NEW FAVORITE PERSON TELEMARK EVANGELIST BOB MAZAREI Telemark reverence in front of the “Heavenly Mountain,” Khan Tengri, in the Tian Shan mountains of Kazakhstan. For Mazarei, tele skiing opened up the world. Photo: Luca Gasparini Words TOM WINTER THE RUN WAS DREAMY . Shin-deep untracked powder. A bluebird day, crenelated peaks of the Italian Alps towering above. And, perhaps most importantly, a quaint alpine hut at the bottom. “We should stop there,” said Bob Mazarei as we skied toward the hut. “Let’s have a beer.” For those who know him well, Mazarei’s enthusiasm for graceful telemark turns is unmatched. But his enthusiasm for a cold beer after said turns comes close. So, we stopped. The Peroni in the hut was crisp and refreshing, and we finished our day by skiing down a snow-covered pasture road to the village of Sestriere. Bob Mazarei may not be a well-known name in alpine skiing. But to the close-knit global telemark community, Mazarei’s passion and reputation are legendary. Based out of Le Châble, directly below Verbier, Switzerland, the 62-year-old has clocked 30-plus years of 150-day ski seasons and skied in 53 countries, including such outliers as Portugal, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon. He’s an unofficial ambassador for telemark skiing festivals across the Alps, including the Freeheeler Open at Hintertux, Austria and Telemark-Only hosted at Mürren, Switzerland. He gigs on bass with the underground aprés-ski band The Lost Guides (anchored by IFMGA guides John Falkiner and Stephan Borgeaud). With fellow Italian telemarker Luka Gasparini, he created the Telemark Journal –an unpaid passion project that attracts contributions from luminaries such as Paul Parker, Allan Bard and Yvon Chouinard. Mazarei fetched up in Verbier after attempting a career in the family business in Los Angeles’ Garment District. He’d already tried to drop out of the real world, telling his father he was going to leave university to ski. “We were at home in LA and we had a guest, Gerard, from Paris, listening to this conversation,” Mazarei recalls. “Pops says, ‘No way you go to Mammoth and then continue school.’ “Pops then says, ‘I’ll make you a deal. You finish university, graduate, and I’ll pay your way, one season at Mammoth.’ Gerard pipes up, says, ‘Why ski in America? This Mammoth? You should go ski in Europe.’” Mazarei finished his degree, and true to his word, his father paid for a season in the Alps. The one location that really sucked him in was Verbier, a place that would haunt him when he returned to Los Angeles. “I was working downtown, not enjoying it,” says Maza-rei. “All the time I’m thinking of the Alps.” For Mazarei, the combination of massive terrain, no powder panic and skiing’s importance in the fabric of life in Europe was an intoxicating, unforgettable mix. So in ’91, Mazarei threw a “big blow-out party” and went to Switzerland with “five pairs of skis, a snowboard, my moun-tain bike, climbing gear, a tent, sleeping bag and $1,000 cash.” His expat contemporaries in Verbier included the first wave of American freeskiers in Europe, including characters such as legendary photographers Ace Kvale and Marko Shapiro. Mazarei started his telemark journey in 1986, captivated by the exploits of Allan Bard and Tom Carter. Telemarking, like a cold beer after an epic run, became his primary on-snow activity after his move to Verbier. And the community really hooked him. “If you see other telemarkers around, you head-nod, acknowledge, say g’day, go skiing together,” he says. It’s this sense of camaraderie that drives his commitment to sharing telemark. “I remember going to my first telemark festival, La Skieda X in Livigno, a long time ago and thinking this is the greatest thing of all time. A thousand friends from all over the world, all with two goals: ski tele en masse, and party like there is no tomorrow.” For Mazarei, it’s about this extended family, giving back to the ecosystem of telemark manufacturers, suppliers and retailers that keep this little corner of skiing alive, and spreading the stoke. “The Tele Gospel is sacred and we go forth, spreading, and partying,” he says. 028 The Ski Journal
The Ski Journal Volume 18, Issue 1: Page 28
