The Telemark Resort is located right next to the small town of Cable, Wisconsin, around 1.5 hours southeast of Duluth, Minnesota, and around 3 hours northeast of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The history of the Telemark Resort began in 1947. Tony Wise and H.B. Hewitt were two soldiers who discovered downhill skiing while resting in Bavaria after World War II. After returning to America, the two purchased land in Wisconsin and constructed two rope tows and a chalet. This marked the official opening of Telemark in 1947. Wise named the resort after the Norwegian province of Telemark, the birthplace of skiing.

Right from the beginning, Telemark experienced sizable crowds and popular winter seasons, with many skiers busing in every weekend. In 1949, the Cable airport was constructed, which coincided with the resort adding two new trails. By 1952, the resort had three rope tows, five ski runs, and a fully functional chalet which included rentals, ski patrol, and a restaurant. By 1956, the resort had constructed three more rope tows.

In 1957, the Telemark Resort constructed a 2,000-foot T-bar lift. This new lift cemented Telemark's reputation in the community and only added to the increased skier visitation the resort saw. By 1959, a youth hostel had been constructed at the base of Telemark, the first of many planned for the area. Expansion efforts continued in 1960 when two more T-bar lifts were constructed, each opening new terrain zones.

By early 1961, Telemark along with other Midwest operators were facing a serious snow drought. Tony Wise had purchased an insurance policy, although he did not operate his resort that year. The snow drought caused a $250,000 loan to be sought after by Telemark, with the money to be used to purchase snowmaking equipment. After the disastrous season, the Small Business Administration granted a loan of $180,000 to Telemark to purchase artificial snow machines. The Telemark Resort went on to break several attendance records in the following years.

In 1964, Tony Wise announced the construction of a new Hall double chairlift. Unfortunately, various delays plagued the opening of the new chairlift until November of 1965. Tony Wise continued expanding operations at Telemark, constructing a new alpine-style motel and a toll booth at the entrance to the ski resort.

In 1968, Tony Wise announced the development of a new housing project, which reportedly sold out quite fast. In 1969, Telemark cut a new run on the far left of the ski area. The new run held slalom races and had its own Norwegian-style warming hut at the top along with a dedicated rope tow. By 1970, another townhouse project was announced. While only 30 units were built out, this was the start of many more units planned to be constructed.

In March of 1971, construction began on a new $4 million lodge at the Telemark Resort. The lodge structure would feature a sprawling atrium, 150 condo units, a convention center, restaurants, swimming pools, and other amenities. Additionally, a golf course adjacent to the new lodge was developed in an attempt to create a four-season resort. By June of 1972, the price tag had ballooned to over $5 million.

By December of 1972, the Telemark Lodge was officially open to the public with much fanfare. The expansions continued at Telemark in 1973 with the addition of two Hall double chairs. The Morgodall chairlift ran bottom to top while the Jerry Bard chair served the short exhibition slope. Additionally, a mid-station was added to the original Valhalla double to provide a better beginner experience. 1973 was also the year that Tony Wise founded the famous Birkebeiner ski race at Telemark. Featuring a 31-kilometre cross-country track, the Birkebeiner grew in popularity year after year, eventually becoming synonymous with the Telemark Resort.

Unfortunately, issues had started to form at the Telemark Resort by 1976. In September that year, the state government asked for a $1.65 million federal grant to save the resort. Despite the financial issues, Telemark continued to operate for that season. However, on March 24th, 1977, the original ski chalet, which housed offices, the rental shop, and several restaurants, burnt to the ground due to a spark in an exhaust fan starting a grease fire. Despite the loss of the building, skiing operations continued out of the newly built lodge, and Tony Wise vowed to rebuild.

In September of 1977, the Small Business Administration filed a petition in federal court asking that the Telemark Resort be foreclosed to pay off various loans totaling $125,000. Tony Wise vowed that the foreclosure would not happen, instead drawing up plans for a new $3 million chalet. This building would be built using insurance money collected on the old building and a $5 million loan from the Farmers Home Association.

In 1979, Telemark found itself in more legal trouble when it was cited in two additional lawsuits filed by two St. Paul companies. Despite the drama, work on the new Telemark Center began in June of 1979. In August of 1979, Tony Wise was indicted on withholding over $11,000 in taxes from employee paychecks between 1976 and 1977. Although he pleaded innocent, he was convicted and ordered to pay over $2,000.

Despite Wise's personal legal issues, the Telemark Center was completed by the winter of 1979. The building housed tennis courts, a convention center, restaurants, and a banquet hall, and formally opened in 1980. Despite the additions, Telemark continued to hemorrhage money. Between 1975 and 1981, the resort lost an average of $675,000 per year.

Legal troubles also persisted for Telemark. In May of 1981, Wise filed petitions in federal court to reorganize the resort's finances. A lack of snow for the past two seasons, paired with increased competition, had led to strained financial resources. Later that month, condo owners in the Mount Telemark Lodge Owners Association voted to remove Tony Wise as the manager of the resort. As Telemark entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, this needed special court permission.

By December of 1981, a federal court approved Telemark's debt repayment plan, although it still needed creditor approval. At this time, the resort's total debts amounted to more than $8 million. After multiple delayed hearings, an amended debt repayment plan was submitted in October of 1982. Under this plan, Telemark would repay around 600 creditors $7.8 million during a three-year period.

Telemark operated during the 1982-83 ski season. However, by August of 1983, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue filed a motion in the US Bankruptcy Court to start liquidation proceedings against Telemark, after the resort was reported to be behind in paying state taxes. By September, an agreement was reached that gave the resort one year to pay $83,000 in back taxes. However, by November of 1983, the federal government stated its intentions to liquidate Telemark due to around $250,000 of unpaid federal taxes.

Telemark continued to operate for the 1983-84 season, although an unusually warm winter put a significant dent in profit margins. Despite Tony Wise's pleas to have more time to pay the IRS, by May of 1984 a federal bankruptcy judge ordered that Telemark be sold.

The foreclosure proceedings involved the ski area, the coliseum, and the golf course, with the main lodge and airstrip omitted for now. Although Tony Wise was able to keep his liquor license, by June of 1984 Telemark was unable to meet payroll. This was followed by owners in the Telemark Lodge requesting the court to release them from their contract with the bankrupt Telemark management company. By July of 1984, a federal court awarded possession of the liquor license to a bankruptcy trustee and issued an injunction against Tony Wise that barred him from entering the Telemark property.

By September of 1984, the court-appointed firm controlling Telemark stated that Wise owed $567,000 to the resort. Wise stated that he personally owned the rights to the Birkebeiner race and the Lumberjack World Championships. The Telemark Resort stated that they, not Wise, had ownership of these events. By October of 1984, a bankruptcy judge ruled that Telemark Enterprises, not Tony Wise, owned the Birkebeiner and the Lumberjack World Championships. Tony Wise attempted to organize his own race, which would coincide on the day the Birkebeiner started. This prompted the Telemark Resort to threaten legal action, even seeking to have Tony Wise arrested.

In December of 1984, the Telemark Lodge Owners Association offered a $1.2 million bid for the entire resort. Right after this offer was submitted, Edward Hurley, a Chicago land developer, bid $5.1 million for the resort. This prompted the court to reject the $1.2 million offer by the owners association.

Despite the bankruptcy over Telemark, the Birkebeiner race still went on, jointly managed by the court-appointed trustee and the American Birkebeiner Foundation, which was formed in 1984 to manage the annual race. In February of 1985, Tony Wise stated intentions to continue the legal battle to regain control of the Birkebeiner and the Lumberjack competition. But by April of 1985, a judge rejected Wise's bankruptcy appeal.

Complications regarding the Telemark bankruptcy continued in February of 1985, when it was revealed that over 200 employees were missing $92,000 in back wages for March and April of 1984. By April of 1985, a sale to Edward Hurley for $3 million was approved, as well as a $300,000 state loan to the Telemark Lodge Owners Association to keep the resort operational during summer. This move was appealed by the Telemark Lodge Owners Association, who argued that the resort deserved a bigger price. This appeal was struck down in court. However, omitted from Hurley's purchase was the golf course, ski hill, and coliseum. Hurley offered $600,000 for these properties separately.

More complications emerged when in June of 1985, the trustee running Telemark recommended the court reject Edward Hurley's $3 million bid to accept the owners association's $1.5 million bid. The reason for this was to end a complex legal battle about the lodge owners' legal rights. Reportedly, Judge William Folly conditionally approved the lodge owners' offer due to the fact that they would not press lawsuits to protect their financial interests. Appeals were quickly filed by the First Wisconsin National Bank, who argued that little would be left for creditors if the $1.5 million offer was accepted. Reportedly, Telemark owed the IRS more than $500,000 on a loan and had accumulated over $300,000 in accounts payable since the bankruptcy proceedings began in 1984.

By August of 1985, Edward Hurley withdrew his bid on the Telemark Lodge. By September, an agreement was reportedly worked out by both parties.

The biggest issue that Telemark faced was the problem of unit ownership. Over 200 rooms in the Telemark Lodge had been sold or leased by Tony Wise to various individuals. However, Wise had never actually drawn up deeds or ownership contracts. The Telemark Lodge Owners Association stated that they owned individual rooms or had rights to a 75-year lease. Other creditors stated that they did not own the units and sought to include all the Telemark units in bankruptcy proceedings. The courts eventually ruled that the Telemark Lodge owners were only leaseholders, not actual owners.

By December of 1985, other investors had expressed an interest in the property, and the land was granted a $75,000 emergency loan to keep it operating until February of 1986. Later that month, a complex $4.3 million offer for the Telemark Lodge was brought by Northwoods Group. As part of the offer, the individually owned units in the lodge would be converted into timeshare suites, with former owners entitled to one week's use throughout the year. This offer included the entirety of the Telemark Resort, not just the lodge. The Northwoods Group's offer was accepted in December. Immediately, lodge renovations totaling $1.5 million were announced, and it was declared that Telemark had turned the page to a new era.

Unfortunately, in March of 1986, the court-appointed trustee announced intentions to file suit for 140 acres of wooded property bordering Telemark, owned by Tony Wise. This in turn prompted Tony Wise to file another appeal, which also included the Telemark resort grounds. This stalled the sale to Northwoods and spelled disaster for the resort. By April, Telemark announced that it would close indefinitely until the matter was resolved, as it was completely out of operating cash.

While the Telemark Resort partially reopened in the following months, unpaid wages caused Telemark employees to walk out in November of 1986. It was announced in December that Northwoods would soon be closing on the resort. However, it was later revealed that Northwoods was involved in bankruptcy proceedings over $30 million in debts. While a Florida-based firm agreed to lend Northwoods $9.1 million to purchase Telemark, agreements between the two corporations were slow in the making. By February of 1987, the bankruptcy court stated that other parties may bid on Telemark. By May of 1987, the Northwoods Group missed a down payment on the Telemark Resort, which caused the company to lose its status as the court-appointed buyer for the resort. This prompted the court to announce that if attempts to sell the ski resort as a whole were unsuccessful, it may be auctioned off in pieces.

By June of 1987, much of the property was transferred to the People's National Bank of Hayward, which held a $9.5 million mortgage on the property. The shuttered lodge was retained by the court-appointed receiver. By July of 1987, the court scheduled the Telemark auction for September 15th.

On September 16th, it was announced that Impact 7, a private economic development corporation, was the highest bidder at the auction with a $1.35 million bid. However, the judge ordered that this bid would not even cover liens and back taxes accumulated by the resort, and ordered a re-auctioning of the property. At the new auction the next day, a Tennessee company by the name of Lake Properties submitted a $2.3 million offer for the resort. This higher offer was approved by the court. On October 10th, 1987, the sale to Lake Properties was finalized. The company immediately began work renovating the lodge, rehiring employees, and repairing the ski hill. This reopening caused much excitement in the local community, which had been hit especially hard during the resort's closure. The Valhalla double chairlift was retired and removed from the mountain. Lake Properties began constructing additional condo buildings at Telemark and the resort experienced a wildly popular season, especially during the Birkebeiner race. By December of 1988, the state of Wisconsin approved a $738,000 loan to the resort. By February of 1989, former condominium owners at the Telemark Resort won a combined $2.8 million, after suing a title insurance company who denied responsibility for defending them during bankruptcy proceedings.

Despite the new owners and the new energy, Lake Properties still owed Bayfield County over $55,000 in delinquent loan payments and owed $112,000 in back taxes. The company reportedly sometimes missed payment due dates.

In 1991, the Lac du Flambeau band signed an agreement to purchase Telemark from Lake Properties, announcing that the resort would turn into a gambling casino resort complex. Negotiations between the tribe and the resort continued for quite some time. One potential issue faced was that of the Wisconsin governor, who opposed any expansion to gambling in Wisconsin. Ultimately, the Lac du Flambeau band was not able to purchase the resort, and in April of 1992 a foreclosure was threatened on the property by Bayfield County due to unpaid debts. Despite a pending foreclosure, Telemark remained open, and later that month a payback plan was approved by the court.

Telemark continued to operate through the late 1990s, although many amenities were gradually phased out. For example, in early 1998 the Telemark coliseum was demolished. Despite this, the Birkebeiner race was growing in popularity and during these years brought in between 10 to 20% of the Telemark Resort's annual income. In July of 1998, the resort filed for bankruptcy over tens of thousands of dollars it owed in back taxes, blaming a few poor snow years for the poor financial state of the resort. Telemark was thus put on the market in early December of 1998. However, by January of 1999, it was announced that the lodge would close indefinitely. By March of 1999, three condominium owners associations put together a bid of $2.6 million for the troubled resort, and by April this bid was officialized.

As part of cost-cutting measures undertaken at Telemark, the majority of downhill skiing operations ceased. Only a rope tow servicing the Jerry Bard run was in service and only snowboarders were allowed to use it. Multiple cross-country ski trails across the former downhill runs were cut, and the resort received a $100,000 loan from the state for renovations. Throughout the 2000s, Telemark marketed itself as a cross-country skiing destination, drifting away from its legacy of downhill skiing. The Birkebeiner race continued to be held at Telemark and in a way became the only defining legacy of the resort. While the resort did operate a rope tow for snowboarders, its operation was quite sporadic and extremely limited.

In March of 2010, the Telemark Resort announced that it would be sold. However, after this deal stalled, the resort announced that it would close indefinitely until new owners were found. By September of 2010, the resort was once again in foreclosure, having not made a profit in 11 years. By May of 2011, a new group titled Telemark Partners LLC announced that they would acquire the lodge and resort grounds and planned to create an Olympic-level training center. By June of 2011, the lodge was back in business as the sale of the resort was finalized, though from available research it appears the downhill snowboarding run did not operate.

In late 2012, the Telemark Resort underwent numerous renovations as it was featured on the Travel Channel show Hotel Impossible, which aired in early 2013. Despite the show's efforts to remodel the resort and despite the increasing popularity of the Birkebeiner race, the Telemark Resort continued to struggle. The resort closed in March of 2013.

By September of 2013, a judge ruled that the Telemark Lodge had been abandoned since closing in March and that foreclosure proceedings should be expedited. By October of 2013, a Colorado-based company purchased Telemark with a $926,000 bid during a sheriff sale. While there was a brief moment of hope for the resort, by November the new owners announced that the lodge was in an extreme state of disrepair and cut all power to the building.

In 2015, HK Hospitality, a Florida company, signed an agreement to purchase the 1,000-acre Telemark property including the lodge building for $47 million. HK Hospitality announced plans to update the resort, including a full restoration of the hotel and the return of downhill skiing and golf. Despite the plans, the Telemark Resort continued to sit empty and abandoned.

The American Birkebeiner Foundation began leasing Telemark land in 2019 and were given the option to buy 713 acres of the resort when the lease expired in 2021. In March of 2020, yet another investment group announced plans to purchase the property, demolish all existing buildings, and construct a new 250-room lodge while restoring downhill skiing to Telemark. This obviously did not happen. The contents of the hotel were all auctioned off in 2020, and the property was soon after sold to the American Birkebeiner Foundation. By May of 2021, demolition of the former ski lodge had begun, which was completed by July of 2021. The only remnants of the former lodge that stand are two concrete elevator shafts, which are planned to be incorporated into a new plaza. A new, much smaller lodge was recently constructed, planned to be the first of several new buildings.

When asked if downhill skiing would ever make a comeback to Telemark, Allison Slavic, campaign director for the American Birkebeiner Foundation, stated: "It isn't in the plans for the immediate future, but we are open to having an outside vendor if that does happen." While the Telemark Resort is much different now than it once was, it's still enjoyed and used by the community for recreation.