News
Sports
ENLARGE
VAIL — The only way to describe the sight of a guy flying over a 60-foot jump with nothing more than his toes connected to his skis is “super-human.”
We've all seen big-air skiing and snowboarding competitions before, and those competitions are spectacular, but telemark big-air skiing is an up-and-coming competition that will truly take your breath away.
And to kick up the heat another notch, the Vail Valley Foundation is putting the Telemark Big Air competition side-by-side with the Teva Best Trick Bike, where freeride mountain bikers will go big on snow.
Teva Mountain Games is calling it a “dueling trick session,” which no doubt means the tricksters will be pushing the envelope in their respective sports, going bigger and bigger as they draw oohs and aahs from the crowd.
Allie Bruni, one of the Telemark Big Air organizers from Tough Guy Productions, said the top telemark big-air skiers from around the world will be at the event. Tough Guy Productions has invited 10 athletes who will be catapulting themselves over the 60-foot gap, twisting their skis into wild shapes and unimaginable formations, all via their toes.
“It's super cool,” Bruni said. “They've all submitted videos and biographies and they're very worthy. Most of them have placed really well either in big mountain or big air.”
Twenty walk-up skiers will have the chance to compete in a morning qualifying round in which the top five competitors will be chosen for the night session.
The event is special not only because it's part of something larger — the inaugural Winter Teva Mountain Games — but because telemark skiers are the minorities in terrain parks across the United States. When you see a tele skier in the park, though, you know that skier is serious.
“When they're doing it you know they're committed and passionate and really good at what they're doing,” Bruni said. “It's really difficult.”
What is it about telemark skiing that makes it so difficult? Bruni said you're relying on the balls of your feet and your quadriceps muscles to essentially do lunges all the way down the hill.
“It's definitely not for the faint of heart,” Bruni said. “It really takes work and dedication.”
One of the skiers to watch at the competition will be 13-year-old (that's not a typo — he's really 13 years old) Bennett Drummond, who has been ripping up the big-air telemark scene. Bruni said he just “kills it.”
Watching guys like Bennett is how Bruni pretty much defines the sport.
“It's just really creative and it's really beautiful,” she said. “You can jib off rocks, get powder slashes and go back and be really structured with this super aggressive tele turn. … It's challenging. When you do it right, there's a great sense of accomplishment.”
Jeff Lenosky, a Teva Mountain Games athlete and course designer, said the Big Air Bike on the mountain bike side of things will be one of the premier events of the entire weekend and definitely one of the most spectator friendly.
“This is going to be a huge jump, similar to what you'd see snowboarders hitting — 40-50 feet — where the guys come cooking down the trail, hit a big booter into a huge, perfectly groomed landing,” Lenosky said. “That's going to be twilight, under the lights, that's when the guys are going to be throwing down their hardest tricks — they're going to be battling for $10,000.”
You might see some bikers loose control of their front wheels due to ice, or you might see some incredible tricks that seem to defy gravity, and certainly defy the elements, but hey, that's just another day at the Winter Teva Mountain Games.
We've all seen big-air skiing and snowboarding competitions before, and those competitions are spectacular, but telemark big-air skiing is an up-and-coming competition that will truly take your breath away.
And to kick up the heat another notch, the Vail Valley Foundation is putting the Telemark Big Air competition side-by-side with the Teva Best Trick Bike, where freeride mountain bikers will go big on snow.
Teva Mountain Games is calling it a “dueling trick session,” which no doubt means the tricksters will be pushing the envelope in their respective sports, going bigger and bigger as they draw oohs and aahs from the crowd.
Allie Bruni, one of the Telemark Big Air organizers from Tough Guy Productions, said the top telemark big-air skiers from around the world will be at the event. Tough Guy Productions has invited 10 athletes who will be catapulting themselves over the 60-foot gap, twisting their skis into wild shapes and unimaginable formations, all via their toes.
“It's super cool,” Bruni said. “They've all submitted videos and biographies and they're very worthy. Most of them have placed really well either in big mountain or big air.”
Twenty walk-up skiers will have the chance to compete in a morning qualifying round in which the top five competitors will be chosen for the night session.
The event is special not only because it's part of something larger — the inaugural Winter Teva Mountain Games — but because telemark skiers are the minorities in terrain parks across the United States. When you see a tele skier in the park, though, you know that skier is serious.
“When they're doing it you know they're committed and passionate and really good at what they're doing,” Bruni said. “It's really difficult.”
What is it about telemark skiing that makes it so difficult? Bruni said you're relying on the balls of your feet and your quadriceps muscles to essentially do lunges all the way down the hill.
“It's definitely not for the faint of heart,” Bruni said. “It really takes work and dedication.”
One of the skiers to watch at the competition will be 13-year-old (that's not a typo — he's really 13 years old) Bennett Drummond, who has been ripping up the big-air telemark scene. Bruni said he just “kills it.”
Watching guys like Bennett is how Bruni pretty much defines the sport.
“It's just really creative and it's really beautiful,” she said. “You can jib off rocks, get powder slashes and go back and be really structured with this super aggressive tele turn. … It's challenging. When you do it right, there's a great sense of accomplishment.”
Jeff Lenosky, a Teva Mountain Games athlete and course designer, said the Big Air Bike on the mountain bike side of things will be one of the premier events of the entire weekend and definitely one of the most spectator friendly.
“This is going to be a huge jump, similar to what you'd see snowboarders hitting — 40-50 feet — where the guys come cooking down the trail, hit a big booter into a huge, perfectly groomed landing,” Lenosky said. “That's going to be twilight, under the lights, that's when the guys are going to be throwing down their hardest tricks — they're going to be battling for $10,000.”
You might see some bikers loose control of their front wheels due to ice, or you might see some incredible tricks that seem to defy gravity, and certainly defy the elements, but hey, that's just another day at the Winter Teva Mountain Games.
