Original Buff Headwear will sponsor the 2004-2005 TeleFair telemark skiing and snowkiting series, the company announced this week. TeleFair will take place at 12 locations throughout North America during the coming winter. The series promotes the sports of telemarking and snowkiting through low-cost clinics and free equipment demonstrations.

“If you look at our web site and the sponsors we’re associated with, they’re the cool companies that have the great products. And we feel Buff is one of those, so we asked if they’d get involved,” said Ken Lucas, the founder and director of the TeleFair series.

According to Lucas, Buff Headwear is perfect for a sport like telemark skiing because Original Buff garments are versatile, serving different functions and addressing different weather situations depending on the way they’re worn. “We felt Buff’s connection with backcountry skiing was great,” he said. “It weighs so little and you can do so much with it. Take two Buffs on a trip and you can do just about everything you need to keep your head warm.”

During the coming season’s clinics, the seventh season for TeleFair, instructors will use original Buff Headwear during events and participants will have a chance to win Buff garments through raffles for outdoor gear following the clinics. Among other locations, TeleFair events in 2004-2005 will take place at Snowbird, Utah, Whistler-Blackcomb, British Columbia, Alpine Meadows, Calif., and Jay Peak, Vermont. TeleFair kicks off Dec. 11-12 with an event in Kirkwood, Calif.

Shirley Choi Brunetti, who oversees sales and distribution for Original Buff® in the U.S., said sponsoring TeleFair continues a trend for Buff of supporting endurance sports that are a good match for Buff’s high performance and versatility. Buff is widely involved in adventure and multi-sport racing and enjoys a following among cyclists, runners and hikers.

“It’s important for equipment manufacturers to support the activities to which they have a strong connection, and for Buff it’s especially rewarding to support things like telemark skiing and multi-sport racing-sports that have strong participation but whose growth potential remains great,” Brunetti said.

TeleFair statistics show that 60 percent of participants in past years are new to the sport of telemarking and 10 percent are new to skiing. Last year, TeleFair drew more than 700 participants through seven two-day events, according to Lucas. This year, TeleFair clinics will cost $60.