It is not uncommon to hear someone talk about Freeheel skiing and in the same sentence bring up the name Ben Dolenc. It has become a synonymous thing and a part of what Telemark Skiing has become in this day and age. Dolenc first came into the world of Telemark in the late 90’s as he made the switch from snowboarding and began to develop his skills on freeheel gear in and around the Copper Mountain area. His hard work and new vision of what could be done scored him a spot on the Copper Mountain Freeride team as the sole Telemark Skier and he began making his mark on a then fledgling scene. A scene that included greats like BJ Brewer, Scott Murray and others that helped mold what would essentially be the new wave of Telemark athletes. 2006 has come around and Mr. Dolenc is still pushing along and leaving his mark in every place he goes. Although he’s not competing as much, he continues to secure segments in several ski films and in the last few years created his own Telemark Film Company, Falling Forward Films, along with another well know guy on the scene Max Mancini.

When one looks at a sport, and specifically those people that have influenced what they love so greatly, it makes sense why they do what they do. Freeheel skiing continues to be something that grows and changes on a daily basis and much of what is going on is due to people like Ben, that have made sacrifices in their lives to create something new out of untouched clay.

Dolenc shares in a frustration many Telemark Skiers have been through and something he thinks has been one of the most difficult things in his ski career, “opening peoples minds to what is really going on in tele and where I see it going. To me it is limitless.” The relatively unknown world of Telemark skiing is one that is known to those that are in and around it, but to others it’s a ‘new’ thing. Even the concept of being a Pro freeheeler was far from Dolenc’s mind in the beginning. “After that first Warren Miller I actually gave up on the whole thing. I had been working pretty hard and was getting some exposure and a little support. I decided I couldn’t keep traveling and working part-time jobs to ski. I figured that the Telemark industry was never going to support it.” He stuck it out and scored one of the best gigs imaginable as a NIKE ACG athlete and would go on to star in another 3 Warren Miller films. Not bad.

The world of a loose heel can be a fragile one and a place that doesn’t want to see change at times, however; people like Ben Dolenc have paid their dues in love and support of one of the most beautiful snow sliding sports out there. Community has always been something that has brought attention and strength to Telemark skiers and it will surely grow as the influence of others continues to seep into the growing number of people trying to drop their knee. Thanks Ben.