While free heel racing was the focus of the Whistler Telemark Club's silent auction last Friday, free bidding was the order of the evening as silent bidders lit up the tables at Amami with vigorous bids. When the smoke from the hot jazz band had cleared, the silent auction raised more than $1,800 for the Whistler Telemark Club and their efforts to organize the 1996 World Telemark Championships, March 25-30 on Whistler Mountain. Silent auction organizer and national team telemark racer Paula Steinheber says the crowd was very supportive of the telemark team and everyone chipped in to make the event a success. "The whole thing turned out just great," she says. "The music, the donations and the money raised were just great." The Whistler Telemark Club is now in the process of producing a limited edition World Championship T-shirt to raise more funds for the biggest telemark race scheduled for the season. The event will mean that for the first time ever the Canadians will be skiing for the World Championships on home turf. The next fund-raising event is a cabaret scheduled for Dusty's Jan. 18. Featuring live music by the Paperboys, Steinheber says it looks like a good party is in the works.
