Jaunumi

UPDATE: Online registration for BC and FIS races will close on November 1st, 20:00 EET.

On the first weekend of November in the Winter indoor complex “Snow arena” in Lithuanian city Druskininkai will kick-off the first stage of Baltic cup and also FIS Entry league (ENL) category race in alpine skiing, organized by Latvian Ski federation. First stage of Baltic cup in Lithuania will take place four days from 3^rd November to 6^th November and will include slalom discipline for participants of all groups. First two days will be FIS race for elite, U21 group and “Masters”, but on Saturday and Sunday will compete alpine skiers from all three Youth groups. On the Friday evening is expected exciting head to head battles of inaugural parallel slalom for FIS race participants.   

Latvian Ski Association, which now has changed its name to Latvian Ski federation, will continue the tradition and introduces the ninth season of strongest and most prestigious several stage alpine skiing competition in Eastern European region – Baltic cup. As the previous two years also this time Baltic cup will consist of three stages – first in “Snow arena” in Druskininkai (Lithuania) in November, second in Latvian city Sigulda in February and the last third one in Finland’s northern skiing resort Pyha in March.

Once again the Baltic cup season will start in the beginning of November with the first stage in Lithuanian south city of Druskininkai, because there is an indoor alpine skiing track “Snow arena”, which provides opportunity to hold alpine skiing competition in this time of year. Indoor track has 50m width, 460m length and 60 m vertical drop. Surface of competition track will be prepared icy and very hard as previous times, which makes equal conditions to all competitors.

Last year Lithuania hosted FIS ENL competition in alpine skiing for the first time, and this year such level alpine skiing competition will go ahead for the second time. In FIS ENL races competitors will have to make three runs, but for Youth groups usual two runs will be carried out.  Interesting innovation – parallel slalom – is introduced for FIS races. That will bring more excitement also to the spectators.

Baltic cup in “Snow arena” will be the second FIS competition this season between two World cups – ten days after seasons opening Giant slalom in Soelden (Austria) on the 22^nd and 23^rd October and one week before the slalom in Levi (Finland). Last year in the first stage of Baltic cup in Lithuania competed in all groups round 250 alpine skiers from 13 nations.

Ivars Bacis