Farli Boden wins U.S. Telemark Nationals for third time

GILFORD, N.H. — Farli Boden has done it again. 

The 2018 Sandpoint graduate won the Elite Women's Division at the U.S. Telemark Ski National Championships held March 4-7 at Gunstock Ski Resort. The win marks her third national title since 2018.

Telemark ski racing, for those unfamiliar, combines the elements of Alpine and Nordic skiing. Skiers, on downhill skis, must use their rear foot to keep balance while pushing on their front foot with toe-only bindings … all while going through a series of gates, a 360-degree banked turn, a skate section, and a jump that must be landed in the lunged position. Telemark ski racing truly tests all forms of competitive skiing in one.

On the first day, skiers competed in the Sprint Classic, which is two runs combined on a shorter course. On the second day, skiers competed in two Classic races, which is one run per race on a longer course.

“Since I have an Alpine background, clearing the gates is the easiest part for me,” Boden said. “The hardest part is definitely the skate section. With Telemark, you have to be good at a lot of different things — you have to be well-rounded. It can also depend on how the course is set up and what the mountain conditions are in order to really figure out your strengths and weaknesses.”

The conditions at the Gunstock Ski Resort in early March were not the best. The field could not compete on the last day of racing (a second phase of the Sprint Classic) due to the fact that there was not enough snow for the gates to fit into place. However, Boden said the crews did a really good job preparing for everything, noting the race setup was the overall best run on the mountain.

Even though the tournament was small, especially since other's were in Europe competing at World Cup events, Boden still won the Elite Division amongst a total of five other skiers.

“I didn’t really think I was going to win at first because in my first race I accidentally disqualified my run by missing the gate off the first jump,” Boden said.

Thankfully for Boden, the winner is chosen based on their best two out of three runs … and she won the other two runs. Overall, Boden said it was a great experience and that she is glad the team could come together to make the event happen once again.

“It’s a bummer we did not have as much of a turnout since we’re trying to comeback from COVID-19 still — a lot of team members didn’t return after the pandemic,” Boden said. “I think it was a positive step forward this year. We’re always looking to get more people involved.”

In the past, Boden has been a regular on the podium. In 2018 and 2020, Boden also won national titles; she also placed second in 2016 and 2017. Since college, Boden said it has been harder to train with having to juggle added responsibilities, but she still often makes it out to the slopes to at least free ski. 

Boden said she is planning on competing in the years to come and is set to race at the FIS Telemark World Cup races in Europe next year.

“I’m taking it one season at a time,” Boden said. “There is a lot more competition and a lot more racing in Europe, so I’m excited for the experience and for the future of our team.”