Address:Bear Valley Cross Country

Experience: PSIA Level III Telemark, Track & Alpine
Director of Bear Valley Cross Country
Former PSIA Demo Team Member
12 years teaching at the Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: : Well what more can we say ... Paul Petersen is "The Man", "The Myth" & "The Legend". If you haven't yet taken a clinic with this guy you need to seek him out and experience what people have been raving about for years. But be prepared to wait in line, this telemark instructor is popular!

Website: www.mtadventure.com

Address: 100 Northstar Drive Truckee, CA 96161

Experience: PSIA Level III Telemark & Level II Snowboard
Teaches with Babes in the Backcountry, Sierra Nevada College & Northstar
Backcountry Ski Patrol
3 attending and now 3 years teaching at the Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: : I love the Bear Valley Telefest; it's my favorite winter event because of the spirit and great community that MAS has created. I started attending in the 90's as a student and helped jumpstart the costume tradition. Now, as an instructor, I have an even better time! Our clinics are full of motivated skiers and interesting people. Our evenings are full of great food and entertainment. MAS takes great care of their instructors, and I love being a part of it!

Website: www.mtadventure.com

Address: Lakeshore, CA 93634-0236

Experience: PSIA Level III Nordic Downhill and Track

PSIA Telemark & Track Clinician & Examiner

7 years teaching at the Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: :" OK so I love sliding, especially on a pair of boards with one knee bent. As an instructor, I like to help people pursue having fun. I like to see the look on students’ faces when they master a maneuver that they thought they would never be able to do. I like to share their joy when they conquer terrain that they thought was impossible for them. Skiing well is part of having fun. I have spent a lot of time learning how to be the type of skier who will have fun in powder, on race courses, on ice, and in half pipes."

"The training that I have received through the Professional Ski Instructors of America has helped me to become a better skier, and has helped me learn how to communicate skiing skills to people. I am always working on these two things: skiing better and teaching better. So I hope I can ski with you at Bear Valley and that we can ski well while we learn from each other."

Website: www.mtadventure.com

Address: Truckee, CA 96160

Experience: Avalanche Forecaster for Sierra Avalanche Center
4 years teaching at the Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: :Brandon began guiding professionally in the backcountry in 1999 and began working for Mountain Adventure Seminars in 2005. He spent many moons guiding in Alaska before he found himself in the Sierra Nevada, where he works as an Avalanche Forecaster for the Sierra Avalanche Center. Brandon spends his summers working as an instructor for the Wilderness Medicine Institute. Having excellent repertoire with clients of all ages and skill levels, Brandon takes the success of his students personally. He hopes to retire having never worked an office job.

Website: www.mtadventure.com

Address: Squaw Valley Rd, Olympic Valley, CA 96146

Experience: Head telemark instructor for All Mountain Ski Pros
5 years teaching at the Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: : Mark is a strong addition to the festival roster and offers a unique perspective to telemark instruction. He has a formal background and ski race coaching and has been influential character in both telemark ski film and competitions.

"I've been enjoying tele skiing for close to ten years now and love it more and more. As the equipment boosts the confidence level, skiing has never been so much fun. I really enjoy fat skis, fatter the better, cuz I like to go fast and turn as little as possible."

"Telemark skiing has given me a plethora of unique opportunities. From traveling to Japan with Unparalleled Productions as well as Italy and many local and not so local destinations."

I was a career ski race coach for ten years, found Tele and the movies, I never looked back. One thing that will always be with me is my love of teaching. I tend to take a practical approach, basically, I teach what I've worked out and learned from my experiences living in North Lake Tahoe for 12 years.

Bear Valley Tele Fest has been my favorite event of the year for the past five years, and the opportunity to work with so many tele skiers in a short amount of time and seeing the fun factor grow is extremely rewarding. I look forward to many more years to come!

Website: www.mtadventure.com

Address: Bear Valley, CA 95223

Experience: PSIA Level III Telemark & Level II Track
12 years teaching at Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: : PSIA Level III Telemark & Level II Track
12 years teaching at Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Website: www.mtadventure.com

Address: Bear Valley, CA 95223

Experience: PSIA Level II Telemark & Track
6 years teaching at Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: :Steve lives and works in Bear Valley each winter with MAS and the Bear Valley Cross Country Center. Steve is a talented instructor who receives many accolades for his ability to decipher students needs and teach to the moment. Steve is a well-rounded nord who often spends half his day on the tracks on the other half skiing the Grizzly Bowl. Then if the moon is out he is often talking folks into a moonlight backcountry adventure.

Website: www.mtadventure.com

Address: 1 Minaret Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

Experience: PSIA-West Nordic Chief Examiner
PSIA Level III Telemark, Track & Alpine
Former PSIA Demo Team Member
9 years teaching at the Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: :Urmas is gifted teacher and has been turning people onto the telemark stoke for more than two decades. Urmas has a friendly and contagious enthusiasm for freeheel skiing as is a much sought after instructor at the festival. It doesn't matter what level you ski, Urmas has a knack for giving you a "tele-nugget" for you to think about and pursue for your future telemark turns.

Website: www.mtadventure.com

Address: 2600 Alpine Meadows Road, Tahoe City, CA 96145

Experience: PSIA Level III Telemark & Alpine
Tele Trainer & Instructor, Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, Lake Tahoe, CA
9 years teaching at the Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: : Walter is fondly known as the "Telemark Technician". Not only can he lay down some sweet turns but he has an unmatched knowledge of the mechanical aspects of how to make good telemark turns. Coupled with his clear and organized teaching style, Walter is an instructor worth seeking out.

On the lighter side Walter can also surprise you with inspiring clinics such as "Walters Wacky World of Balance" in which he challenges participants with exercises including skiing on modified "Big Feet" which are super short & fat skis with telemark bindings. Obviously skiing with Walter is a memorable experience.

Website: www.mtadventure.com

Address: Lakeshore, CA 93634-0236

Experience: PSIA Level I Nordic Downhill and Track
2 years teaching at the Bear Valley Telemark Festival

Background: :I just got back from the 2008 Nordic Symposium at Sugar Bowl and am more excited than ever about tele skiing and teaching. There were some great skiing and instructional clinics so, I'm loaded up with new ideas and am really looking forward to another chance to teach at Bear Valley and soak up the vibe at the best tele festival anywhere!

Website: www.mtadventure.com