Whats on related to ski events
A broad calendar of events in the European Alps in the last few months of 2007 and the beginning of 2008. We can plan corporate events around these events on request.
Freestyle.ch - Freesports Competition
When: 21 - 23 Sep 2007 (annual)
Where: Landiwiese
The freestyle.ch competition is part of of the ISF Snowboarding World Tour, and includes action from the world's top BMX riders, in-line skaters, skiers and skateboarders. It takes place on the banks of Lake Zurich at the Landiwiese.
The weekend's activities also include music, film premières, bars and a trade fair (Street & Snowmess) where visitors can discover the latest products on the market, try wakeboarding and use a public mini-ramp.
There are Big Air competitions in snowboarding and skiing, where competitors launch themselves off a snow jump, performing a variety of tricks in the air in an attempt to win the hearts of the crowd and judges. Street/park and vert skateboarding, BMX and in-line skating take place on a specially designed course that includes stairs, handrails and banks, as well as on a vert halfpipe, where the skaters string together runs of varied tricks while going as high as possible.
Related Information
Website:Freestyle.ch Website
FIS Snowboarding World Cup: Sölden
When: Oct 2007 (annual)
Where: Sölden
Sölden is one of Austria's top resorts and the snowboard events they hold always reflect that. The FIS World Tour visits for the Parallel Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom events.
In the slalom events riders race head-to-head on parallel courses. The times from two runs on different courses are added together, with the winner advancing to the next round.
Mondial du Snow
When: Oct 2007 (annual)
Where: Les 2 Alpes
The World of Snowboarding is the first of two exhibitions that open the season in Les Deux Alpes.
Snowboard enthusiasts can test out the latest products and brands on the slopes of the resort, which is not only one of the most popular in France, but also perhaps the coolest. Hordes of wraparound-shaded individuals in big trousers test the latest innovations for the new season.
As always with the resort, the nightlife is hard to avoid as the bars and clubs prepare themselves for the real invasion later on in the year.
Website: www.mondialduski.com
Santa Claus Gathering at Europa Park
When:Dec 2007 (annual)
Where:Europa Park
Cost:Free for Santa lookalikes (complete with robe, hat and beard)
If your kids doubt the existence of Father Christmas, take them to this Christmas-crazy event at Europa Park. The sight of hundreds of grown men sporting red robes and fake beards is enough to convert even the most Scrooge-like of non-believers.
This festive event is free for Santa lookalikes and kicks off more than a month of activities in Germany's biggest theme park, including ski bob racing, snow tubing, ice skating and a glittering Christmas market.
Art in Ice
When: Dec 2007 (annual)
Where: Livigno Resort
Livigno hosts the annual international Art in Ice competition, where ten teams of three sculptors compete to transform pressed snow into works of art. The artists may use any manual tools and techniques in the execution of their projects and are free to interpret art and snow as they please.
International Criterium of the First Snow
When: Dec 2007 (various dates)
Where: Val d'Isère
The International Criterium of the First Snow is the key event that opens the skiing season in the Val d'Isère resort. This hallowed event first took place in 1955 and has now become one of the main meetings on the international skiing circuit. The world's top skiers compete, bringing in their wake a trail of doctors, technicians and trainers - and some 500 journalists.
Men compete on the first weekend and women on the second in downhill and giant slalom competitions. Performances are timed and often just a hundredth of a second's difference singles out the winner.
Contact Details: Val d'Isère
Email: info@val-disere.com
Phone: +33 (0) 479 06 06 60
Fax: +33 (0) 479 06 04 56
Winter Opening
When: Dec 2007 (annual)
Where: Kitzbühel
Famed winter resort Kitzbühel opens its season with a line-up of special offers, apres-ski fun, night-skiing and tobogganing.
For three days, the lifts run into the evening. For the more dignified visitor there are gondola rides to the piste of all pistes - the Hahnenkamm - and a romantic candlelit dinner on Hochkitzbühel. The local ski schools offer free training sessions in the mornings and partcipants can prove their talents straight away - the Hahnenkamm Sprint-Cup on Saturday is open to anyone.
Numerous other activities keep up the party atmosphere, including an Advent Market and open-air fashion shows during the weekend, as well as a live concert on the Jochberg mountain.
Visitor
FIS Snowboarding World Cup: Bad Gastein
This FIS World Cup of Snowboarding competition is held in Bad Gastein (Austria) in December. Saturday sees the Parallel Slalom, designed as a night event under floodlights, followed by the Snowboard Cross on Monday and Tuesday. The supporting programme for spectators includes live music and food.
In Parallel Slalom competitions riders race head-to-head on parallel courses with the winner advancing to the next round. In Snowboard Cross they race simultaneously down an obstacle-filled track. This snow version of Motocross is very exciting to watch, given that anything can happen with four to six riders on the course at once. The races are around one minute long, through a twisting and turning course that drops some 200 metres.
Related Information
Website: Skipool Bad Gastein http://www.skipool-badgastein.com/index1024.htm
Website: Austrian Ski Federation http://web.oesv.at/
Website: International Ski Federation (FIS) Website http://www.fis-ski.com/
International Christmas Ski Jump
When: Dec 2007 (annual)
Where: St Moritz
For over 90 years, residents and visitors in the elegant Swiss resort of St Moritz have turned out on Boxing Day to enjoy a day of ski jumping.
St Moritz offers an unusually wide variety of wintertime recreations, a legacy of its past Winter Olympics. It is no surprise, then, that it boasts one of the oldest ski jumps in the world. Dramatic enough on television, the exploits of the athletes flying through the air on their long skis are even more spectacular in person.
Speed Race
When: Dec 2007 (annual)
Where: Titlis Glacier, Engelberg
Like Jackass on ice, the Speed Race combines the unquenchable human desire for exhilaration with the questionable human appetite for stupidity. Dozens of skiers and snowboarders congregate at the Skischule Engelberg as night falls to ski down the Titlisschanze. All at the same time.
The course may be only 130 metres long, but with a 40° gradient to overcome, the race is not at all straightforward. Or pain free. One tumble by a snowboarder ploughing into the route of a traversing skier could kick-start a spectacular domino effect...
The race is an exercise in making a challenge as uncomfortable as possible for the contestants. Anyone foolish enough to want to enter can do so by calling the ski school.
Gala Evening on Ice
When: Dec 2007 (annual)
Where: Courchevel Forum Ice Rink
Courchevel hosts a glittering evening at the Forum ice rink. Although VIPs are invited, so are the general public - tickets are available on the door and by prior reservation.
Christmas in the Land of Avoriaz
When: Dec 2007 (annual)
Where: Avoriaz Ski Resort
Avoriaz celebrates Christmas with a host of events for all the family. Compete to build the best snowman or browse and buy at the seasonal market, while warming yourself up with sweet chestnuts, papillotes sweets and mulled wine.
The highlight of the two-week festival is the Christmas Sound and Light display, spectacular against the luminous backdrop of the crisp snow. Children will love launching balloons containing letters to Santa Claus, sled racing, a candy dance party, make-up workshops and their own fashion parade. For adults, the organised events will alleviate some of the pressure to keep the little ones entertained!
Crans-Montana Ballooning Meeting
When: Jan 2008 (annual)
Where: Crans-Montana
The popular ski resort of Crans-Montana holds this annual gathering of ballooning enthusiasts, who come in droves to fly their craft over the Alps and Lac Léman.
Dozens of multicoloured hot air balloons depart every morning from the Lac Grenon, a short walk east of Crans-Montana village. For those who aren't early risers, they are visible floating through the crisp air until the evening.
Inferno Race in Mürren
When: Jan 2008 (annual)
Where: Mürren
Mürren has been the home of the Inferno ski race since 1928, and it is now recognised as the best amateur event in Europe. The four-day event comprises a Cross-Country race, a Giant Slalom and a Downhill. On the Friday night an effigy of the devil is set alight during the traditional Inferno procession, Devilis Dance.
The event draws more people every year and takes in some of the best and most interesting runs of the Jungfrau Top ski resort.
From firing down pistes to some exhausting uphills, it requires more than just one skill and is truly challenging. More than 1800 racers start each year, which makes it the largest non-professional Alpine ski competition.
Related Information
Website:Inferno Race Website www.inferno-muerren.ch