NEWRY, Maine ??” A variety of clinics and competitions are featured at the in the Maine Telemark Festival and Eastern Halfpipe/Slopestyle Telemark Championship at Sunday River Feb. 26 and 27. The event is organized by New England Telemark and also includes free demo gear, costume contests, gear, condo and trip raffles as well as a prize ceremony and party.

Free clinics by some of New England’s finest telemark instructors are offered throughout the weekend. Clinics are for all abilities and include special ‘cross-over’ clinics for the alpine skier wishing to learn telemark, clinics for women taught by women, clinics for experts taught by PSIA telemark examiners, a video clinic and a ‘ski posse’ for groups of telemarkers to get together and tour the mountain. There will also be special advanced clinics for skiing bumps, trees and a ‘new school’ clinic that focuses on radical aspects of telemark skiing. The New School Clinic includes tricks such as tele’ing backwards, looping turns, catching air, and even small 180s or 360s.

The weekend will also feature the first ever Eastern Halfpipe/Slopestyle Telemark Championship. Contestants from around the country will vy for the $750 first prize in the Slopestyle event Saturday in Rocking Chair terrain park. The course includes numerous rails and jumps and is a great spectator event as well. On Sunday, contestants take their skills into the halfpipe and go for big air. Prizes for the competitions also include skis, boots, poles and telemark related gear. No entry fee required, just a festival lift ticket.

Registration is at the White Cap Lodge and is free with the purchase of the special festival lift ticket of $57. Skiers with season passes or special lift coupons pay $20 extra, which can be put towards the raffle.

New England Telemark is an organization of telemark instructors and enthusiasts dedicated to the growth of the sport of telemark skiing. For further information, contact co-directors Matt DiBenedetto at (603)356-8177 or Biff Higgison at (207)751-9319, or [email]info@netelemark.com[/email], or www.netelemark.com.