Twelve-year-old Cedar Mattole of Columbia Falls recently took earned honors as Junior 2 National Champion in telemark skiing.

Mattole has been telemark racing for two years. There are few telemark skiers, let alone racers, at his age.

Last season, he began training with former U.S. telemark team members Peter McMahon, Maggie Doherty and Cole Snyder at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

He attended a training camp last summer and then a New Year’s camp in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Last weekend, Mattole traveled with his parents, Stephanie and Rio Mattole, to Vermont for the U.S. Telemark National Championships. They arrived early enough so Mattole could warm up at Kare Anderson’s race, one of the longest running telemark races in the country.

The National Championships were a four-day, six-race and two-venue weekend.

Two days of racing were at Bromley Mountain followed by another two at nearby Haystack Mountain. At the end of the weekend, Cedar was named the Junior 2 National Champion.

“It was a great experience to be able to ski with the rest of the team,” Mattole said. “They are all so nice. The races were competitive but still fun. It’s cool to be racing against someone but still cheer them on.”