The Telemark Parallel Trial in Rjukan, Norway
Archive for category Breaking News
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
Virgin Active agrees to buy Esporta gyms
Virgin Active is planning to take over its rival gym chain Esporta in a move that will lead to a big increase in the number of its number of outlets.Virgin, which is majority-owned by Sir Richard Branson, is offering £77.5m for the 55 Esporta gyms, which it aims to add to its own 71 gyms across the UK.
The move will need approval from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
If passed, it will be the first major purchase since Virgin bought the Holmes Place gym chain almost five years ago.
Virgin Active also reported results for the year to the end of December.
Total revenues rose by 14% to £445.2m, while revenues from gyms open for 12 months or more increased by 9% to £416.8m.
British Telemark Team at London Olympia 2010 Ski & Snowboard Show
The Team
Between 20th and 24th October the largest consumer winter sports show in the world will be staged in the heart of London. Over the five days the show will attract in the region of 35,000 ski and snowboard enthusiasts and holiday makers from all over the UK and Europe.
The show, which has been running for many years now, has always been a great social gathering as well as a chance to check out some of next season’s new kit. One of the central attractions of the show this year will be the ‘Trespass Big Air Competition’ which hosts the London Ride – a competition where the best British riders battle it out on the 50ft kicker jump. With some good skier and borders I think it should be worth a watching.
For us it’s a great opportunity to catch-up with old ski buddies and industry workers who we don’t get to see very often. This year, Andrew Clarke the British Telemark Team Captain along with Jack Harvard-Taylor and Sarah Hannibal from the British Telemark Ski Team will be stationed at the British Ski and Snowboard stand, G64, so pop along if you want any advise on telemark skiing, resorts, equipment and a chance to win exclusive Mercedes Benz World AMG Days or Chances to telemark and socialise with British Telemark Team Athletes at World Cup events in 2011
For more information and to book tickets see the Metro Ski and Snowboard website.
So what are you waiting for – come along and get involved!
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
Chris Stewart – Clitheroe, Lancashire
Chris Wotton – Totnes, Devon
Huan Davies – Scotland
Jack Harvard Taylor – Virginia Water, Surrey
Sarah Hannibal – Ischgl, Austria
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
Weekend in the West – British Telemark Team Building
Posted on August 17, 2010 by Jack Harvard Taylor
Midday on Friday I left London, with my buddy Freddie, on the road to Plymouth.. 5 hours later we arrived at captain Nobby’s (Andrew Clarke) house where were warmly greeted with a delicious BBQ before getting our heads down.
At 0700 Freddie and I were woken by Andrew. After quick breakfast we were on the road east to Devon in the Mercedes Benz GL with fellow team member Chris Wotton, Gus Olds (team physio) and Dave (Andrew’s next-door neighbour). After a short drive we arrived at our first activity of the weekend – ‘Coasteering’! This involved combination of swimming, climbing and jumping into the sea. There we were enthusiastically met by Sam Starkie from Vertical Descents who gave us wetsuits and a safety brief before escorting us down to the sea along the rugged coastal path. With a quick 15 minute walk were holding our breath belly-flopping into the sea! What great fun it was – jumping off huge cliffs, exploring deep, dark caves while also getting our mornings exercise, swimming around the headland.
The Coasteering Gang
Before we knew it, it was 1400 and time to start our afternoon activity – mountain biking. Chris and Andrew led the pack with Gus not far behind and Freddie and I bringing up the rear. I’m not really too sure where it was we went but it was a nice ride in the wood followed by an urban tour of Plymouth. By 6pm I was shattered but we still had one of the most important team bonding activities ahead of us – the evening lash-up! After a quick shower we were making our way back into Plymouth where we enjoyed a (yummy) curry in one of Plymouth’s finest curry places. Feeling rather full Andrew showed us some of his favourite watering-holes in Plymouth, starting off in Navy we quickly moved onto Annabel’s which thankfully had a slightly younger feel to the venue..! There we consumed and danced into the early hours of the morning before finally getting a cab home after what had been a very long day.
Gus, Andrew & Chris
The next morning we had a slightly more casual start with a drive east to Kingsbury Estuary where we boarded Chris Wotton’s super quick rib. The weather was amazing with the sun beating down and before long we were in open water. Equipped with a waterski Chris gave a most impressive monoski demonstration with Andrew at the helm. Then it was my turn. Having watched Chris make it look so easy I was confident I would be up in seconds.. How wrong I was!! After several failed attempts we progressed onto the ‘Batwing’ an inflatable towed behind the boat at high speeds. First Freddie and I had a go on it – holding on for our dear lives Chris put the throttle down, we must have been doing 40mph plus, only a few inches above the water! Next up it was Andrew and Gus and after a few quick runs up and down they both simultaneously flew off and into the sea. They both hit the deck hard with Andrew crashing on top of Gus. I could see something was wrong as we came back around to pluck them out of the water. Gus had dislocated his shoulder and was in pain, as he later described what had happened, “basically I was fine till the fat f*cker landed on me”!!
Chris rigging the 'Batwing'
After a trip to the small, local hospital we said good bye to Gus as he went onto get an x-ray to determine the damage to his shoulder. The rest of us went onto the Wotton residence where Mel (Chris’s wife) and children received us for Sunday lunch with Alice (Andrew’s wife) and children. We enjoyed some very tender lamb before Freddie and I had to shoot off up to Bristol.
Skipper Chris, Freddie and Gus (putting on a brave face)!Skipper Chris, Freddie and Gus (putting on a brave face)!
What a great weekend full of fun and banter! My thanks go out Andrew and Chris for organising such a great weekend, Alice for her kind hospitality in the Clarke family home, Mel for a delicious Sunday lunch and finally Vertical Descents for a great day Coasteering.
The British hosted FIS Telemark World Cup drew to a close yesterday following the prize giving at the Hotel Grimming in Rauris. The British organising committee paid tribute to the terrific help and assistance of the local Rauris community in putting together a brilliant few days of World Cup racing, particularly the Tourismusverband and the Hochalmbahnen who were played vital roles during the precedings. The event was a huge success and proved that it is possible to host a World Cup level event in a foreign country.
Teams started to arrive in Rauris a couple of days before the races to familiarise themsleves with the terrain – Rauris is a very small resort with only a handful of runs and is perfect for an FIS World Cup race. The resort boasts an homologated World Cup GS course and has previously hosted a Women’s FIS World Cup race.
The conditions were near perfect and the racers gave spectators their fair share of thrills with huge jumps and some spills. Both Giant Slalom and Sprint courses were technically difficult, the terrain on the Kreutzboden piste is particularly challenging with a shallow start giving way to a icy and fast track about half way down that lasts to the finish. The jump which was perched rather precariously on the edge of the transition meant racers were exposed to a fast landing with the next gate situated only a few metres from touchdown. The aggregate speed from the upper part of the course combined with the unfettered momentum of free flight had racers in all sorts of trouble trying to negotiate the tight left hander after the jump on both the GS and Sprint courses. Unfortunately some, to their dismay, realised that going ‘big’ on the jump was not the best tactical move and ended up tangled in the strategically placed safety netting. The rappelokke (360 banked turn) was well placed and provided a onlookers the perfect place to see top class world athletes in action. There were no events worthy of note here but it was interesting to see the technical nature of this discipline being put into practice – no sooner had the athletes left the 360 they were now pumping their arms and legs at a frighteningly rapid frequency to get themselves around the cross-country part of the course and to the finish.
12 nations arrived in Rauris to participate in the first ever British hosted Telemark World Cup and also the first Telemark World Cup of the 2010 season. There were 9 Brits from the team able to compete, sadly Rachel Morgan was unable to attend due to work committments and David Cardwell and Carl Simmons are plagued with injury.
There were some surprises and it seems that the French have been working hard in the closed season with Chris Lau taking first place in the Giant Slalom on day one beating Eirik Rykhus (NOR) by almost a full second, on the other hand Bastien Dayer (SUI) was way off the pace trailling the leading pair by almost 4 seconds. Chris Stewart (GBR) recorded his best finish in 29th position. 49 racers started. In the women’s event Amelie Reymond (SUI) showed that she was still top class and romped home with a performance that left Katinka Knudsen (NOR) who was struggling to find top form in her wake. Melodie David-Metral (FRA) came in with a respectable 4th place just behind Sandrine Meyer (SUI) who converted to telemark 2 seasons ago and has been one to watch ever since. Sarah Hannibal (GBR) gave a sterling perfomance in her first ever WC appearance coming 14th and recording some good WC points.
It was not long before the Norwegians exerted authority over the event in the Sprint with Rykhus crossing the finish just over a second in front of Philippe Lau (FRA) who followed almost 2 seconds later by Daniel Forrer (SUI) who was always in the top 5 mix last season. Meanwhile the women’s race was once again dominated by Reymond who was on superb form. On the British front there were some strong efforts Stewart and Andrew Clarke were close after the first run with less than 2 seconds separating them. All was to play for and Clarke took an icy patch incorrectly and slipped below a gate having to climb to continue. Stewart smashed the jump and recorded his first ever nil penalty there – only 9 other racers achieved this, he finished a credible 26th. With racers leaving the course at several points, not always under control, the Brits through gritted teeth muscled on to record 4 top 30 finishes (Chris Wotton (28th), Philip Maddox (29th) and Huan Davies (30th)). Hannibal fell, popped her shoulder but continued to ski to record an 18th place finish. Other finishers were Clarke (31), Matt Turner (32) and Richard Parrot (34).
Knut Haugland
Knut Haugland, the Norwegian commando and explorer who died on Christmas Day aged 92, took part in two of the most adventurous and celebrated exploits of the last century – a daring raid on a suspected Nazi atomic weapons plant in war, and Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki expedition in peace.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/special-forces-obituaries/6901543/Knut-Haugland.html
Go anywhere skiers in go anywhere cars!
Mercedes Benz UK is sponsoring the British Telemark Team. This morning the team took delivery of four vehicles which will be used to transport the team all over Europe to the World Cup; the team are ecstatic about the deal. The British Team Captain, Major Andrew Clarke said earlier today ‘Mercedes are not only superlative brand vehicles they are safe and reliable and exactly what the team needs ensuring that we all arrive in good order for the next World Cup race’. The arrangement sees the team travelling in Mercedes’ 4Matic range of vehicles; a GL350 CDI, two ML350 CDI Sports and a long wheel-base R Class Grand Edition enabling the team to travel together to training and competition venues until next December. The sponsorship is an essential ingredient towards the chances of British successes on the World Cup, ‘British Telemark hopes that this is the start of an enduring relationship that will grow over the years. Mercedes is absoulutely the right brand to be associated with telemark, an exciting and arduous endurance sport which is mimicked by the vehicles we are now driving. We are go-anywhere skiers and these are go-anywhere vehicles’ said Andrew.
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Olympic Alpine ski gold medallist Hermann Maier announces retirement – Austrian Alpine skiing champion and former Olympic gold medallist Hermann Maier has announced his retirement from the sport after seriously injuring his knee in March.