Mattole makes telemark team

A Columbia Falls teenager is moving up in the world of telemark ski racing. Cedar Mattole, 13, has been alpine skiing with his parents Rio and Stephanie since he could walk, but he started telemark skiing about four years ago. Now he’s a member of the U.S. Telemark Team.

Unlike alpine skiing, telemarkers have a free heel. Turns are accomplished by dropping the inside ski back and using the outside ski to make the actual turn. It takes a lot of practice, Mattole said. He’s generally on the slopes at Whitefish Mountain Resort five days a week and skis just for fun an additional day during the ski season.

Last year, Mattole won the U.S. Nationals junior telemark title. This year, he stepped up to the elite division on the U.S. team and is facing much tougher competition. His best finish to date has been 13th.

Mattole said he enjoys telemarking because of the more relaxed atmosphere among competitors.

“With alpine skiing it was, ‘I’m going to beat you, you’re going down,’” he said. “With telemark, it’s, ‘Good luck.’”

Mattole works with alpine coach Dave Rineheart and telemark coach Peter McMahon. There aren’t many local races, and the Mattole family travels to Colorado for most events.

Classic Telemark races are different than alpine events, Mattole said. Racers are docked a second for each gate where they don’t make a correct telemark turn on. They can also be docked time for not making fluid transitions and for not clearing a distance and landing in a telemark position in the jump.

The Classic Telemark race features one big jump, a skating or cross-country section, and reipeløkke — a 360-degree banked turn.

Mattole said he continues to work on his racing. He’s home-schooled and in the off season enjoys soccer and hiking. He says he’d like to compete in the World Cup someday.

“I’m just trying to beat some of the guys on the real team,” he said. ““I’d like to thank Pete McMahon for all the time he puts in training with me. He’s made all the difference. I would also like to thank the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation and the Whitefish Mountain ski team for having me train with them. It was cool to race with the alpine team.”