The Freeheeler Campus
Immediately following the Freeheeler Campus, the Freeheeler European Opening (FEO) runs from 25.11 until 28.11.24, also in Hintertux, so a great opportunity to join in the FEO programme and enjoy time with hundreds of telemarkers from all over Europe – and beyond!
The 2 events in combination over the whole week creates a unique occasion to benefit from high-quality training, skiing and networking amongst a wide range of telemark experts, professionals and activists.
Are you ‘doing your own thing’, skiing with friends or with another group during this week and only want to join in on parts of the Campus or the FEO festival? No problem, we look forward to your enquiry
About Us
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Like our heels, we are also free, always flexible and are happy when the community comes together and grows.
The Freeheeler Campus originated a few years ago from John Eames' idea of organising a joint coordination workshop for the Freeheeler Guides before the FEO Hintertux. This idea was immediately taken up by John Eames and Richard Schürf and developed further, so that we organised a meeting before the FEO Hintertux to invite the international ski and telemark instructors to a joint kick-off meeting at the start of the season.
The first meeting three years ago developed into the Freeheeler Campus with participants from Europe and the USA, with specialised workshops on and off the snow for telemark instructors, ski instructors and industry insiders as well as further training and education in ski instruction. Together with the subsequent FEO Hintertux and the two FIS Telemark races with international FIS Telemark training camp, the Freeheeler Telemark Week Hintertux will now take place as the largest Telemark meeting at the start of the season from 25 November to 1 December 2024 on the Hintertux Glacier and in Lanersbach in the Tux Valley.
John Eames from Great Britain has been coming to Hintertux in November for many years with his own telemark customers from ‘The Off-piste & Telemark Ski Company’, which he has run with his partner Bonny Masson for over 30 years.
John Eames is closely associated with the British Association of Snowsports Instructors, was twice Telemark Director of the BASI and has been working as a Telemark trainer since 1994 (yes, he has a lot of experience...!) He has also written 2 editions of the BASI Telemark Manual. John Eames takes over responsibility as Freeheeler Campus Director and takes care of all relevant matters.
"Simon Everitt, also from the UK, is another long-standing telemark enthusiast who has joined the team as Freeheeler International Campus Coordinator. Simon teaches Telemark skiing year round in the Alps and UK. Simon is a Snowsport England Tutor and is the Telemark Members’ Representative for BASI."
The Freeheeler Campus team with its instructors and trainers is looking forward to seeing you in Hintertux in November!
The Freeheeler Campus will take place for the third time after 2023 from 25.11. to 28.11.2024 over four full days on the Hintertux Glacier. The Campus brings together telemark professionals, instructors and coaches from all over Europe who are interested in teaching and developing the technical aspects of telemarking.
In 2024, this will once again be THE opportunity to exchange, compare, learn and develop in our favourite sport. We want to learn from each other how to teach telemark technique and skills even better and how to further develop our own telemark skiing skills.
We will be skiing both on- and off-piste and in all terrain and snow conditions. 70% of the Campus takes place on snow and 30% in the form of workshops and lectures.
The Freeheeler Campus will take place for the third time after 2023 from 25.11. to 28.11.2024 over four full days on the Hintertux Glacier. The Campus brings together telemark professionals, instructors and coaches from all over Europe who are interested in teaching and developing the technical aspects of telemarking.
In 2024, this will once again be THE opportunity to exchange, compare, learn and develop in our favourite sport. We want to learn from each other how to teach telemark technique and skills even better and how to further develop our own telemark skiing skills.
We will be skiing both on- and off-piste and in all terrain and snow conditions. 70% of the Campus takes place on snow and 30% in the form of workshops and lectures.
Goals / Learning Contents
Professionals
The Freeheeler Campus is aimed exclusively at Telemark or freeheeler professionals, who are involved full- or pat-time in instructing or coaching. The technical skiing standard requirements for participants are high as well as familiarity with teaching approaches and standards of delivery. That's why 80% of the on-snow workshops are reserved for pros.
Non-Professional/Recreational Skiers
We are also giving advanced and very experienced recreational Telemark skiers, who are not professionals, the opportunity to take part in selected workshop sessions during the week - about 20% of the programme. This gives a superb chance for non-pros to take part in and benefit from the excellent technical and skills teaching sessions and so enhance and develop your personal skiing skills.
Participant Requirements
1
Techniques and skills for
Telemark lessons
3
Exchange of country-specific teaching approaches and concepts
2
How can alpine instructors become
telemark instructors?
4
Optimizing your own telemark skills
Programme
Schedule/Structure
And here, for your information, the 2023 programme:
Morning (from 9:00 a.m.).
Focus workshops by a qualified trainer/coach
Lunch
Lunch together at the Tuxer Fernerhaus
Afternoon
"Train the Trainer" or focus workshops with a qualified trainer/coach
Evening
Dinner with networking, workshops and presentations
Formal end around 10pm
"Informal networking" in a bar 😉
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Daily Timetable – Draft Outline Planning
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Timetable sessions and ‘Daily Themes’ highlighted in BLUE are for professional skiers.
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Timetable sessions highlighted in RED are for recreational and non-professional skiers. Workshop content will follow main ‘Daily Theme’ only for each 2 day block as much as possible to allow a natural progression over the 4 days. Please refer to the ‘Invitation’ for full info.
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Evening timetable sessions are open to all skiers ☺.
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NB the daily afternoon ‘Summary Meeting’ will be at the Tuxerfernerhaus (finishing before the last gondola down!!!) and is a chance for presenters to add further explanation about their session earlier that day, for general discussion & also for anybody to ask questions about the sessions or any other aspect of the day.
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During the first evening session each day there will be an opportunity for each morning group to present what they did to the other group (and vice versa) so everyone gets the content of the group they were not in; review, discuss and share. Maybe 15 mins for each group? Then 30 mins for a presentation to the whole audience until 21.00. Then a break a max 45 min presentation to finish the evening?
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NB evening sessions will be held at the ‘Lanersbach Centre’
Activity Focus: “Share & Compare”
FREEHEELER FUNDAMENTALS: SKILLS & TEACHING
Monday 25.11.2024
09.00 – 09.30
Workshop groups meet at Tuxerfernerhaus: quick coffee, chat, boots on … and ready to go!
09.30 - 12.00
(on-snow time)
WORKSHOP OPTION A / WORKSHOP OPTION B
“DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS” Open workshop option (non-pros / recreational skiers)
12.00– 13.00
Lunch, TuxernerhausAll welcome! (Extra cost), Workshop groups meet 12.50
13.00 – 15.30
(on-snow time)
“FREEHEELER FORUM” groups:
Informal social skiing, topic selection, discussion & sharing
“DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS”
Open workshop option (non-pros / recreational skiers)
15.30 – 16.30
Summary Meeting at the Campus Room
18.00 – 20.00
Dinner, Kleine Tenne restaurant, Lanersbach, Everyone welcome! (Extra cost)
20.00 – 21.00
Welcome to the Freeheeler Campus, 2024!, Introduction by Richard Schürf, John Eames, Simon Everitt & Alex Büttner
1st evening session (see below)
21.15 – 22.00
2nd evening session
Activity Focus:“Freeheel skills - under the microscope!”
FREEHEELER FUNDAMENTALS: SKILLS & TEACHING
Tuesday 26.11.2024
09.00 – 09.30
Workshop groups meet at Tuxerfernerhaus: quick coffee, chat, boots on … and ready to go!
09.30 - 12.00
(on-snow time)
WORKSHOP OPTION C / WORKSHOP OPTION D
“DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS” Open workshop option (non-pros / recreational skiers)
12.00 – 13.00
Lunch, TuxernerhausAll welcome! (Extra cost), Workshop groups meet 12.50
13.00 – 15.30
(on-snow time)
“FREEHEELER FORUM” groups:
Informal social skiing, topic selection, discussion & sharing
“DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS”
Open workshop option (non-pros / recreational skiers)
15.30 – 16.30
Summary Meeting at the Campus Room
18.00 – 20.00
Dinner, Kleine Tenne restaurant, Lanersbach, Everyone welcome! (Extra cost)
20.00 – 21.00
1st evening session
(see below)
21.15 – 22.00
2nd evening session
Activity Focus: “Share & Compare”
ADVANCED FREEHEELER SKILLS & TECHNIQUE
Wednesday 27.11.2024
08.45 – 09.00
Workshop groups meet at Tuxerfernerhaus: quick coffee, chat, boots on … and ready to go!
09.00 - 12.15
(on-snow time)
WORKSHOP OPTION E / WORKSHOP OPTION F
WORKSHOP OPTION E2 / WORKSHOP OPTION F2
“DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS” Open workshop option (non-pros / recreational skiers)
12.15 – 13.00
Lunch, TuxernerhausAll welcome! (Extra cost), Workshop groups meet 13.00
13.15 – 15.45
(on-snow time)
“FREEHEELER FORUM” groups:
Informal social skiing, topic selection, discussion & sharing
“DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS”
Open workshop option (non-pros / recreational skiers)
15.45 – 16.30
Summary Meeting at the Campus Room,Review/discussion groups (pro skiers)
18.00 – 20.00
Dinner, Kleine Tenne restaurant, Lanersbach, Everyone welcome! (Extra cost)
20.00 – 21.00
1st evening session
(see below)
21.15 – 22.00
2nd evening session
Activity Focus:“Freeheel skills - under the microscope!”
ADVANCED FREEHEELER SKILLS & TECHNIQUE
Thursday 28.11.2024
08.45 – 09.00
Workshop groups meet at Tuxerfernerhaus: quick coffee, chat, boots on … and ready to go!
09.00 - 12.15
(on-snow time)
WORKSHOP OPTION G / WORKSHOP OPTION H
WORKSHOP OPTION G2 / WORKSHOP OPTION H2
“DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS” Open workshop option (non-pros / recreational skiers)
12.15 – 13.00
Lunch, TuxernerhausAll welcome! (Extra cost), Workshop groups meet 13.00
13.15 – 15.45
(on-snow time)
“FREEHEELER FORUM” groups:
Informal social skiing, topic selection, discussion & sharing
“DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS”
Open workshop option (non-pros / recreational skiers)
15.45 – 16.30
Summary Meeting at the Campus Room,Review/discussion groups (pro skiers)
18.00 – 20.00
Dinner, Kleine Tenne restaurant, Lanersbach, Everyone welcome! (Extra cost)
20.00 – 21.00
1st evening session or sessions
(see below)
21.15 – 22.00
2nd evening session or ….
Freeheeler Social ☺ “Swings Bar & Restaurant”, Lanersbach
Notes & Timetable Options
Telemark Under the Microscope
On-snow workshops by pros from different nations show how a guide or a nation deals with certain aspects of telemarking. We want to exchange, compare and learn, but with a very specific approach to the details of our sport.
Workshops
Share and Compare
Workshops on the slopes and/or evening events to illustrate the lesson plan and principles of telemark skiing as practiced in the speaker's country. This could be, for example, the country's curriculum set by the speaker's national ski instructor association. The opportunity to exchange ideas, compare, try out and discuss how other nations approach telemark has been one of the main components of the Freeheeler Campus over the past two years.
Develop your Skills
A number of workshops will be intended for non-professional, aspiring professionals and recreational skiers who have an interest in the processes of teaching Telemark skills and technique, who want to learn more and also develop their personal ski performance level. In addition, it might be that some of these skiers are planning to become instructors/teachers and this will be a good opportunity for them to learn more and get a better understanding of what it means to be an instructor of freeheel skiing.
In general, these workshops are also for those who are keen to understand more about their own skiing and their technique and skill level. As such we are not planning to run a skills course or a series of developmental workshops but we will include sessions with a focus on a variety of specific skills. As such, we plan that these sessions will be appealing to this group of skiers who have a particular interest in or wish to enhance their skills in a specific aspect of their skiing e.g. edge control on Telemark skis, approaches to mogul skiing, improving lead change skills, adaptations for off-piste, etc
Freeheeler Forum
Exchange between instructors/trainers who teach the various international training contents in practice. Also, maybe the perfect opportunity to freely discuss some of the other more formal sessions of the FC whilst moving, trying and experimenting on skis. These sessions are very much for face-to-face discussion and demonstration on a subject chosen by the group: how is the content taught, what exercises are there, how can we teach it better, etc.?
In November, the following airports will be served from Great Britain, from which you can easily continue your journey to Hintertux:
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London Gatwick Innsbruck (Easyjet)
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Munich (Easyjet)
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London Heathrow Munich (BA)
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Munich (Lufthansa)
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Manchester Munich (Lufthansa)
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Edinburgh Munich (Lufthansa)
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To Innsbruck : www.innsbruck-airport.com
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To Salzburg: www.salzburg-airport.com
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To Munich: www.munich-airport.de
From Innsbruck the transfer is about 90 minutes to the lift station. From Munich it’s 2 ½ hours. There are several transfer companies who can arrange private and shared transfers. We have used ‘Four Seasons Travel’ at https://www.tirol-taxi.at/en-home on many occasions for groups of 2 – 20 passengers. Shared is much cheaper, so if you are planning to attend, let us know and we will try to connect you with other attendees.
It’s also possible to use the train from Munich or Innsbruck, which will get you to Mayrhofen, from where you can take a bus or taxi up to Lanersbach. Visit https://www.oebb.at/en/ for train and bus timetables, linked services and prices from Munich or Inssbruck airports right through to Lanersbach and Hintertux.
01 By Plane
Travel Tips
Hintertux is 720 miles from Calais, which corresponds to a journey time of around 12 hours. If you live in the north of the UK, you should take the Hull-Rotterdam ferry, which saves you the stressful journey around London.
Destination address tourist office:
It’s possible to travel from London to Mayrhofen in about 16 hours. This will involve an overnight train from Paris with 3 or 4 changes. Details at https://www.raileurope.com/en or https://www.seat61.com/
Bus and train schedules to Hintertux:
03 By Train
The Hintertux ski area is located at the end of a long valley. Most of the accommodation is located close to the ski area. The off-snow events take place approx. 10-15 minutes by bus or car from the ski area in the Tux-Center in Lanersbach. As the ski buses no longer run in the evening, it is advisable to stay overnight in or near Lanersbach.
Information on accommodation can be found on the website https://www.hintertuxergletscher.at/en/information/plan-your-visit/accomodation,
Or the usual search options on Google, Booking.com, AirBnB, etc.
04 Accomodation
02 By Car
Costs
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Per Day
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Per Person
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When booking all 4 days
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Per person