Falls Creek - The Australian Way - August 2012 - Qantas

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Snow-business specialist
Bronwen Gora heads to Falls
Creek in Victoria, home base of
the Australian Cross-Country
Ski Team, to report on the revival
of some old-school ski styles.
Pro skier Steve Leeder
telemarking, Falls Creek
photography: chris hocking

In skiing, everything old is new again. Enter crosscountry
skiing, telemark and skate skiing. All three
styles – which differ from downhill skiing in that
the heel is free from the binding, with only the front
of the boot attached – are enjoying a resurgence
worldwide. Driving the revival is a desire among
skiers to escape the bustle of commercial resorts in
favour of traversing the mountains under their own
steam, and to achieve a higher level of fitness than
that afforded by regular downhill skiing.
Cross-country skiers use long, skinny skis and
poles to propel them in a smooth, gliding motion
across generally flat terrain outside ski resorts,
usually valley floors or high plains. This form of
skiing can be traced back to the Stone Age – wooden
skis have been discovered in Russia dating to
6300BC. The theory is that as prehistoric man
moved north, he encountered snow and was forced
to develop a way to move across it in order to hunt.
Telemark skiing, where the heel is free but a strap
around the back of the boot stabilises it, is the
downhill form. Sondre Norheim is credited with
throwing the first telemark turn in 1868, during a
Norwegian national skiing competition. He carved
the long, fluid turn after landing by sliding one ski
in front of the other, dropping the back knee and
then lunging forward with the front leg.
Skate skiing – think ice-skating or rollerblading
on skis – emerged in its current form when an
American Olympic silver medallist, Bill Koch,
deployed an unusual technique in a 1982 World
Cup competition. By pushing his cross-country skis
out to each side like an ice-skater, he was able to go
faster than the competition and was named FIS
(Fédération Internationale de Ski) Cross-Country
World Cup champion 1981-82.
As home to Australia’s National Cross-Country
Ski Team, Falls Creek is among the best places in
the country to learn these styles. The resort has a
large network of world-class cross-country ski trails
and every part of its 65sq km is free to access at
Big air at
Falls Creek
photography: chris hocking
44 QANTAS august 2012

Clockwise from above:
executing a telemark turn;
skate-skiing pioneer Bill
Koch; cross-country skiers
any time. The setting is particularly beautiful. Falls Creek nestles in
the thickly wooded hills of the Kiewa Valley, its ski trails flanked by
snow gums. Because Falls Creek is a ski field more geared towards
novice than challenging slopes, it is well suited to learners of all styles.
Cross-country practice
Downhill skiers might think their chosen sport is an excellent
workout, but compared to other styles, it’s a doddle. Thanks to the
luxury of ski lifts and well-groomed runs, gliding around on even the
steepest pitch is a relative breeze.
Not so with cross-country skiing. Participants are guaranteed to
boost their fitness substantially as this style requires more physical
action for forward propulsion. At Falls Creek, cross-country tracks
are groomed, enabling skiers to glide along in the grooves. Even so,
it can be physically punishing. In terms of technique, the key points
are to relax the knees, keep the hips forward and not fight the skis.
The objective is to create a steady rhythm of striding and poling.
“Poling is very important because you’re using your arms as part
of the perpetual movement of the technique,” says Mark Weir,
manager of the YMCA Howmans Gap Alpine Centre, which operates
the Falls Creek Nordic Centre. “Realistically, to go out and have some
fun, it would take half an hour to pick up cross-country skiing.”
Still, first attempts at gliding on cross-country skis require serious
concentration. For starters, the boots are more like trainers, providing
far less stability than even a regular ski boot. Consequently, it is
easy for the skis to slip underneath and place a learner firmly on their
rear end, or on their side, in seconds. But once settled into a rhythmic,
walking-while-gliding movement, assisted by poles far longer than
those used in downhill skiing, the hard part is over. Group lessons at
Falls Creek Nordic Centre (25 Bogong High Plains Road, 03 5758
3408) are $46 for 90 minutes; private lessons $92 an hour.
Telemark, set, go
Telemark is the perfect complement to downhill skiing. It strengthens
thigh, gluteal and core muscles, and improves balance. Learners are
presented with new challenges at every turn. First attempts to master
the graceful, fluid technique – in which one ski slides in front of the
other to create the deep lunging turn – are generally accompanied
by much wobbling and hesitation.
Compared to downhill equipment, telemark skis are lighter and
skinnier, and the boots are nowhere near as stiff. Most importantly,
the heel is not attached to the ski in order to allow the hallmark turn
to be executed. This also allows a skier to attach climbing “skins” for
ski touring in the backcountry. Skins are synthetic strips that stick
to the bottom of the ski when a telemark skier wants to walk. They
are covered with hairs that grip the snow, allowing them to slide the
skis forward and glide along, even uphill, without sliding backwards.
Once atop the mountain, they are detached, rolled up and stuck in a
backpack for the descent.
For those used to downhill skiing, gliding down the slope for the
first time on telemark equipment will feel highly unstable. But the
skills developed for downhill skiing are a big help in understanding
the technique behind telemark’s classic turn. “The first thing students
become very conscious of is where they are standing on the ski,”
telemark photography: chris hocking; cross-country: aap image; bill koch: corbis australia
46 QANTAS august 2012

ski victoria
Clockwise: Quay
West balcony;
Huski suite; Mark
LaBrooy (left) &
Jeff Bennett of
Three Blue Ducks
For airfares call
Qantas on 13 13 13 or visit
qantas.com. For holiday
packages to Falls Creek call
Qantas Holidays on 13 14 15.
says Falls Creek Snowsports School director Francis Jackson. “There
are none of the luxuries such as stiff boots that they have had with
[normal] ski equipment to help them overcome their shortcomings.”
But diligent effort pays off. Within a day, most experienced skiers
will be able to master a few satisfying turns and experience the
signature fluidity. “With modern equipment, telemark is just as easy
to learn as downhill – and possibly more enjoyable,” says Jackson.
Falls Creek Snowsports School (03 5758 1000, www.fallscreek.com.
au/snowsports) offers private lessons from $106 per hour.
Get your skates on
Of the three styles, skate skiing requires the highest levels of fitness
and strength as the skier moves forward by pushing from side to side
like an ice-skater, instead of simply gliding forward as in crosscountry.
It also calls for the most patience, as the skis are narrower
and shorter than those used in cross-country skiing. Indeed, the first
time on skate skis feels like balancing on a pair of chopsticks. And
despite being stiffer than cross-country boots, the footwear feels far
flimsier than the downhill kind.
Crucially, skate skis cannot be used in a simple forward motion.
Thanks to their knife-like structure (compared to other skis) and lack
of metal edges, they need to be used like a pair of rollerblades or iceskates.
The poles are longer again than those used in cross-country
and feel even more unwieldy at first. “Longer poles are needed
because a skier really has to throw themselves forward,” says Weir.
Because skate skiing is quite technical, lessons are recommended,
but the rewards are substantial. “It’s the most aerobic of all the styles,”
says Weir. “Skate skiers are some of the fittest people in the world.”
And exhilaration is a large part of the payoff. “It’s a fantastic way to
be out in the mountains, during the day or under a full moon.”
Eat & stay
As befits an area that’s home to such physically demanding forms of
skiing, Falls Creek has some of the best restaurants and lodgings in
the Victorian Alps. New this season is Three Blue Ducks (3 Sitzmark
Street, 1300 652 260, www.huski.com.au). Located in the Huski
apartment complex, it’s run by a team that includes former Tetsuya
chefs Darren Robertson and Mark LaBrooy. Their alpine eatery is
named after its renowned Sydney counterpart in Bronte. Summit
Ridge (8 Schuss Street, 03 5758 3800) is another excellent choice, not
only for its focus on local produce, but for its 240-strong wine list.
Huski features studios, apartments and a penthouse. Studios start
at $432 a night for seven nights. Quay West Resort & Spa (17 Bogong
High Plains Road, 03 5732 8000, mirvachotels.com) is suitably luxurious
and has rooms from $688 (minimum two-night stay). One of its
biggest drawcards is the apartment balconies, which have been fitted
with private hot tubs that take full advantage of the uninterrupted
mountain views. Three-bedroom apartments at Alpine Woodsmoke
(216 Bogong High Plains Road, 03 5758 3182, woodsmoke.com.au)
are $1465 a night (minimum two-nights).
c
quay west photography hamilton lund; huski charlie brown; three blue ducks: peter bennetts
48 QANTAS august 2012