the four days” With minus 15C on the glacier and high winds, participants fought hard against the elements as they battled it out for a place on the national team.

The 2010/11 British Telemark World Cup Team consists of the following six athletes:

Andrew Clarke – Plymouth, Devon
Jack Harvard Taylor – Virginia Water, Surrey


The team will be taking part in a series of promotional events around the UK. They will be promoting the sport whilst working with lead sponsor Mercedes – Benz UK before the competitive season kicks-off in January with the first World Cup event held in Germany. With an impressive last season the team hopes to build on that, with athletes achieving consistent top 25 results. Other confirmed FIS (Federation International du Ski) World Cup venues are Switzerland, Norway and Spain. “With telemark skiing on the up this is an exciting time for the British Team as we look to introduce the sport into the Winter Olympics in the future” said recently appointed FIS Telemark Chairman and British Team Captain, Andrew Clarke.


If you’d like more information about the team, or to schedule an interview, please contact Jack Harvard Taylor by email here

Myra Butterworth from the Daily Telegraph writes about Telemark

Feb 25

Posted by Skipper in Uncategorized | No Comments

Telegraph writers have been testing ways of keeping fit. This week Myra Butterworth heads for the hills

Myra Butterworth

By Myra Butterworth 7:00AM GMT 14 Feb 2011

Warning: if you have weak thighs, do not try this at home – or on your skiing holiday. For this is telemarking, a powerful way to ski, whereby the boot is locked into the blade at the toe but the heel is detached. You have to work much harder to keep your balance. But being able to bend the ankles forward and rise on to the ball of the foot enables powder-junkies to create deep, carving turns in the snow just by bending the knees.

The sport originates from the Norwegian county of the same name, and was pioneered in the 19th century by Sondre Norheim, the father of modern skiing.

As you move downhill, the trick is to turn by dropping one knee into a semi-lunge position. Once mastered, it looks graceful on the slopes, like a gentle curtsey. I defy anyone who sees it not to admire the shapes it produces. The lack of support at the heel makes telemarking extremely demanding physically, a surefire way to expend countless calories – think of it like riding an elliptical trainer downhill – and acquire thighs of steel in the process.

Which is why you only see the best skiers and instructors doing it. Evidently, it was going to take more than a couple of hours of lessons with Nicolas Borrel, my ski instructor at the French resort of Sainte-Foy, to learn even the rudiments. He reckoned that a spot of telemarking would also improve my balance and pay dividends when I returned to the slopes for some normal skiing.

“Telemark is much more fluid than Alpine skiing,” he says. “It gives you much more freedom.”

Possibly too much freedom, in my case. Although I am a competent skier, my first half-hour strapped into telemarks – which are similar to Alpine skis in shape and dimension but are lighter, and have toe bindings that free your heel – saw me spending more time with my face in the snow than gliding ontop of it. Teetering on the skis in tippy-toes felt like taking your marks for a 100m sprint in high heels.

With just the balls of my feet attached to the skis, fear immediately set in. When I set off, I resorted to the classic snow- plough stop to prevent heading head-first down the mountain at 100 miles an hour. On several other occasions, my leg muscles failed to hold me in the requisite dropped-knee position and I simply toppled over. As I lay on the slopes, my legs crossed and pointing in different directions, I looked up to see more experienced telemark skiers speed past me.

Acccording to Borrell, you need to be in good shape to telemark. “It is a great workout for the thighs and the abdominals,” he says. “You need balance to be able to use the edges of your skis to find the grip in the snow. You also need to be flexible.” Before you even think of hitting the slopes, it’s important to work on your hamstrings and quads at the gym.

Gradually, I picked up the technique, and by the end of the lesson had succeeded in crafting several beautiful telemark turns.

I have definitely caught the bug. I just hope that my thighs can take it.

NEW FIS TELEMARK CHAIRMAN – AND HE’S A BRIT!

Sep 14

Posted by Skipper in Uncategorized | No Comments

FIS Telemark Chairman – Andrew Clarke GBR

Andrew Clarke - FIS Telemark Chairman

Andrew Clarke - Hintertux 2010

Following the FIS Congress in Antalya, Turkey in June it was announced that Andrew Clarke, captain and manager of the GB Telemark Team had been elected to chair the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) Telemark committee, taking over from Anthony Favre who had held the position for 10 years previously. Following a vote of the FIS Council at the recent congress meeting in Antalya, Andrew has gained the support and confidence of the international telemark ski community. The committee is responsible for all international telemark matters and communicating important issues and ideas to the federation.

“I am absolutely ecstatic about the appointment and I hope that with my determination and passion for the sport along with the work of a dedicated committee telemark can be driven forward to reach the next level. The future is clear to me and it is my intention to gain full recognition for Telemark on the world stage and that ultimately lies with it being included within the Winter Olympic Games programme of events.” – Andrew Clarke



Andrew in action at World Championships 2009 - Kreischberg, Austria

Andrew, 37 years old, is a Major in the Royal Artillery based down in Plymouth with his wife Alice and two daughters. He learned to telemark in Norway with the forces and since 2007 has been actively competing for Great Britain on the FIS Telemark World Cup achieving some very respectable results. More importantly Andrew has worked tirelessly during the last few years, raising the profile of the sport in the UK and establishing a competitive national team to be proud of.

As team manager, friend and mentor I wish him the best of luck with the challenges ahead!

Inter-Services Champs Meribel 2010 – Day 1 and 2

Feb 3

Posted by Skipper in Uncategorized | No Comments

GBR World Cup

Oct 25

Posted by Skipper in Uncategorized | No Comments

WC Flyer(2)

Esporta teams up with TeamGB Telemark

Oct 20

Posted by Skipper in Uncategorized | No Comments

Esporta Sponsors the Great Britain Telemark Skiing Team

The UK’s leading premium health and leisure provider, Esporta, today announced a sponsorship deal with the Great Britain Telemark Skiing Team, which is currently preparing to compete in the Telemark World Cup, which begins in December in Norway. The team, which comprises 10 men and two women, will be able to use the world class facilities at their local Esporta clubs as they prepare for what will be an extremely competitive season ahead.

Great Britain Telemark Skiing Team, Captain, Andrew Clarke, said: “To have backing from Esporta gives us a tremendous boost as it really improves the team’s chances of performing at its very best. Our training for the 2009/10 Telemark World Cup has already started and we have a number of team building activities scheduled before the winter begins, all geared to improving team fitness and esprit de corps. To be able to use our local Esporta’s clubs and take advantage of their tremendous facilities will help us to maintain peak fitness throughout the World Cup.”

Esporta, Chief Operating Officer, David Leatherbarrow said: “We are absolutely delighted to support the Great Britain Telemark Skiing Team. To represent your country at a World Cup has to be the pinnacle of any sport and takes extraordinary hard work, commitment and talent – the same values that are central to Esporta. We are dedicated to helping people achieve their goals, whether that’s competing at the highest level in sport, improving their health, losing weight, or just getting fitter.”

The Telemark World Cup begins on 12 December in Norway and comprises a series of races in Austria, Slovenia, Norway, USA, Spain, before the climax of the competition in France on 17 March.

Radio 2 – In the Locker with Jonny Saunders

Oct 11

Posted by Skipper in Uncategorized | No Comments

Listen to the Team Captain on British Radio 2 with Jonny Saunders.
About 1 Hr 49 mins from the start.

Get Well Soon David

Oct 11

Posted by Skipper in Uncategorized | No Comments

Sadly David Cardwell ruptured his achilles tendon last weekend whilst, stupidly, playing hockey.  We wish David all the best for a fast and full recovery so that he might still be able to ski some of the World Cup events this winter.

Get well soon David

The 2010 British Telemark Championships

Oct 10

Posted by Skipper in Uncategorized | No Comments

Hi everyone. If you are visiting the site for more information about the British Telemark Championships in 2010 we haven’t finished the page yet but you can find lots of information here.

Information on how to enter, what the event is like and some photos and video can be found there. Check back here in a couple of days when the British Championships Page will be complete.

All the best

Andrew Clarke