From freeriders to free-heelers, Marmot Basin is preparing for a steady stream of major events in the next few weeks. Starting this weekend, the hill will be a hive of activity as it hosts races, festivals and a touring big air competition that sounds fantastically entertaining.

It’s time for junior racers to invade the slopes this Saturday and Sunday, as the regional race series finals for K1, K2, J1 and J2 skiers are held at Marmot. The best of the K2 crop from across Western Canada will return the following Friday (March 24) as the Western Canadian championships will get started and run for the entire weekend. In fact, from the 24th until the 26th, Marmot will be playing host hill to no fewer than three major events. In addition to the kinder races, that weekend also marks the third annual Teletri festival, an event that has been gracing Marmot’s March schedule since 2004.

“It’s Western Canada’s premier telemark ski event,” said Marmot’s John Mossman, who is in charge of special events for the hill. “They just had the Canadian championships at Nakiska so lots of the top skiers from there will be heading here,” he said. “We’re expecting about 40 to 70 participants and it’s one hell of a good party.”

Although there are several race events for the pros and experts, the Teletri is meant for all.

“It’s good from the beginner right up to the pro and including a person who has never tried tele-skiing before,” Mossman said.  

Marmot is a pretty popular hill for telemarkers, Mossman said. 

“We’ve got quite a few who just work on the ski hill — my boss Rob Ellen is a good tele-skier,” he said. “It’s big up here.”

The other thing bound to be big that weekend is scheduled for Saturday (March 25). The Juicyfruit Snojam tour is coming to Marmot for the first time ever. The event, is organized by Quebec-based Sitour Canada.

“It’s a national tour that goes to 16 different resorts from Quebec to B.C.,” said Andreas Rauch, Sitour Canada president. “It’s an event where the public skier and snowboarder at large can sign up and participate.”

Using the air site just uphill from the mid-mountain lodge, the first event is the “Sweeeet Air Challenge”, in which contestants are ranked on the innovative tricks they do by a panel of judges. 

The real show stopper, however, is the target jump. Using the same kicker, a four-foot circle and a two-foot circle will be placed on the snow for jumpers to aim towards. 

“They need to land on it, or be touching the target after jumping,” said Rauch. “They earn three points for landing in the large circle and five for the small. Every person has three tries and at the end we add up the points.” Rauch did not say if there were bonus points awarded for spectacular crashes or broken bones.

Although the Snojam tour is in its second year, this is the first stop at Marmot.

“It will become a regular spot, we hope,” said Rauch. “It’s really a fun event for the public and we hope we’ll have a lot of people watching and taking part.”

If watching others launch themselves into the skiing stratosphere is more your style, hang on one more weekend, as the Alberta Freestyle Skiing Championships will come to Marmot on the last weekend of the month.