96 Seiten Telemark-Community: Editorial, Reviews zum FEO & FIS World Cup, neue Produkte 25/26, Portraits von Michael Höhne und Julian Giacomelli, Berichte aus Fonna und Warth-Schröcken — alles als Volltext, durchsuchbar.
The Freeheeler Telemark Week Hintertux '25 marks the start of another special time for the global telemark community. The combination of the Freeheeler Campus, FIS Training Week, the FIS Telemark Sprint and – as the glittering highlight – the FIS Telemark World Cup on Saturday during the Freeheeler European Opening (FEO) makes this week an extraordinary start to the season. It is the moment when tradition, sporting ambition, and a passion for free skiing come together.
As in the past 14 years, the Hintertux Glacier will once again be the meeting place for all those who live and breathe telemark skiing in the winter of 2025/26. Together with the Tuxertal and Lanersbach regions, it provides the ideal setting for a program that is unique in its diversity: evening events in the Lanersbach, high-quality equipment tests, and practical workshops in the snow will take place throughout the last week of November, heralding the first weekend of Advent in the spirit of telemark skiing.
From November 24 to 27, the Freeheeler Campus 2025 will once again offer ambitious telemarkers the opportunity to refine their technique on and off the slopes. Excellent snow conditions and experienced coaches guarantee an inspiring learning environment that will take both experts and advanced skiers to the next level. At the same time, the best FIS athletes are preparing intensively for the competitions as part of the FIS Training Week.
On Friday, November 28, the starting signal will be given for the FIS Telemark Sprint – and after a long break, we can finally celebrate the return of the FIS Telemark World Cup. This is a strong sign of the international importance of this discipline and a celebration for all fans.
Looking back, it is clear that the telemark scene thrives on its encounters and community. Whether at the season start on the Hintertux Glacier, at the spring meetings in Livigno in Italy and Scuol in Switzerland, or at the Fonna Telemark Festival in Norway – everywhere you go, you can feel the enthusiasm that characterizes our sport. Anyone who has experienced this special atmosphere knows that telemark brings people together. The industry is also starting the 25/26 winter season with fresh momentum.
New products are setting exciting trends: Scarpa is launching the TX Comp, a sporty, race-ready boot for experts and anyone who wants to become one. Inwild Outdoor is introducing its new “Simple” binding, while Rip'n Wud is expanding its test contingent and Forestski will be represented with test skis for the first time. The spirit of innovation shows that there is a lot going on in telemark skiing – and this is just the beginning.
We look forward to experiencing a winter full of passion, new ideas, and unforgettable moments together with you. See you soon – and tele ho!
Saison 25/26
Unsere Partner
Skis, Bindungen, Boots und Shops, die das Freeheeler-Magazin und die Community möglich machen — Fjell, Bishop, Rip'n Wud, Forest Skis, Scarpa, GigaGlide, 7tm, Cloud9, Telemark Pyrenees.
Telemark-Equipment kannst du bei 30 Händlern in fünf Ländern kaufen oder leihen. Die Verleih-Spalte zeigt, wo du Skier und Equipment auch tageweise mieten kannst.
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Produktvorstellung
Neue Skis, Boots & Bindungen 25/26
Fjell, Scarpa, 7tm, Inwild, Rip'n Wud, Forestski
12 ausgewählte Highlights der Saison 25/26 — Skier, Boots, Bindungen und Booster Plates der Marken Fjell, Bishop, Rip'n Wud, Scarpa, Telebuddy, 7tm und Rottefella.
Fjell · Ski
Fjell TM2
Fjell TM2 steht für, von Telemark Profis speziell entwickelte, Telemark-Fahrperformance. Dem TM2 wurde ein auf die Telemarktechnik und deren Bindungsperformance abgestimmter Flex verpasst. Die hochwertige Sandwichbauweise „Made in Switzerland" lässt keine Wünsche offen.
Fjell · Ski
Fjell AC3
Dieser Telemark Ski wurde primär für den Einsatz auf der Piste entwickelt. Die langgezogene Spitze verleiht ihm eine grosse Steuertoleranz. AC steht für All Cruise — ein vielseitiger Ski für jeden Schnee, viel Fahrspass und komfortables Skifahren.
Bishop Telemark · Ski
Bishop Gonzo
The Gonzo is everything you have ever wanted in an all-mountain ski. A progressive, full camber twin tip shape is dialed in for ripping carved turns, shredding bumps, playing in the trees, and skiing or landing switch. Made with TELEM-ARC TECHNOLOGY™.
Bishop Telemark · Ski
Bishop Quiver of One
Confidence-inspiring both at the resort and in the backcountry, this ski is your fun-loving all-mountain companion. A versatile shape that handles hardpack, powder, and everything in between.
Rip'n Wud · Ski
Wud Rocker 81
Intermediate / Advanced. Shape 126/81/108 mm, 16.7 m Radius @ 170 cm. Full-length wood-core sandwich construction mit Tip- und Tail-Rocker. Handmade in Italy für Allround-Performance auf und neben der Piste.
Rip'n Wud · Ski
Wud Rocker 87
Intermediate / Advanced / Expert. Shape 133/87/115 mm, 18 m Radius @ 178 cm. Full-length Holzkern, Sandwich-Bauweise mit Tip- und Tail-Rocker — der vielseitige Allmountain-Telemarker für anspruchsvolle Linien.
Scarpa · Boot
Scarpa TX Comp
Die neue Waffe für Telemarker im Rennsport oder allen sportlichen Aktivitäten on- oder offpiste. Sportlich, race-ready, für Experten und alle, die einer werden wollen — Scarpas Antwort auf die FIS-Telemark-Saison 25/26.
Telebuddy · Plates
Telebuddy Booster Plates
Freeride-Skier sind heute deutlich breiter, doch die Bindungs-Befestigungen blieben über Jahrzehnte gleich schmal. Die 80 mm breiten Telebuddy Booster Plates übernehmen die größeren Querkräfte zwischen Ski-Kante und Bindung — spürbar mehr Skikontrolle und Kantendruck.
7tm · Bindung
7tm Power XR
Die 7tm All Mountain war die erste Telemark-Bindung mit Auslösesystem nach DIN/ISO. Die Power XR liefert höchste Performance für Wettkampf, eisige Hänge, hohe Geschwindigkeit und alle Geländearten — dank XR-Federn deutlich aktiveres Fersen-Rückzugssystem.
Rottefella · Bindung
Rottefella NTN Freeride
Die Rottefella Freeride Telemarkbindung ist ein Mix aus Telemark- und Freeridebindung — Einfachheit und Sicherheit einer klassischen Alpinbindung kombiniert mit der nötigen Technik für Fersenfreiheit. Unübertroffene Seitenstabilität und Kantenkontrolle, einstellbarer Flex, seitliche Release-Funktion.
Rottefella · Bindung
Rottefella NTN Freedom
Die Rottefella Freedom ist eine leichte Tourenbindung mit progressivem Widerstand für optimale Leistung unter allen Bedingungen. Walking-Modus, 60° Öffnungswinkel, Steighilfen 35/65 mm, 1.500 g — einfaches und kraftsparendes Aufsteigen.
Bishop Telemark · Bindung
Bishop BMF/3 & BMF/R NTN
ARMAGEDDON-PROOF — Tested, Tried and True. Die Bishop BMF-Familie steht für Robustheit unter härtesten Bedingungen. BMF/3 als Race-/Resort-Setup, BMF/R mit Tour-Mode für lange Aufstiege. Inkl. Brake-Option.
Hintertux
Die Must Do's in Hintertux
Auf der Piste — und abseits davon
ABSEITS DER PISTE Das sportliche Angebot im Tuxertal ist auch abseits der Piste sehr vielfältig.
Dank der hohen Schneesicherheit, die durch die besondere geografische Lage der Ferienregion Tux-Finkenberg garantiert wird, können sich Wintergäste auf unzählige Möglichkeiten freuen. Ob bei einer romantischen Winterwanderung durch die verschneite Bergwelt, beim fröhlichen Rodeln mit Familie und Freunden oder beim genussvollen Langlaufen auf den bestens präparierten Loipen – hier findet jeder seine ganz persönliche Winterlieblingsaktivität.
EVENTS IM TUXERTAL Das Tuxertal ist nicht nur ein Paradies für Wintersportler, sondern auch für alle, die Genuss, Tradition und besondere Veranstaltungen hautnah erleben wollen. Über das ganze Jahr hinweg erwartet die Gäste des Tuxertals ein abwechslungsreiches Eventprogramm, das für jeden Geschmack etwas bereithält. Ob sportliche Highlights wie das Hintertux Park Opening oder das Splitboard Camp, traditionelle Veranstaltungen wie der Almabtrieb oder kulinarische Erlebnisse wie der BBQ-Frühschoppen – im Tuxertal kommt wirklich jeder auf seine Kosten.
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Für Musikliebhaber verwandelt sich das Tal zwischen Jänner und April in eine große Konzertbühne.
zwischen Finkenberg und Hintertux stehen auch in der kommenden Saison auf dem Programm und versprechen unvergessliche Momente unter freiem Himmel.
Naturdenkmal auf 2530 m Höhe
auf 3250 m Höhe
1964 wurde die einmalige Höhle unter Bundesdenkmalschutz gestellt und ist seit 1. Juli 1994 für Besucher geöffnet. Nach der Einkleidung geht es direkt zur Besichtigung und man erfährt interessante Informationen zu der Entstehung dieses beeindruckenden Höhlenteils. Wichtig ist… Keine Platzangst!
Die Wunderwelt aus Eis befindet sich rund 30 m unterhalb der Skipiste im Gletscherinneren und ist ganzjährig geöffnet. Das Naturjuwel wurde durch Zufall von Roman Erler 2007 entdeckt. Im Zuge der Tour kann man u.a. über 10 m lange Eiszapfen, glitzernde Eiskristalle und einen Eissee tief im Bauch des Hintertuxer Gletschers staunen.
Neben perfekten Pisten und einzigartigen Ausflugszielen kommt am Hintertuxer Gletscher auch der kulinarische Hochgenuss nicht zu kurz. Gemütliche Bergrestaurants und urige Hütten sorgen für den perfekten Einkehrschwung nach einem anstrengenden Skitag. Und wer Lust auf ganz besondere Genussmomente hat, auf den wartet in unserer Genussgondel ein Frühstück in luftiger Höher oder eine zünftige Brettljause.
Das Motto am Hintertuxer Gletscher lautet: "Höher ist besser", denn hier beginnt der Winter einfach früher. Hintertux = Wintertux und das spürt man nicht nur bei jedem Schwung auf den top präparierten Pisten, sondern auch bei einem Besuch auf der Panoramaterrasse. Die Aussichtsplattform liegt auf stolzen 3.250 Metern und ist an 365 Tagen im Jahr ohne Anstrengung für jedermann mit dem 'Gletscherbus 3' erreichbar. Hier oben eröffnet sich ein atemberaubendes Panorama – vom Großglockner bis zur Zugspitze – das aus der Vogelperspektive Staunen lässt.
Reviews
Campus · FEO · FIS Races
Rückblick auf die Hintertux Telemark Week
Freeheeler Campus 2025 – Four days full of inspiration, technique, and telemark spirit
After three successful editions, the Freeheeler Campus continues its success story: From November 24 to 27, 2025, the Hintertux Glacier will be transformed into the vibrant center of the international telemark community for the fourth time in a row. Telemark professionals, ski instructors, and trainers from all over Europe and the USA will once again come together to exchange ideas, learn from each other, and further develop the sport together.
The Freeheeler Campus will take place for the third time after 2023 from 25.11. to
Freeheeler originated a few years ago from John Eames' idea of organising a joint coordination
Participants can expect an intensive and inspiring program on the snow: With “Share and Compare” for experienced professionals and “Develop your Skills” for ambitious telemarkers, technique, posture, and dynamics will be honed right at the start of the season. The varied exercises and analysis sessions not only demand stamina and precision—they also ensure that everyone starts the winter with new inspiration and fresh motivation.
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The first meeting three years ago developed into the Freeheeler Campus with participants from Europe
industry insiders as well as further training and education in ski instruction. Together with the subsequent FEO Hintertux and the two FIS Telemark
races with international FIS Telemark training camp, the Freeheeler Telemark Week Hintertux will now
& EVOLVE start of the season from 25 November to 1 December 2024 on the Hintertux Glacier and in
emark customers from 'The Off-piste & Telemark Ski Company', which he has run with his partner
Bonny Masson for over 30 years. John Eames is closely associated with the British Association of Snowsports Instructors, was twice
Telemark Director of the BASI and has been working as a Telemark trainer since 1994 (yes, he has a lot of experience...!) He has also written 2 editions of
A highlight of the camp is traditionally the evening lectures at the Tux Center in Lanersbach. In 2025, participants can look forward to exciting input from internationally renowned telemark personalities, including Ian Johnston (UK), Mike Sharp (USA), Giorgio Daidola (Italy), and Austrian telemark legend Arno Klien. Their experiences, stories, and perspectives offer plenty of food for thought and discussion. Pierre Mouyade from Inwild Outdoor will present his new telemark binding, “Simpll.”
the BASI Telemark Manual. John Eames takes over responsibility as Freeheeler Campus Director and takes care of all relevant matters.
"Simon Everitt, also from the UK, is another longstanding telemark enthusiast who has joined the
round in the Alps and UK. Simon is a Snowsport England Tutor and is the Telemark Members' Representative for BASI."
Just in time for the start of the 2025 telemark season, Mother Nature has transformed the Tux Valley into a winter wonderland and prepared the Hintertux Glacier for a spectacular event: the 25th Freeheeler Telemark Week Hintertux. From the Freeheeler Campus to the FIS Race Camp to the FIS Telemark World Cup, the event promises a week full of action, technique, and community for telemarkers from all over the world. More than 500 participants from Europe and the USA will attend the event and enjoy a varied program.
Workshops for beginners, advanced and professional skiers will be led by international Freeheeler guides and offer the perfect opportunity to refine your own telemark style or get started in the sport. Special highlights include:
Another highlight is the Freeheeler demo at an altitude of 2,600 meters at the Tuxer Fernerhaus, where the latest telemark products can be tested. Among other things, the Scarpa TX Comp telemark boot and the new Inwild Outdoor telemark binding “Simple” will be available. Forrest Ski will also be there for the first time, while Rip'n Wud will provide its complete demoequipment. The highlight of the week is the FIS Telemark World Cup on Saturday, which is back on the program after a long break.
Together with the Freeheeler Campus and the FIS Sprint Race, it offers a unique mix of sporting challenges, technical training, and spectacular competitions.
The Freeheeler Telemark Week Hintertux '25 promises unforgettable moments for all participants – on the slopes of the Hintertux Glacier and in the wintery Tux Valley. A must for all telemark fans who want to experience technique, community, and thrills.
let's go to DANCE... to the Festival Night Party at the "Bergfriedalm"
A spontaneous adventure, a project became reality without many plans and whatever training. We just wanted to do a different trip, something that could gave us emo-tions, those that gift the life, the one that a stays in-delible on heart despite the passage of time.
We already had the idea to reach Hintertux out to make the first turns of the season, Nicole, the crazy mind has the big epiphany: let’s set up the skis on the frame and get there by bicycles.
Me and Lena embrace her, we have no clue about how is going to be but there is already too much energy in the air to back down, it will be terrific.
We set up the bikes with makeshift carrier and we go out that three times by bikes not to get just bike fast, it will be fun; the pics pre trip have as background the Federia Valley and its snowed hillsides, our mega smiles are in the foreground.
We reach our destination by passing from Bolzano, Vipiteno and Innsbruck; our tele-mark mood makes the days bright despite wind, rain and even the snow under we have to cycle.
We have no idea how many km we’ve done, how many kg of equipment we’ve carried, instead we do have memory of something immensely more valuable, the sincere smiles that in many gave us, the laughter and the confidences we made between one km and the other, our friendship became stronger at every turn, our friendship that became stronger, the genuine hospitality of those who offered us a coffee and a bed for the night, the joy to have done a crazy thing, that many wouldn’t have imagined, and not for the sports performance or physical, but for them, those that gift us the life: EMOTIONS.
Because we are made to get emotional, to dream big things, to make plans late in the evening, enthusiastic enough to keeps us up all night, to wake up in the morning looking forward to go on a trip, an adven-ture that can also be around the corner.
The hospitality that Freeheeler organi-zation gifted us has been amazing, got to the destination they’ve hosted us to the event presentation made us feel like home, smiling intrigued in front of our means of transportation on two wheels covered in mud and equipped for the adventure, by complimenting us for the idea, as creative, as bizzarre to do some-thing like that, clapping to our unconscious and adventurous mood.
Because being telemarkers is not just about skiing, it is a life style, being friendly, get involved from other’s enthusiasm, greeting on the slopes and chatting about skis and bindings, snow conditions and that free-heel dance that we all love so much.
Modern skiing arrived in the Alps from Norway at the end of the nineteenth century, thanks to the first ski traverse of Greenland, from east to west, led by Fridriolf Nansen in 1888. Two years later, Nansen published a book on his traverse that became a bestseller all over Europe. The first alpine skiers, like Christophe Iselin in Switzerland and Henri Duhamel in France, discovered skiing by reading this book. They were, of course, “telemarkers” like Nansen.
The most inspired of them was the German Wilhelm Paulcke, who, for his devotion to the norwegian way of skiing, was called the “Nansen of the Alps”. For him, a professor of geology and Dean of the University of Karlsuhe, skiing freeheels was an aesthetic and artistic expression rather than just a sport.
On the cover of his most famous book “Der Skilauf”, published in 1899, 11 years after the Nansen book, we can see an elegant ski jumper into the clouds. It reminds us of the origin of telemark as a style used at the end of a jump. Even now, with the modern jumping techniques, the landing on snow is made with a genuflection. This means that telemark originated more from jumping than from cross-country skiing. As a matter of fact, Sondre Norheim, the inventor of the telemark turn around 1868, was an excellent jumper.
Paulcke was the first, in 1894, to ski freeheels on a 3000-meters peak in Switzerland, the Oberlalpstock. He was also the first to complete with skis a truly challeging ski traverse: the Berner Oberland, in 1897, exactly nine years after the Nansen traverse of Greenland, from whom he got inspiration. Paulcke was also the first to attempt skiing a 4000meters mountain, the Dufour (4634 meters), the highest peak of Monte Rosa. He did it in the same year as the Oberland traverse, during the cold month of December, with Robert Helbling.
The two friends had to stop at 4200 meters because of altitude sickness affecting Helbling, but they could ski freeheels almost all the skiable part of the mountain, from below Silbersattel to Bétemps Hutte.
As all the great skiers, Paulcke had, of course, a great rival. His name was Mathias Zdarsky, the father of the alpine technique. With shorter skis and with the heels almost attached to the skis thanks to a model of binding he designed, Zdarsky developed a new method for skiing downhill. He was not a ski mountaineer like Paulcke; he was just a skier. He said that telemark was a technique for the easy Norvegian slopes, not suitable for the steep slopes of the Alps, unlike his Lilienfelder technique. Among the thousands of students of Zdarsky, you can remember the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph.
Paulcke’s reaction to Zdarsky’s philosophy was very strong. He said that telemark could be used without any problems on difficult and steep slopes; it was just necessary to be a good skier! Paulcke and Zdarsky fought against each other for all their lives. Zdarsky, at last, won the battle because his technique was easier, even if not elegant at all.
The heritage of Zdarsky was first taken by Georg Bilgheri, then by Hannes Schneider, who, with his Alberg technique, make alpine skiing very elegant. The famous movie “The Wonders of skiing” by Arnold Fanck, with Schneider skiing in powder, sealed the success of his technique and relegated telemark to old remembrances of another way to conceive skiing. Telemark was completely forgotten until the Seventies of the twentieth century, when a group of hippie-style skiers in the southwest of Colorado understood how dropping the knees was in harmony with their nonconformist way of living.
Wilhelm Paulcke never betrayed telemark; hence he must be remembered as the real father of freeheeling in the Alps.
Taking inspiration from this great skier and from old photos of my father telemarking in the thirties of the last century, after 40 years of alpine skiing, I felt, at last, mature for trying, in 1982, to free my heels… Why did I do it? Mostly because I was tired of gear and techniques that were becoming more and more sophisticated and of a way of skiing more and more mechanical and artificial. I needed a natural and wild way to live the snow if the goal was to continue to consider skiiing more than a sport.
I tried my first telemark turn on a hidden slope, where nobody could see me because, of course, a ski instructor cannot fall…
It worked perfectly and immediately; it was as easy and natural as a walking turn. What a fantastic feeling! I felt, even if I was not been able to describe it, what some years later, a great skier who is no more with us, explained so well in his book “Free Heel Skiing”: Paul Parker. I felt also what many years later Luca Gasparini, the editor of the Telemark Journal, called “the magic of the knee”.
With soft leather Scarpa boots, Rottefella three-pins binding, long-narrow Tua skis Espresso produced just for the American market, and narrow skins, I started a great season of ski mountaineering in the Alps, together with my best friends skiing with alpine gear: they were astonished about my choice and a little worried about my mental conditions. At last, I was skiing with my body and my mind; skis and boots were simple tools following my best feelings and desires…
My rough telemark improved in 1986 thanks to the Norvegian Morten Aass. Morten became my best instructor and one of my best friends. He was a natural skier; his technique was quite similar to the fine alpine technique of the seventies, with a lot of angulation and anticipation on hard snow, according to the famous “banana” position. We skied together in the fiction movie “The time machine” by Stefano De Benedetti, the famous Italian extreme skier.
In the movie, it is possible to watch the Morten’s first (and, I think, unique) telemark descent of the south wall of Grandes Jorasses, ranked D+, 200 meters of 50-degree slopes, very exposed in the central part, a line that had been skied for the first time by Sylvain Saudan in 1971. Skiing with Morten, I discovered that telemark was the best way for travelling with skis. And now, after thirty years of vagabond skiing all around the world, I have not changed my mind! It is a matter of feeling, not just a matter of adopting simpler equipment and a more natural technique.
In 1988 I made, with Didier Givois, the first telemark descent of an 8000-meters peak, the Shisha Pagma (8013 meters), after having skied in 1986 Mutzagata (7546 meters), then Kedar Dome (6831 meters) and the unknown Bandarpunch (6000 meters). In 1990, I skied Mount Logan (5959 meters), the highest peak of Canada, and in 1991 Mount Vinson (4892 meters), the highest peak of Antarctica. All these marvelous ski trips are described, together with many others, in my book “Ski spirit”.
Now I am aware of being very old, but I will do my best to continue the magic of traveling with my telemark equipment, and I am seriously worried about not having enough time to carry out all my projects! One think is sure: my last telemark spirit looks more and more at my past. And to the elegant tracks of the great telemark skiers who are no longer with us. It will be more and more difficult for me to follow their tracks: the tragedy of the old age is wanting to remain young! The body is born young, but it becomes old, said Oscar Wilde; this is the big problem.
I must prepare myself not to be able anymore to ski up and down even a mountain like Marmolada, which I now consider my perfect mountain.
Marmolada is not far from where I live. The north face is perfect for a great skiing, with plenty of lines that were already well known in the thirties of last century, as we can see and read in the famous and unsurpassed ski-guide of Ettore Castiglioni. Last spring, I skinned to Punta Rocca three times. I hope to continue like this for… the next ten years! Marmolada also allows some wild skiing on her south side. I would like to ski again the steep south side of the famous Forcella!
I will continue to ski my mountain as long as I can, but I must also prepare myself to live my last telemark spirit, that means enjoying making just one turn, but it should be the “perfect turn”. To do this, I should try to describe with my skis a perfect circle, without any drifting, in order to be able ideally to come back to the departure point of the turn. Because, as Bruce Chatwin wrote, to be able to follow the circle means to be able to return to the departure point, to your childhood, to the origin of a passion, and so to live again the best of your life…
A great Italian poet, Andrea Zanzotto, said that going back to your own origin, you never die. You continue to be born, like nature in the fall, which seems to disassemble everything just to create again in the spring....
There is a short slope in front of my house, at almost 1000 meters of altitude. The slope faces north, and hopefully, the snow will last during the coldest months, allowing for a few round turns every day… I want to make those turns slowly, after carefully studying them to perfection. Every day, I will go up and down many times, just as I did when I was a child, without any lift, up and then down… Climbing up will allow me to prepare the track and study the snow to imagine how the perfect turn will feel. Slowness will enhance the pleasure of feeling the rustling of snowflakes under my skis…
I will think of Arne Naess wandering with long wooden skis in the Norwegian forests, I will think of Dolores La Chapelle skiing in the dry powder of Colorado: she was not a telemarker, but she was a great skier nonetheless! Many, many years ago, during the spring 1946, my parents taught me to ski like this. Maybe this is the reason why spring remains, for me, the best season for skiing. I am so grateful to my parents for teaching me the passion for skiing in those magical moments!
Thanks to these few turns, I will be able to relive the best of my ski trips and the spirit of the great ski mountaineers who are no longer with us.
Recently, I also discovered another way to continue living my “ski spirit”: conducting research on the history of the most challenging form of skiing: the steep skiing. The title of my new book, on which I have worked for the last three years, is “No fall lines”. While writing this new book, I had a great surprise: Wilhelm Paulcke was right! “If you are a good freeheeler,” he said, “you can also ski very steep slopes!”
I already mentioned that Morten Aass skied freeheel on the south face of the Grandes Jorasses for the movie “The time machine”. Let’s now add that a legend of extreme skiing, Anselme Baud, also skied freeheel on the famous Spencer couloir. The Spencer couloir was another of the first steep lines opened with alpine gear by Sylvain Saudan in 1967: no less than 50º over 250 vertical meters, highly exposed, rated D in Anselme’s guidebook “Mont Blanc et Aiguilles Rouges à ski”.
At the end of the nineteenth century, another great telemark skier, John Falkiner, skied freeheels down the Marinelli couloir, a very steep and exposed long line (1800 vertical meters) on the east face of Monte Rosa. Another legend of steep freeheel skiing is the alpine guide Christian Gobbi, who lives in the Sesia Valley and is known for his modesty. Christian skied Marinelli many times, as well as the Lyskamm north wall and the challenging north wall of Breithorn, following the Supersaxo route, with slopes reaching 60º in some parts.
These incredible performances were accomplished with 75 mm bindings and Tua Ski 65 mm wide…
During the same years, Paolino Tassi, an alpine guide of Cortina and a “certified telemark addicted”, skied the famous couloir Vallençant on the north of Mount Cristallo (also called the Priest couloir) and the Staunies, using threepins binding. With more modern equipments, in 1994 Paolino also skied the famous couloir Travignolo in the Pale di San Martino group. He was with the Italian climber Manolo, who is also a very good telemarker.
The French skier Michel Azabant skied freeheels on many famous couloirs of the Ecrins, Queyras, and the wild mountains of the Ubaye. One of his most challenging lines was the Couloir du Coup de Sabre, He also skied the classic Couloir Davin from Monetier les Bains, which was first skied by the famous mountain guide André Giraud in the sixties.
I also discovered that two Norvegian friends, Eiliv Ruud and Christian Schou, were passionate telemark ski bums in Chamonix at the beginning of the new century. In 2002, they skied , with 75 mm binding, the famous Mallory line and the challenging north side of Col du Plan. These performances truly pushed the limits… As did the performance of Rick Wyatt, who, in 1982, skied freeheel on the famous Bill Brig line on Grand Teton, in Wyomimg…
Let’s end with the first descent of Mount St. Elias (5489 meters) in the Canadian Jukon, which must be remembered as one of the most extraordinary telemark achievements. It was accomplished in May 2000 by four young Colorado hippy-style freeheelers: James Bracken, Doug Byerly, Lorne Glick and Andy Ward.
Unsuppoted, with old lightweight skis, three-pins bindings with cables, 25 kg packs, and no possibility of rescue, they completed this incredibly difficult performance, facing wild, exposed icy steep slopes on the long ridge and the adrenaline-inducing 60º, 1000 meters wall of the Mira face… Five thousand vertical meters down to the Pacific ocean. They did this exactly 103 years after the famous first ascent of Mount St. Elias, led by the Duke of Abruzzi, starting from Yakutat bay in 1897. No articles, no books describe it. Just ten lines in the American Alpine Journal.
Something very different from the commercial and false ski performance on St. Elias with alpine gear in 2007, sponsored by Red Bull…
BregenzerTeleWald
Telemarken verbindet — Warth-Schröcken
24.–25.01.2026
Freut euch auf den BregenzerTeleWald (24.01.-25.01.2026)
In dieser Januarwoche wartet wieder ein aufregendes Event auf uns: der Bregenzer TeleWald!
Ein wunderbares Treffen von alten Bekannten und vielen Neuzugängen.
Safe the Date 24.01. - 25.01.2026 Skigebiet Warth-Schröcken
Gemeinsam mit vier Parteien (SSV, DAV, Tannberger Telemarker und Telemark Plus), sowie Unterstützung tFreeheeler und tatkräftiger zahlreicher freiwilliger Helfer, schaffen wir es, zwischen 100 und 150 Telemark-Begeisterten ein wunderschönes Wo-chenende zu bereiten.
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Fortbildung Ski-Alpin, Telemark für Ein-/Umsteiger, Kurspaket
In der Testival Area am Salober Jet könnt ihr euch für Workshops anmelden, die von den Guides der Tannberger Telemarker geleitet werden, und die neueste Telemark NTN Ausrüstung am Freeheeler Stand testen. Wir starten Freitagabend mit einer gemütlichen Brotzeit in der urigen DAV Hütte der Sektion Überlingen in Au, bevor am Samstag der richtige Skitag beginnt. Eine Fülle an Kursen erwartet die Teilnehmer, angeleitet von Ausbildern des Bundeslehrteams Telemark, des SSV, des BSV, und DSV Skilehrern.
Egal, ob Freeride-Gruppen,FortgeschrittenenKurse, oder „Umsteiger“-Kurse,mit „Hybrid“Gruppen für alle Könnens-Stufen kann jeder Teilnehmer die passende Gruppe für sich finden. Auch 2026 wird es drei kindgerechte Gruppen geben, um sowohl Neulingen als auch erfahrenen Kindern und Rennläufern gerecht zu werden. Am Samstag fahren wir gemeinsam mit dem Reisebus nach WarthSchröcken zur Saloberbahn, wo aktuelles Leih-Material für uns bereit steht. Die Pisten und der Powder warten auf uns, neue Freundschaften werden gepflegt und die Telemark-Technik wird verbessert.
Der Tag endet mit einer geselligen Abfahrt zum Holzschopf, einer kleinen Après-Ski Hütte auf halbem Weg zurück, wo wir uns mit heißer Schokolade und Punsch erholen, bevor es dann ein leckeres Abendessenauf der Hütte gibt. Am Sonntag verbringen wir noch einen großartigen Schneetag, der mit einem LastRun endet, bei dem sich alle Teilnehmer in einem wilden Farbenmix die Piste hinunterstürzen.
Meldet euch jetzt unter www.BregenzerTeleWald.de an, die Übernachtungsplätze auf der Hütte sind begrenzt und heiß begehrt! Wer zuerst kommt, ist dabei! Wir freuen uns auf euch!
“Per!! – this have been the best FONNA Telemark Camp Experience Ever!!”
Colin Stone burst out, after returning to camp site from his 3rd FONNA Sunset Tour. He has experienced them all.
As rear the Sunset Tour conditions klick with the camp dates, as rear FONNA Telemark Camp this year turned out to be.
Despite the tragic backdrop with a bankrupt ski resort, not able to rice and join all new snow crystals in time to bread life in the lift. Pulling the foundation away from the local and global summer training arena. 24 Telemark skiers from 6 nations joined the camp, with same strong attitude as every year. Well, aware they must earn every turn themselves.
Even if there was no possibility to hold Telemark courses off different levels this year, keeping the kids families and active training youth away, Per Ståle Grude and his crew organized a campsite at Folgefonn Hytte & Gardscamping with same atmosphere and hospitality as always.
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Shifting wetter did not put any limits to the will and persistence to get some spring corn telemark turns harvested every day. Saturday was the bluebird day we all dream of, creating views as we tour the FONNA Glacier, pulling our feet forward by ease and profound joy. Paying off with totally untracked butter sweet non sticking slush snow for all Telemark turns skiing down.
Great moments around the grill in the afternoon.
Laughter and guitar riffs under the tent, around the firepan, during the evening. Bringing all closer together exchanging impression from the tour and turns of the day – or in life in general. Happiness infected all! Best Ever! A pure telemark touring camp will be planed for FONNA Telemark Camp 2026.
Scuol Free Spirit Telemark Event 2026 03. bis 06. April 2026 Motta Naluns, Scuol
Scuol lädt erneut zum Free Spirit Telemark Event in die Schweizer Alpen ein Vom 03. bis 06. April 2026 verwandelt sich das Ski-Gebiet Motta Naluns in Scuol wieder in ein Mekka für Telemark-Skifahrer:innen aus dem Alpenraum. Das „Scuol Free Spirit Telemark Festival“, das gemeinsam von Christian Ambrus und Richard Schürf vom Freeheeler organisiert wird, hat sich über die Jahre zu einem der Höhepunkte im Winterkalender entwickelt.
Das Festival versteht sich weit mehr als nur als Sportveranstaltung: Es ist eine Feier der Gemeinschaft, der Leidenschaft für den Telemark-Sport und der einzigartigen Natur der Schweizer Alpen. Neben spannenden Testivals und Workshops bietet das Programm auch gesellige Abende, bei denen sich Teilnehmer:innen aller Erfahrungsstufen austauschen und vernetzen können.
Telemark-Skifahren ist für viele weit mehr als ein Hobby. Es verkörpert einen Lebensstil, der auf Werten wie Freiheit, Nachhaltigkeit, Individualismus und Umweltbewusstsein basiert. Telemarker:innen aus aller Welt verbinden sportliche Professionalität mit einem hohen Bewusstsein für ihre Umwelt. Für sie ist der Sport nicht nur körperliche Betätigung, sondern auch Ausdruck von Lebensfreude, Respekt vor der Natur und tief verwurzelter Tradition.
„Telemark ist ein Gefühl, ein Seinszustand“, erklärt Ambrus. „Es geht darum, sich mit der Natur zu verbinden, Abenteuer zu erleben und Teil einer globalen Gemeinschaft von Gleichgesinnten zu sein.“ Mit seiner Mischung aus Sport, Kultur und Lebensstil bietet das Scuol Free Spirit Telemark Event Teilnehmer:innen die Möglichkeit, die Faszination Telemark hautnah zu erleben – und gleichzeitig in eine enge, leidenschaftliche Gemeinschaft einzutauchen, die diesen einzigartigen Wintersport lebt.
Übrigens, planen wir während des Scuol Free Spirit Telemark Festival über Ostern auch die erstmals im Engadin die Schweizer Telemarkmeisterschaften abzuhalten. Weitere Infos dazu, gibt es dann in der nächsten Freeheeler Ausgabe.
Besondere Highlights des EVENTS
Testen Sie die neuesten TelemarkAusrüstungen.
Treffen Sie Gleichgesinnte und genießen Sie aktuelle Telemark-Videos.
Lernen Sie von den Profis und verbessern Sie Ihre Technik.
Feiern Sie in der Après-Ski-Bar Marmotta und im Scuol Palace.
Die Alpetta bietet die perfekte Kulisse für unser Event.
Verkleiden Sie sich und haben Sie Spaß bei unserem speziellen Tag.
Zugang zu einem Netzwerk von Sportbegeisterten und Influencern.
Freeride oder Plausch Rennen: Nehmen Sie an spannenden Rennen teil.
PLIEMAS 2026 di PLIEMAS 2026 (La Skieda) to 09 - 12 April
Here’s what Telemark Team Livigno has in store: • Telemark workshops led by skilled instructors • Telemark gear testing featuring the latest equipment from top brands • Exciting races and friendly competitions on the slopes
• Après-ski gatherings land live music events • Group outings and scenic tours Mark your calendars and get ready for Pliemas 2026!
Another edition of Pliemas, the Telemark Festival in Livigno (So), has come to an end and set a new visitor record!
I had four great days at Pliemas.
Grazie Mille to the best team of Pliemas: Giorgio Riva from Saliinvetta Congratulations to the guys from Telemark Team Livigno, who, with great commitment and passion, keep alive one of the telemark gatherings, the famous free-heel skiing, which has been a reference point for many fans of this dis-cipline here in Livigno for years.
Pliemas is a brand new, young, and entertaining event that will continue to reach ever higher goals with the cheerful and natural style that has always characterized Telemarkers!
Pliemas 2025 officially began on April 2 with a wonderful welcome party at Bar Engadina.
On this special evening, the first telemark skiers, who had come to Livigno (So) from all over Italy and abroad, had the opportunity to see each other again and greet each other, perhaps even after several years :)
On Thursday, April 3 the first Telemark day officially began with a sunny and warm day on the snow of Mottolino, a ski area that is part of the beautiful Livigno ski resort!
After an entertaining morning of telemark exercises together, we met at 12:00 noon at Planel dal Ghet, right on the ski slopes, for a fantastic lunch!I used my Black Crows ORB with Cross Tip 1. TeleAlp binding, which is also perfect for fun skiing on the slopes!
Jazz music and a festive atmosphere, combined with the fantastic panorama of Little Tibet, made the experience truly exciting!!
The day ended with a fun jeans party at the Scuola Sci Centrale di Livigno ski school, followed by a great barbecue, night skiing on the floodlit slo-pes of Livigno, and a finale at the Bivio Club for a great party night!
We would like to remind you that special conditions apply to all accredited persons for the events and evening events.
On Friday, April 4 we drove to the Carosello 3000 ski resort, more specifically to ski lift 66.
Amerikan, where “In and Out, Win your drink!” took place at 10:00 a.m. An entertaining test of skill for all Pliemas-accredited telemarkers, with a drink to be won and fun to be had in the Livigno ski resort!
Photo by Paolo Galeazzi (Nacio)
Saturday, April 5 welcome to the weekend in the snow at Carosello 3000 & Sitas Ski Area!
A whole day of skiing in good company, with excellent spring snow, absolutely perfect for telemark, and ending the day at Plaza Placheda with an aperitif at 5:00 p.m., a pasta party dinner attended by the entire Pliemas team, followed by live music and a party with group dancing :)
The day got off to a lively start with the Pliemas Game, a series of skill tests for all Pliemas telemarkers, with free start from 9:30 a.m. From 12:30 to 1:00 p.m., lunch at the beautiful Tea Borch, with an award ceremony and party! The day ended with a wonderful evening of music at Marcos Pub!
Sunday, April 6 the last day of Pliemas! With a gathering in the snow at Mottolino.
The Sunday that marked the official end of this wonderful edition of Pliemas ended with Trepallina, the famous festival in Livigno that has been attracting numerous telemark skiers from all over the world for years!
Perfect snow conditions in the Mottolino ski area, bright sunshine, and pleasant temperatures! The ideal con-ditions for a wonderful day of telemark skiing!
Lunch at the Trepallina with the young people of the “Gioventù di Trepalle,” who made this wonderful.
For all ski touring enthusiasts
PLIEMAS 2026 The Pliemas event offered the opportunity to take part in fantastic excursions with Livigno mountain guides to discover the surroundings of Livigno and the pristine slopes covered in fresh snow, ideal for skiing with free heel support.
The Kreuzspitze TeleAlp binding is ideal for ski touring!
Extremely light on the ascent and absolutely powerful on the descent! Discover it here.
Finally, there were also stands with telemark equipment on Plaza Placheda! Among them was the Freeheeler Telemark stand with the indispensable Richard Schürf, who is always at the forefront of promoting and organizing telemark events.
Pliemas 2025 has come to an end in the best possible way, but now it's already time to look forward to the new edition in 2026 :)
Be sure to follow the social media pages of Pliemas and Telemark Team Livigno, as well as the calendar section of our website Saliinvetta!
Here you will find a preview with all the details about the next edition, which promises to be more fun than ever and is just waiting for you :)
Visit the website and register for the next edition right away
Portrait
Michael Höhne — Unser Mann hinter der Kamera
In the Search of Freedom in the Snow
Passions are strange, you can't explain them, children like lots of things: animals, trains and some skiing. And some of them go telemark skiing later on.
I've been skiing since I was two. Shortly after going: there were these skis under the tree.
The Beginnings With the Dammkar in Mittenwald, I developed a passion for enjoying nature, away from the lifts and the hustle and bustle. The obstacle of avalanche awareness was overcome with a few courses. To catch the right day, you had to watch the weather. If the Dammkar was "full" of snow and it could be assumed that the avalanche danger had stabilized after the blasting and had been cleared for the descent by the avalanche commission, nothing could stop me and I had to be on the spot.
With the first gondola, through the 500m long tunnel with the approx. 40 other aspirants, rushing frantically with my ski boots to the steel shutter at the end, which would then spit you into the white happiness. Then this gigantic scenic descent. A magical place, like a giant playground for adults! - But the whole thing was more than just a "simple" descent. It required planning and flair as well as some skill. After my first day in the Dammkar, it was clear that from then on I only wanted to go offpiste.
Freeriding On my mother's side, my grandfather had put my family through a tough school of skiing. Grandpa himself, who had traveled from Graz partly by train and his Kandahar skis, by bike and train to the Dachstein for "touring skiing", shooed his children (my mother and uncle) up the slope next to a T-bar lift. This spirit - of a tight regiment - was also inherent in my ski education. Although the lift was in operation, there were no bad conditions. We skied from the first chair until the last chair was unhooked behind us.
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It was lucky to have a family who financed the sport. And it was also lucky to meet friends who were just as connected to the white element. As teenagers, we skied from and especially next to all kinds of slopes in the Tyrolean countryside.
When I started my studies, I got to know these people - they went ski touring! - It was far removed from me at the time.
It was questionable to swap the comfort of the lifts and the sheer endless downhill fun for a slog up the mountain.
In the meantime, the time is far away from me, riding the lifts even with 10,00m of descent or more in one day, like a hamster wheel, usually only 1.5 hours of descent. Of course, tracking new deep snow from the area is great. Especially when there's snow in April or May and you can only get the last powder from high up on the glacier - after two hours the fun is quickly over - it's all a process.
Skitouring I began to enjoy touring more and more. There was no lack of piste tours, but mainly as training after work, but also to enjoy moments in nature. There were always sections away from the slopes. I often went to the Kreuzeckhaus on Thursday evenings after work. One night in the empty camp while the shared rooms were occupied, out onto the Alpspitze before breakfast and then back home to the city. The whole thing came to a head when hundreds of people used the slopes at night and destroyed the snowcats work.
The sound of chattering and the clattering of thin skis from ambitious Dynafit greyhounds shattered the peace of the night. In 2013, we couldn't find our car in the parking lot after an evening tour. A chain of lights rushed up the mountain. After a change of tenant and increasing disputes, even threats, with van drivers, the chapter of evening ski tours in Garmisch seemed to be closed.
Freeing the Heels It was before that, when I had said goodbye to alpine skiing. At some point, the challenge in alpine skiing was missing here. I always looked after the telemark skiers gliding elegantly through the snow. After a few consultations, a 22Design binding was fitted to my Völkl Mantra. A friend who was setting up a telemark school in the Allgäu taught me for two hours on the Pitztal glacier and I was certain: an alpine binding would no longer touch my heel.
Old destinations, such as the Langkofelscharte and the Val Scura, which were impossible to ski due to avalanche danger or other adversities when I was there, were clearly to be "conquered" in the telemark discipline. What went ahead first, however, were countless images of me upside down in the snow, my telemark skis clattering down. My back muscles were also rebuilt; I hadn't had to dig myself out of deep snow for a long time. The feeling of someone hammering a nail into your thigh was groundbreaking, especially in the first year.
But a clear indication: now you're in the right position, not too far forward and not too far back. - It took two years before I was able to move around the terrain with some confidence. The feeling at night after the downhill days stayed with me for almost ten years: I would lie in bed and still feel the gentle glide through the snow - it was wonderful. There is something very meditative about telemarking: You don't just shift your weight from one ski to the other. You find your center and the skis swing out underneath you.
The technique and style are always individual and adapted to the terrain. Sometimes it's like a dance, sometimes in small or large turns, sometimes drifting but always gliding.
I was able to cross the Sassolungo off my bucket list after five years - I happened to be there completely alone - a moment when I felt like the king of the world. Years later, I took the tour almost in similar solitude "en passant" with a friend and an open pair of ski boots on the side. The urge "even more, even wilder" was always more prominent. Not without enjoying the "little tours", too.
Dropping into the Telemark Scene As luck would have it, I got a job as a drone pilot for Freeheeler magazine. From then on, I kept getting assignments and became more familiar with the scene and a social media creator for freeheeler.eu.
The kick-off in Hintertux at the end of November in particular brought numerous contacts. Various experiences were shared during the evening talks and film presentations. From skiing in Iceland, with 2.2m skis in Nepal in the 80s shot on 16mm film, to heliskiing in New Zealand, everything was there. After I, too, had created numerous reels of the athletes in the scene, sometimes skiing backwards with the film camera, I was impressed. - As a cameraman, I've always found that the performance of the people behind the camera often goes unappreciated.
The descent and ascent take place in the same terrain, with more weight, focusing on the right thing, often a few meters off the ideal line with one foot above the abyss.
The scene also makes it clear to me that it was not unusual to travel to foreign places just to ski. A trend that nobody questions today.
Traveling for Skiing The motive of seeing a church, a city in a distant country was replaced. Traveling to distant places for the sake of skiing (or better telemark skiing became increasingly popular, a trend that no one questions today. Heliskiing in the Caucasus was a dream for my A-levels in '98 and today I see celebrities and friends on skis on peaks all over the world on Instagram.
The pioneering spirit that my grandfather still enjoyed when he climbed the Dachstein without a lift, GPS or Goretex has long since been lost. We know that many people have already done these tours.
Everything is described in great detail, you are looked after, cared for and feel safe.
Somehow I wanted to get off this mainstream wave. So I took every opportunity to ski downhill. A narrow gully here, a slope without a summit there. I fulfilled my big dreams of skiing down La Grave, Whistler, or at the solstice in Fonna (Norway or on a lonely Japanese volcanic island, often alone, seizing the moment. Of course, there were always downhill highlights. When traveling for telemark skiing, the adventure was extended even further:
In Hokkaido, I took a rental car across the island, Nisseko, Asahidake and Sounkyo. On the way to the ferry to Rishiri, the answer to the question of what the arrows above the road were for came unexpectedly. - A spontaneous snowstorm simply wiped out the road. So we glided through the light powder in our small car, always following the arrows to avoid leaving the road. Google gave me another treat on this trip. The route to the ferry from Sounkyo was calculated using the "German" highway driving style without adhering to the local speed limits.
The sat nav in the car didn't show 2.5 hours as expected, but 4.5. Due to the (anticipated) snowstorm, the ferry in the afternoon would be the last ferry for a few days. So all we could do was keep up the speed and follow the arrows. When I arrived at Rishiri, I knew I had reached the destination of my dreams. Signs were also in Cyrillic, it felt like I was in Siberia and the storm was doing its job. As if the island was sinking into the snow.
Snowed in for at least a few days.
Another highlight was the first ascent of the south side of Chimborazo in Ecuador below the Cumbre Politéncia glacier break. I was there with a group of researchers from TUM who were taking measurements on the glacier. On my day off, I used the time to make my an ascent - in 11 hours I reached the end of the ideally inclined slope (approx. 45 degrees)
under an icefall. When I got through with the radio message: the eagle beetle is leaving the nest. Then I sent it. In the upper part of the slope, I partly took off with the turns due to the lateral gradient - it was like flying.
The team down below was cheering me on over the radio and everyone was happy with me about the successful first descent.
The lesson of this skiing adventure in Ecuador was clear: my blood vessels had a problem with the altitude. I suffered from altitude sickness on further attempts to climb these mountain giants.
What I didn't know at the time was that this was a manifestation of another illness.
Telemark as a Life Attitude What would my life have been like without Telemark and skiing? Much of my joy in life came from gliding through these frozen crystalline waters. Winter was my best friend. Even in summer, I always had a pair of touring skis ready in my van. No matter where I was, whether at home in Bavaria, in Portugal, Greece or anywhere else, there was always an opportunity to go skiing. - I usually had two systems with me to be on the safe side (75mm and NTN) in case something broke. There were years when not a month went by without skiing.
In a strange way, following an inexplicable urge, I ticked off a highlight and started a new project: New World down alone Igelskopf opposite, now also on "my bucket list".
Of course, it was also about respect: I was particularly astonished in Albania and Greece when I traveled there in May after a trip through the Western Alps with my ski bag by ferry to Valbona, which was still quite snow-covered. I also reached my return flight from Corfu by boat and the customs officials there were wide-eyed when I went ashore with my ski bag containing various skis. They kept asking me what I had in the long bag, sometimes I replied "my ex-wife" or "cigarettes & alcohol". Nobody asked me to open the bag.
Now you, dear reader, surely also have the feeling that I have "dropped" my travels and experiences here. And I say yes, I have, I am also proud of my experiences.
But what I have also learned is that experiencing nature is something essential, transcendent and meaningful at the same time. As already mentioned, I am no longer able to let off steam as I once did. Other moments now delight me; at the moment I am traveling below the tree line and yet not on the paths of the "others". Telemark, there's a bit of irony in there too, is just a state of mind. It's probably a combination of wanting to set yourself apart and also taking on a tough school - mastering the challenge.
Because if you take up the telemark journey, you first have to get off the throne, you can't get into the binding and jump oneeighty-switch into the deep snow and rip the fat lines. On the other hand, where would my spirit have driven me, into further risk? I'm grateful that fate has been kind to me on all my tours - sometimes I've just been lucky.
What else remains? - Togetherness, especially sharing experiences (not on social media) with friends, is something incredibly beautiful. Being in "good company" like at the freeheeler.eu events, sharing beautiful moments with others and being connected.
Now I enjoy these moments, when late in spring or early in fall the snow covers the rugged alpine rocks, it is still green below and I can sit on a bench at the "beautiful view1". I love looking at the mountains. They are like a campfire, you always see something new. Of course, that voice does come up: You could probably ski down there.
Horsingaround Hausberg Garmisch Slopes
Telemark in June, Ahornboden
About the author: Dr. Michael Höhne was born in Munich in 1980.
He works for the Technical University of Munich and is responsible for the use of new technologies in everyday teaching at ProLehre.
He currently lives in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
He wrote his doctoral thesis: "Tourism and Experiencing Nature"
An Empirical Study in Hawaii and the English Garden.
In social media he is known as Grieg Vargas.
Portrait
Julian Giacomelli
Von Livigno zu den Gipfeln der Dolomiten
Julian Giacomelli Von den Skipisten Livignos zu den Gipfeln der Dolomiten In der klaren Luft der Dolomiten, wo sich majestätische Gipfel gegen den Himmel recken, lebt und wirkt Julian Giacomelli – Bergführer, staatlich geprüfter Skilehrer und Telemark-Experte. Geboren am 26. Juni 1990 in München, aufgewachsen im hochalpinen Livigno, ist Julian ein echtes Kind der Berge. Heute lebt er mit seiner Frau und seinen beiden Kindern in Toblach, einem Ort, der für ihn nicht nur Heimat, sondern auch Ausgangspunkt für unzählige alpine Abenteuer ist.
„In den Bergen zu sein gibt mir Freude und Dankbarkeit – das möchte ich weitergeben“, sagt Julian. Dieser Leitsatz zieht sich wie eine Spur im frischen Pulverschnee durch sein Leben. Seine Karriere begann 2014 mit der Ausbildung zum Skilehrer, es folgte 2019 der Schritt zum TelemarkAusbilder. Im Herbst 2022 erfüllte er sich schließlich einen langgehegten Traum: die Qualifikation zum staatlich geprüften Bergführer. Seitdem begleitet er Gäste sicher durch Fels, Eis und Schnee.
Mehr als Technik: Eine Philosophie des Unterwegsseins Telemark-Skiing ist mehr als nur eine Disziplin – für Julian ist es eine Form der Bewegung, die Körper und Geist herausfordert. Mit Eleganz, Präzision und einem tiefen Verständnis für Schnee und Gelände vermittelt er seinen Gästen ein unvergleichliches Fahrgefühl. Dabei geht es nicht um Geschwindigkeit oder Leistung, sondern um das Erleben: „Verliebe dich in die Berge und erkunde jeden Winkel“, lädt er ein.
Sein Wissen über alpine Gefahren, Wetterbedingungen und Tourenplanung macht ihn zu einem verlässlichen Begleiter – egal ob auf steilen Firnhängen, bei anspruchsvollen Skidurchquerungen oder beim Klettern im hochalpinen Gelände. Doch was ihn besonders macht, ist seine Leidenschaft: authentisch, geerdet und stets auf der Suche nach dem nächsten unvergesslichen Moment in der Natur.
Ein Leben für die Berge – und mit Euch Wer mit Julian unterwegs ist, spürt schnell, dass hier kein gewöhnlicher Guide am Werk ist. Seine alpine Kompetenz verbindet sich mit einer tiefen Liebe zur Natur und einem feinen Gespür für Menschen. Er motiviert, fordert heraus – und schafft Räume für Erlebnisse, die lange in Erinnerung bleiben. Ob Ihr von Eurem ersten Telemark-Schwung träumt, eine Hochtour wagen oder einfach nur die stille Schönheit der Berge erleben möchtet -– Julian Giacomelli -– ist der richtige Ansprechpartner. Mit ihm wird jede Tour zur Entdeckungsreise.
Zitat: „Macht Euch bereit für einige Bergabenteuer mit mir, Eurer erfahrener Begleiter bei der Erkundung der aufregendsten Gipfel.“
The FIS Telemark World Cup 2025/ 26 started for the first time in Italy on December 19 and 20, 2025 and the Telemark World Cup entourage traveled to snowcovered Pinzolo - Madonna di Campiglio in Trentio. The organizers, supported by a strong local organization team, helpers from Germany and the Telemark team Poeti Dei Monti, built a perfect racecourse in the ski area below the Doss del Sabion and thus created optimal racing conditions for the athletes.
The FIS Telemark World Cup opener was flanked by the Telemark & Food Experience and was characterized by a captivating mix of Italian culture, joy and competetive spirit, creating a unique family atmosphere.
FIS TELEMARK WORLD CUP 20.-21. December 2025 PINZOLO
For the 3rd time, two Telemark World Cup sprint races will be held in Pinzolo from 20-21.
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December 2025 on the slopes of the „Ski Area Madonna di Campiglio“.
The world's best FIS Telemark athletes will open the FIS TeCup lemark World season 25/26 in Pinzolo and determine their winners in exciting Telemark sprint races.
Telemark is the origin of skiing and was developed in 1886 by Sondre Norheim in Morgadal from a means of transportation to a piece of sports equipment for ascents and descents in the mountains, in which only the tips of the boots are fixed to the skis with a binding.
The skier kneels on the ski on the inside of the turn by lifting the heel of the rear foot and pushing the downhill ski forwards.
The American piste rescuers in Crested Butte rediscovered the telemark turn in the 1970s and then brought it back to Europe in the Alps.
During the FIS Telemark World Cup Opening there is the opportunity to test the latest telemark equipment free of charge at the finish area.
Thursday, December 18 Training sessions
Friday, December 19 8:45 AM - 9:30 AM: Athlete inspection of the course .
9:30 AM: Opening of the sponsor and spectator village, with entertainment.
10.00 AM: Start of Telemark World Cup races - first heat.
12.00 PM: Start of Telemark World Cup races - second heat.
3:00 PM: Post-race celebration and entertainment for all .
5:30 PM: Parade through the streets of Pinzolo and Ca-rera Square, featuring the opening ceremony and first-day awards.
Saturday, December 20 8:45 AM - 9:30 AM: Athlete inspection of the course .
9:30 AM: Opening of the sponsor and spectator village, with entertainment .
10.00am: Start of Telemark World Cup races - first heat .
12.00pm: Start of Telemark World Cup races – second heat
Awards ceremony on the ski slopes.
6:30 PM: End-of-the-event party and aperitif dinner with live music.
TELEMARK & FOOD EXPERIENCE WC (World Cup)
December 18.-20.2025 T&F (Telemark & Food) December 19.-21.2025
Event Details: Thursday 18: WC practice runs Friday 19: WC 1st race: 10:00 AM 1st run, 12:30 PM 2nd run. Followed at 5:30 PM by prize-giving ceremony in the village with parade and band. Saturday 20: WC 2nd day: 10:00 AM 1st run, 12:30 PM 2nd run. Followed at 2:30 PM by prize-giving ceremony at Cioca refuge with live music.
Telemark & Food Experience Friday, December 19 • 9:30 AM / 10:00 AM: Meeting at Malga Cioca, group ski run • 12:30 PM: Discounted lunch at Malga Cioca • 5:30 PM: Parade with athletes and band to Piazza Carrea • 7:00 PM: "Apericena" (appetizer buffet dinner) with live music at Bar Nazionale.
Saturday, December 20 • 9:30 AM / 10:00 AM: Meeting at Malga Cioca, group ski run • 12:30 PM: Discounted lunch at Malga Cioca with live music • 2:30 PM: Athletes' prize-giving ceremony • 4:30 PM: Aperitif at Bar Yeti • 7:00 PM: Dinner with the athletes at Bar Yeti • 9:00 PM: Disco at Bar Yeti Sunday, December 21 • 9:30 AM / 10:00 AM: Meeting at Malga Cioca, group ski run • 12:30 PM: Farewell Brunch at DOSS Alpine Style Refuge INFORMATION & BOOKING: +39 335215915 Page: www.campigliodolomiti.it EVERY DAY IT'S POSSIBLE TO TRY OUT TELEMARK EQUIPMENT AT THE FREEHEELER STAND LOCATED AT THE ARRIVAL OF THE TULOT GONDOLA.
Ski 156 kilometers (97 mi) of interconnected runs across the three ski areas of Madonna di Campiglio, Pinzolo and Folgarida-Marilleva.
Fun and competitions on the area’s hottest slopes and runs are waiting for you.
THE SKIAREA IN NUMBERS: - 156 km (97 mi) of interconnected runs - 1 ski pass for the entire area - 108 runs - 4 snow parks - 59 lifts - 95% of runs served by artificial snow systems - 850-2500 m (2800-8200 ft), the altitude of the ski area
NOT TO BE MISSED: Canalone Miramonti: the World Cup run. Tulot Audi slope: the black-diamond Doss del Sabion run Schumacher Streif: the ski area’s secondsteepest descent Amazzonia: a great classic, a blackdiamond to get the blood pumping DoloMitica: the longest run, steeper and with a greater elevation loss Ursus Snow Park: the Alps’ best terrain park
THE 5 THINGS TO DO HERE: 1. Ski at dawn with Trentino Ski Sunrise 2. Cocktails at sunset and night skiing with Sunset Ski 3. Ski mountaineering beneath the stars along dedicated runs: Grostè and Pradalago 4. Panoramic sledding down the Monte Spinale sled run 5. Dinner on the slopes with a snowcat ride to the lodge
THE EVENT WITHIN THE EVENT: TELEMARK & FOOD EXPERIENCE
Information & Booking: 00 39 335 215915
Telemark and good food are the stars on the slopes!
In the north of Italy, in western Trentino, in Pinzolo, three days full of culinary delights await you on the slopes of the Skiarea Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta from December 19 to 21, 2025. The “Telemark & Food Experience” event in combination with the Italian FIS Telemark Worldcup Opening will focus on telemark skiing, a special technique that is considered to be the origin of skiing, good food with slow food made from local products, music and lots of fun.
Together with the friends of “Poeti dei Monti - Telemark Klub”, the ski slopes of the Doss del Sabion will be explored and the palates will be spoiled with exqui-site food and wine.
The “Telemark & Food Experience” event consists of two complementary elements: The Telemark Experience, to get to know and learn this ancient skiing technique; the Gastronomic Experience, to delight the palate with typical dishes of the region, on the slopes and in the evening at downtown of Pinzolo with Trentino quality and regional products. In all the restaurants you will find an extensive wine list with an excellent selection ranging from award-winning Trentino and Alto Adige wines to the best Italian wines.