Featured image by Erika Joubert / CC BY
Here at FREESKIER, we rarely write about telemark skiing. Yet, every now and then, something those freeheelers are up to catches our eye, including a recent bid by the International Ski Federation (FIS) to include the telemark parallel sprint as an event in the upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. With the proposal for telemark’s Olympic bid already accepted, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will now decide on whether or not to add the discipline later this month.
For those who have never heard of the telemark parallel sprint: it’s a head-to-head downhill race with a ski-cross vibe. Two telemark athletes are pitted against one another on a gated downhill course complete with jumps, banked turns and even short, uphill sections (like you’d see in a cross country ski race); the one with the fastest time to the bottom wins. Still don’t get it? Check out the video above to see the event in all its glory.
Also included in the recent FIS proposal was a freestyle ski Big Air competition for men and women, which will be considered for final approval by the IOC this month. Bringing Big Air freestyle skiing to the global stage would be another huge leap for our sport, as halfpipe and slopestyle events in the previous two Olympics have helped grow the global interest in skiing. This year in PyeongChang, we saw Big Air events take place on the snowboard side; so, we’re optimistic the IOC will add the ski version of this event to the docket for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
