From January 21 to 25, the Arkhyz resort in Karachay-Cherkessia will host the pilot stage of the Russian Snowboarding Cup in the disciplines of parallel slalom, parallel giant slalom, and the amateur Banked Slalom competition.
The holding of such competitions has become made possible by the certification of the resort's trails: in November, the Russian Ministry of Sports included the "blue", "red" and "black" trails in the All-Russian Register of Sports Facilities. The certification of the trails confirmed their full compliance with safety requirements for holding mass physical education and sports events at the All-Russian and international level.
“Our sport has become truly popular and accessible with the emergence of modern ski resorts in the North Caucasus, such as Arkhyz, as well as thanks to the reconstruction of the traditional Elbrus and Dombay,” Alexey Zadorozhnyuk, race director for parallel disciplines at the Russian Snowboard Federation (RSF), told the Interfax-Tourism portal.
He added that athletes from several regions of Russia, including the North Caucasus and Krasnodar Krai, will take part in the competitions at Arkhyz. The pilot stage of the Russian Cup, according to him, will be a test step in preparing for higher-rated competitions at Arkhyz, Dombay and Elbrus.
What are these sports disciplines and how do they differ from each other?
Parallel slalom is a simultaneous descent of two athletes on snowboards or alpine skis. Both athletes start under equal conditions from the same peak and zigzag down between red and blue flags. The winner is the one who reaches the finish line faster.
The length of the track is usually about 500 meters, and the time to complete it does not exceed 30 seconds. The same track of at least 40 meters wide and a slope of 17 to 22 degrees can be used for men and women.
At one time, parallel slalom was included in the Winter Olympics program, and always brought medals to the Russians. This sport does not require special skills, so it is accessible even to amateurs.
Giant slalom is distinguished by a longer track (from 800 meters to two kilometers), a difference in altitude of 120-200 meters and higher speeds. Athletes can reach speeds of 65 km/h, while in regular slalom it does not exceed 40 km/h.
Giant slalom is part of the Winter Olympics. Among the main contenders for gold in this sport is snowboarder Victor Wild, an American with Russian citizenship.
There is also a super giant slalom. The length of the track in this case is from 2.5 to 3 kilometers, the difference in height is 500-600 meters, and the descent takes place on rough terrain. Skiers call super giant a "hellish" sport.
Skiers to Elbrus
Those who are more into alpine skiing can visit the Russian Cup stage in alpine skiing among men and women in special slalom and giant slalom at the Elbrus resort from February 2 to 7.
"The strongest skiers of our country will take part in the competition, in addition to those who will be competing abroad these days. Alpine skiing is the highest rated winter sport on television, there will be many spectators," Valery Tsyganov, vice-president of the Russian Alpine Ski Federation (FSF), told the Interfax-Tourism portal.
He added that competitions on Elbrus have been held since 1960. "This is far from the first time. By the way, the competitions will be held at a high altitude - more than 3 km, and tourists will be able to ski as usual. No one will interfere with anyone," V. Tsyganov noted.
Special slalom is a skiing discipline that all athletes begin their careers with. Competitions are held on tracks 400-450 meters long with a slope of 25-35 degrees, which allows for speeds of up to 60 km/h. Skiers need to zigzag past flags placed along the track. The winner is the one who shows the shortest time.
Giant slalom is the most spectacular and at the same time accessible even to amateurs discipline. This is the most popular type of alpine skiing in Russia. During the descent, skiers develop speed up to 70-80 km/h. The length of the track is up to 1 km, and the slope is 20-30 degrees.
For professionals and amateurs
"In the discussion of which sport is more important - amateur or professional, we adhere to the "golden mean". Obviously, they cannot be separated, these are two interdependent processes. By rooting for professional athletes who set world and Olympic records, ordinary spectators "get infected" with the passion for sports - and go to a mountain resort, get on alpine skis or snowboards themselves, teach their children to ski. It is from such amateurs that future stars of big-time sports grow up," Khasan Timizhev, General Director of JSC "Resorts of the North Caucasus" (JSC "KSK"), told the portal "Interfax-Tourism".
Therefore, according to him, much attention is paid to the development of the sports component during the construction and operation of resorts. "We work with professionals - we certify trails, organize competitions, and develop a concept for creating multi-profile sports and tourist complexes on our sites. And we work with mass tourists, primarily young people and children - we stimulate family recreation with affordable ski passes for schoolchildren, and conduct ski lessons for children from the North Caucasus Federal District regions," he noted. "This synergy of tourism and sports has allowed Arkhyz to become one of the best sports facilities in the country, and now the resort is a contender for victory in the Russian Ministry of Sports' National Sports Award 2018 competition. The winners will be announced in the coming days, and we really hope to win," said the head of JSC KSK.
"In general, it's great that this winter "big sport" will come to the North Caucasus: this is a great opportunity to cheer for the best Russian snowboarders and skiers and learn from them skiing techniques. We are waiting for everyone at our resorts!", concluded H. Timizhev.
Source: tourism.interfax.ru