Another First for ATSA - World Cup Telemark 2010
ATSA achieved another milestone in 2010 with the first occasion that Great Britain has run a FIS World Cup ski event. When a gap arose in the 2010 World Cup Telemark programme, the FIS World Cup Telemark Coordinator agreed that ATSA could take on the planning and running of the opening race event.
Teams from 12 nations arrived in Rauris on 10th Jan, for a training day, followed by a charming welcome ceremony in the evening. Racers were delighted by the unusual opportunity to train on the race hill prior to racing and were very complimentary about the challenges the hill posed.
Results
| Telemark Giant Slalom (11 Jan 10) | Women's Results | Men's Results |
| Telemark Sprint Classic (12 Jan 10) | Women's Results | Men's Results |
Report
Day 1 of the races saw two runs of the Telemark Giant Slalom, with the start order determined by the previous season's seeding points. 19 female racers and 49 male racers took part, with France bringing a particularly strong team. The Telemark Giant Slalom presents GS gates and a single jump in the middle of the course and while there were determined performances all round, the GS was something of warm-up ahead of the excitement of the second day of racing.
Day 2 of the races was based on the Telemark Sprint Classic: a race that challenges athletes with GS gates, a jump, a 360° banked turn (the Reipeløkke) and then a skating section through to the finish. The course was a little shorter than the GS, but set faster down the already challenging hill, and the multi-disciplinary aspect made it physically very demanding. There were plenty of thrills and spills for spectators. Several of the skiers bombed out of the course, but this year's 'spectacular' must surely go to the Slovenian who executed an enormous (but irrecoverable) jump and then wrapped up a complete section of safety netting, laughing like a pirate as he did so.
The event concluded with an evening awards ceremony in the Hotel Grimming in Rauris, with athletes expressing their enthusiasm for the challenging course and early discussions taking place about repeating it in 2011. Huge thanks go to the Rauris Tourismusverband and the Hochalmbahnen, without whom this could not have happened.
The GB Telemark Team competed well, getting a cracking start to the season. For a full report on their adventures, and detailed results for the WC races, see GB Telemark and Telemark Tips.