LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLY AT TELESTOCK 2021
Holiday Valley and The City Garage Continue to Free the Heel
It’s hard to imagine but it’s already time for the annual experience that is Telestock. So mark February 26th on your calendar and come on out to Holiday Valley for a day of peace, love and telemark skiing!
The crew at The City Garage crunched some numbers and estimated that this will be somewhere around the 83rd year in a row that they have helped put on this spectacle of an event. (OK, they're not that great with numbers) The goal this year is to provide all the same weird fun you’ve come to expect with this event while also keeping people safe and socially distanced.
In some capacity the event will be unlike previous years. According to Trey Clauss, Store Manager of The City Garage, “Everything is different, this is truly a day to celebrate peace, love and telemark skiing. We will be at Champagne Sundeck at 8:30 - 9am meet up with like-minded individuals and go telemark skiing, no cook out, no demos, no t-shirts and no large gatherings. We will have discounted lift ticket vouchers for guests available at the Champagne sundeck.” Beginners will be encouraged to get there early to meet up with an expert who will help to show them the art of tele skiing.
In previous years, The City Garage staff was always the power behind the logistics of the event so they would be doing things like grilling, selling t-shirts and getting people set up with demos to use for the day but COVID safety protocols will be putting a pause on all of that this year. Instead the staff is looking forward to being able to get out on the slopes with their friends to make some good old fashion tele turns.
One thing to check out this year is the “Lace & Leather” component of the event. Adam Sauerwein, of The City Garage, says it is about celebrating the “origin of telemark skiing, where you had leather boots that lace up like your old basketball sneakers. It’s a time to slow down and embrace the turn. Too Tall Tom and I will be at the Champagne Deck at 12pm if anyone with old leather boots and skis would like to go out and make some turns.”
The City Garage does have a limited number of tele boots and skis available for demos so if you are in need of a set, please call ahead (716.699.2054) to inquire about reserving a set for yourself.
Like any segment of snowsports, telemark is truly an art form that takes discipline, body control and years of practice. But Telestock isn’t about perfecting the athleticism that is needed, it is first and foremost about having fun with friends. And as Adam Sauerwein says, “If you can’t be good…be weird.” Holiday Valley is looking forward to seeing people come out and get weird on February 26th!