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GIRDWOOD, Alaska - March 29, 2008 - Sunny days have dawned on the first ever World Telemark Freeskiing Championships at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska. Featured as the new crowning glory of the 5TH Annual Telepalooza Telemark Festival, the Championships will showcase the rarely opened and highly technical Shadows Headwall. This terrain, not open to the public, will test the thighs, lungs and knee-bending skills of even the most accomplished freeskiing athletes.
For Immediate Release
March 29, 2008
Media Contact: Molly Murfee -
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Chief of Press: Abbie Baugh - (907) 754-2554 -
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GIRDWOOD, Alaska - March 29, 2008 - Sunny days have dawned on the first
ever World Telemark Freeskiing Championships at Alyeska Resort in
Girdwood, Alaska. Featured as the new crowning glory of the 5TH Annual
Telepalooza Telemark Festival, the Championships will showcase the
rarely opened and highly technical Shadows Headwall. This terrain, not
open to the public, will test the thighs, lungs and knee-bending skills
of even the most accomplished freeskiing athletes.
The Shadows Headwall has not been used for a competition since 1999,
when the Alaska Extremes in Alyeska served as a qualifying event for the
World Extremes competition in alpine skiing. The venue requires a
30-minute hike to access the near vertical rock-ridden cliffs and
chutes. The possibility of it opening has only been available to
athletes a small handful of times since the first alpine World Extreme
qualifiers held at Alyeska occurred in 1996.
Champions from the past and present are showing up in droves to try
their hand in the big mountain skiing of the Great North. Names such as
five-time U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Champion Dylan Crossman, as
well as heavy hitters and podium finishers from the past such as Nick
DeVore, Will Cardamone, J.T. Robinson, Martha Burley, Sarah Light and
Louise Sanseau have shown up to play their hand in the Men's and Women's
divisions. The Junior's division will see 2008 U.S. Extreme Freeskiing
Telemark champion Francesca Pavillard-Cain. On the other end of the
spectrum, 2008 U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Masters Champion Mark
Phwah will be mixing it up in the Men's division.
The competition begins today, with Finals and Superfinals finishing up
on Sunday to announce the new World Telemark Freeskiing Champions.
Throughout the three-day festival extravaganza, held in memoriam for
Jeff Nissman, not only will the freeheeling world be mesmerized by the
high flying antics of the freeskiing competitors, telemarkers of all
abilities can find a home here. Demos by Atomic, K2, G3, Hammerhead,
Garmont, Rossignol, Karhu and Black Diamond will be available throughout
the weekend. There are Beacon Park games for kids and adults for the
fastest times on finding single and multiple burials, Telemark Clinics
for beginners and intermediates, film showings by Tough Guy Productions,
an Uphill / Downhill Fun Race and nightly parties. All of this occurs
under the auspices of a pirate theme for the weekend where costumes are
encouraged with every bend of the knee. No one is excluded from
floppy-heeled freedom fest.
And the booty bounty is high for Championship title winners, scoring
multiple day heli adventures from Valdez Heli Camps. Additionally, over
$30,000 of prizes from G3, Black Diamond, K2 Telemark, Atomic, Rossignol
and others will be won in the raffle to benefit The Friends of the
Chugach NF Avalanche Center. The Grand Prize is a one-week trip for 12
at Valkyr Adventures Lodge.
Keep your eyes peeled, as exciting updates on the World Telemark
Freeskiing Championships will be flying at you daily as this monumental
telemark extravaganza lights up the Alaskan skies.
EVENT SPONSORS
Valdez Heli Camps, Valkyr Adventure Lodge, GCI, Black Diamond, K2
Telemark, Karhu, G3, Rossignol, Moment Skis, Hammerhead,
telemarkski.com, Atomic, greenmultimedia, Garmont, Alyeska Resort,
Captain Morgan, Native Eyewear, Smartwool, Alpine Air Alaska, Friends of
the Chugach, Tough Guy Productions, Marmot, Alaska Coast, World Cup,
Girdwood Suite Retreat, The Ascending Path, Alaska Driftaway Fishing,
Art Seriously, Backcountry Magazine, Backcountry Access, Cliff Bar,
Cloudveil, Off-Piste Magazine, Patagonia, Powder Magazine, REI, Scarpa,
Smartwool, Voile Equipment and countless other local sponsors.
Press release written by Molly Murfee, freelance writer, for Alyeska
Resort. By-line is required for public postings and printings. Molly's
e-mail is
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