The frigid shore of Lake Superior is a foreboding and bone chilling sight. Photoman, Joey Wallis, and I shivered in our warm rental car as we drove along the daunting coastline out of Marquette on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Our destination, the Keewenaw Peninsula, which juts off of the U.P. northshore out into the middle of Lake Superior. The Keewenaw is home to the Midwest Telefest. Downwind Sports hosts the thirty-plus year old annual event. Telemark skiers emerge from all over the Midwest to make their way to the frigid shoreline each winter. They come in search of the camaraderie of the telemark turn deep in the woods of the north country. Telemark skiers have a sense of community all their own, and this event is a shinning example of it amidst the dark blue waters of Lake Superior in winter. The temperatures may be bitter cold, but the atmosphere around this event is as warm and inviting as homemade apple pie on the window sill in summer. I came to this event a few years back, and I was elated to receive the assignment to go back again.
^I snapped this cellphone shot of Joey braving the wind chill to capture the winter landscape views of the Lake Superior shoreline.
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| photo: Wallis ^This is what he captured. Mysteriously beautiful. |
^The crisp cold nature of the big lake was only countered by the warmth of friends sharing beers and stories in a quant cabin nestled in the shadow of Mount Bohemia. Just as the last time I was here, the good terrain is only eclipsed by even greater people. Joey and I were pleased to be greeted that first night by many of the same friendly faces we met two years ago.
^Joey sharing one such story over an icy cold beer the first night…
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| photo: Wallis ^…followed by me jumping over an icy cold creek the next morning... |
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| photo: Wallis ^…and an icefall rock at Mount Bohemia. |
^Ullr, the snow god, graced our weekend with some snowy abundance. Big thanks to Bob for bringing me this good luck charm and some snow. Like I said, great people.
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| photo: Wallis ^Some new snow means fresh turns in the trees… |
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| photo: Wallis ^… smiling faces… |
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| photo: Wallis ^…and plush root ball powder. |
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| photo: Wallis ^Descending through the tight forrest of Mount Bohemia's "Outer Limits"… |
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| photo: Wallis ^…to a party bus pick up. Complete with a party crowd of rowdy telemark rippers. |
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| photo: Wallis ^Tony from Duluth, Minnesota showed us the way through the maze of endless glades of prime timber country ripe with a fresh dusting of cold lake effect snow. |
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| photo: Wallis ^Meanwhile, Zoey showed us how the ladies of Duluth get after the powder. |
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| photo: Wallis ^Then I showed the whole festival crowd how the Telemark Skier Magazine crew got after it last season with a movie party on Friday night. Tastey hot dogs on a stick, and good movie on the screen. Sounds like a quality combination to me. |
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| photo: Wallis ^Midwest Telefest is chalked full of excitement with demos, clinics, races and more. Local, Bob, comes into the finish exhilarated and exhausted from his laborious efforts in the blustery uphill downhill race. |
^All the activity and excitement of the day gave way to a big celebration on Saturday night. These two little festival goers had front row dance floor spots for the live music from "Frank and Da Beans". Two tiny dancers gave way to many more, and the party raged on into the late hours. Spirits were as high as a Lake Superior lighthouse, and our collective light shined brightly through the night.
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| photo: Wallis ^Our collective light burned so hot and bright in fact that the clouds melted off, and the sun came out on Sunday morning. Thus, delivering a bluebird powder day finale to another fantastic Midwest Telefest. |
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| photo: Wallis ^So I jumped right in… |
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| photo: Wallis ^…and gobbled up as much of that cold Midwest powder as I could. Yum, yum, yum. |
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| photo: Wallis ^Of course the whole experience was made possible by the crew from Downwind Sports. These are some hardworking fellas that do it all for the love of telemark skiing. This festival has been running so long because of the dedication of folks like these. I am super thankful to Ross Herr, the event's new coordinator, for inviting me. The Downwind family lost a dear member of their family when "Downwind Dan" Wissman passed away recently. I am touched at their fortitude in the midst of loss to make sure that the festival that Dan loved so much went on in his memory. |
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| photo: Wallis ^Some of the boys from my own family, including my telemark turning father, made the journey north from Wilmot for the festival. I am super grateful for the opportunity to hang out and ski with them. I don't get to see them much during my busy winter, and it was Midwest Telefest that made that happen for me. I can thank the guys from Downwind for a really great telemark skiing weekend, but I might not be able to ever thank them enough for the truly warm welcome they gave me, the new friendships I made, and the rare opportunity to enjoy some great quality ski time with my family. Cheers. |