TELAMARK. The Telemark World Cup comes to Steamboat. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club hosts approximately 100 international telemark athletes as they compete in all telemark events over 7 days. See the World's Best International Telemark athletes compete, both men's and women's fields. Steamboat is home to several of the United States' top telemark athletes.

Welcome to Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Invitation to FIS Telemark World Cup 2012
Location - Steamboat Springs, 180 miles west of Denver, Colorado Transportation
Air Transport into Denver International Airport DEN – 180 miles east of Steamboat Springs
Air Transport into Yampa Valley Regional Airport HDN – 24 miles west of Steamboat Springs
Ground transportation from either airport by rental car or shuttle service through Alpine Taxi at www.goalpine.com.

PROGRAMME Steamboat FIS Telemark World Cup 2012

Date Codex Place Nation Discipline Gender Category Comments
13.02.2012 8505 Steamboat USA Classic L WC
13.02.2012 8506 Steamboat USA Classic M WC
14.02.2012 8507 Steamboat USA Classic L WC
14.02.2012 8508 Steamboat USA Classic M WC
16.02.2012 8511 Steamboat USA Sprint L WC replaces: 17.02.2012
16.02.2012 8512 Steamboat USA Sprint M WC replaces: 17.02.2012
17.02.2012 8509 Steamboat USA Telemark Parallel Sprint L WC replaces: 15.02.2012
17.02.2012 8510 Steamboat USA Telemark Parallel Sprint M WC replaces: 15.02.2012
18.02.2012 8513 Steamboat USA Sprint L WC
18.02.2012 8514 Steamboat USA Sprint M WC

FIS licenses are required to enter this race. US racers who are not on the US A or B Team and have not been previously approved to race at the World Cup level must petition the USTSA Board of Directors for permission to compete.

FIS Telemark World Cup reaches half-way

After the FIS Telemark World Cup started its 2012 season in Bohinj (SLO) in January, it moved onto to traditional Organizers Kvitfjell and Rjukan in Norway, and will now continue with competitions in Steamboat (USA) this coming weekend. With a new competition format debuting and thrilling battles of who will take the overall Telemark World Cup win, the season has reached its half-way mark.

In Rjukan, the Organizers could write Telemark history by hosting the first World Cup event in Telemark parallel sprint. This new event was added to the World Cup calendar this season after a recommendation by the Telemark Committee and approval by the FIS Council last autumn. The format is based on the traditional Telemark sprint competition, but has new aspects added to it. Starting from a start gate similar those used in ski cross, the two athletes compete simultaneously side by side down a parallel course. Coming into the Cross-Country part, they skate on the same course which has led to exiting battles. The competition starts with qualification runs, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finally finals, where the winner of each heat qualifies for the next round.

With a total of six events hosted in Rjukan (three per gender), the Telemark parallel sprint competitions were broadcast in more than 24 countries on Eurosport 2 in addition to the national broadcaster NRK that was in charge of the production. Part of the Telemark Committee's plan to develop the sport, the new competition format was positively received by the media.

Moving on to Steamboat, a total of ten World Cup events are still to be carried out. In the current ladies standings, Norwegian Sigrid Rykhus and Swiss Amélie Reymond share the overall World Cup lead, each with 620 points. In the men's overall standing, Philip Lau (FRA) leads with 526 points ahead of Bastien Dayer (460 points) from Switzerland and Tobias Muller (397 points) from Germany.

The Telemark World Cup will conclude in Espot (SPA) on 16 - 18th March.

Contributed by Sofie Torlei Olsen

TELAMARK FIS WORLD CUP 2012 CALENDAR