An exotic South Tyrolean skier: telemarker Raphael Mahlknecht

Telemarking is actually the original form of skiing. And yet, only a few people in this country practice this sport. One of them is Raphael Mahlknecht. He is one of the best in the world in his discipline. The 19-year-old from Fiè allo Sciliar is currently South Tyrol's only telemarker who practices the sport competitively and competes in the World Cup. In fact, no South Tyrolean before him had regularly competed in the Telemark World Cup, which has been held since 1995.

“Someone had to start,” laughs Mahlknecht in an interview s+ . If you talk to the 19-year-old, it quickly becomes clear: he is passionate about this sport. “It is the origin of all ski sports. Today, telemark is also a racing sport that combines several ski sports, such as giant slalom, ski jumping, cross-country skiing and ski cross,” he explains.

A trademark of downhill skiing technology, which originally comes from Norway, is that only the tips of the ski boots are fixed with a binding. When riding on the uphill ski, the rider essentially kneels by lifting the heel of the back foot and pushing the downhill ski forward. Complicated? "Not at all. “It’s more exciting and varied,” says Mahlknecht.

Passionate about winter sports: Raphael Mahlknecht.

There are of course quite a few parallels to the popular sport of ski racing. Also when it comes to potential injuries. “Of course, you have to be careful. “We telemarkers can’t achieve such speeds as downhill skiers in the Alpine Ski World Cup, but falls can end just as badly,” says Mahlknecht. He was already on skis at the age of two and a half. He started telemarking when he was 11. “Back then there was always a season-ending race in this style on the Alpe di Siusi,” he remembers. He became passionate about this sport. Many years of training, first international competitions and the World Cup debut three years ago followed. Sinner's bank neighbor In June 2020, Mahlknecht successfully completed his Matura at the Italian business school with a focus on sport. By the way, none other than tennis ace Jannik Sinner was his classmate and neighbor at the bench. “A good and hard-working student. In recent years, of course, he was often absent due to his tennis travels, so there was always a lot to catch up on,” says Mahlknecht. The telemarker often passed on the tasks to be completed to the Pusterer.

Raphael Mahlknecht and Jannik Sinner in the 2nd class of the business school © private

Like Sinner, he also wants to compete with the best in the world. In the winter he concentrates entirely on sport, while in the summer he works in his parents' business, the restaurant “Zur Quelle” and at the Seiser Alm campsite. Training takes place all year round, mainly on the Alpe di Siusi and in Val Gardena: in the summer the program focuses on dry and strength training, and in the colder months there is intensive training on skis. Sponsors support the young athletes. There is hardly any support from the Italian association, and the national telemark team does not have a coach.

The program for Mahlknecht includes private training sessions, training with local ski clubs, but also training camps with the telemark national teams from Switzerland, Germany and Norway. Italy's national telemark team currently consists of only two athletes. In addition to Mahlknecht, 17-year-old Giacomo Bormolini from Livigno also wants to establish himself in the big business soon.

The first World Cup races this season are scheduled to take place in Oberjoch in Germany from January 21st. This year he would like to have a say in the top 10 places. In the World Cup, Mahlknecht took 3th place three times, and at the World Cup two years ago he impressed with 17th place. His greatest success to date is a 13th place at the 5 Junior World Championships in Slovenia. This season he wants to make it to the podium at the Junior World Championships last year as a junior. But, either way: “The fun of sport is everything,” says the likeable athlete.

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An exotic South Tyrolean skier: telemarker Raphael Mahlknecht

His passion is for a winter sport that hardly anyone in South Tyrol knows about, let alone practices competitively. Raphael Mahlknecht is a telemarker – and competes with the best in the world in this sport.

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