May 05, 2010 (Cable, WI) – Telemark Resort, the brainchild of the legendary Tony Wise who also created the American Birkebeiner, closed its doors on May 5 following a troubled financial past and a failed pending sale. Wise established the resort in 1947 and the first Birkie was held in 1973 – the two have been intertwined for years.

But difficult times lay ahead for Telemark Resort which went through two bankruptcies and is now facing a third. The fabled Birkie has been forced to make plans with alternative facilities for next year’s event.

The pending sale of the 975-acre property to Telemark Partners LLC. was delayed because of a financing glitch and it’s uncertain how long the resort will remain closed.  The 1,400 members of the Telemark Interval Owners Association (TIOA) had voted late last year to close the lodge by March 31, if a sale was not completed, but extended operations.

Telemark Partners LLC is apparently planning to invest $20 million and create an Olympic-caliber training center for mountain bikers, cross-country skiers and snowboarders.

There’s still hope that the ambitious plans for the resort with its storied past will be realized. Telemark Resort, with Wise at the helm, hosted the first unofficial FIS Cross Country World Cup in 1978, bringing together the late renowned ski journalist Paul Robbins, veteran announcer Peter Graves, and Tom Kelly now with the USSA. The three became lifelong friends and evangelists for the sport of Nordic skiing.

Read more here – and at JSonline here and here.