World Cup in Jasna with several new features

The penultimate weekend of January 2024 will be a true skiing celebration. Although there is more than three months until the start of the World Cup in Jasna (January 20-21, 2024), preparations are in full swing. "We are working very intensively. A few days ago, we placed the first mobile cells at the venue, which will be important at the finish line. We are also working on the construction of television towers. When it starts snowing in a month - even if it doesn't look like it these days - we must be ready," says race director Jana Palovičová.

As she also works in the FIS structures as a technical delegate, she regularly attends meetings of the International Ski Federation's commission in Zurich, Switzerland. "There are quite a few novelties. The marketing of the World Cup is accelerating rapidly, many things are moving into the online space, which also forces us to prepare for all the changes," she explains.

Even the racers themselves have to get used to new rules. "Waxing is changing. Waxing is also changing to minimize the impact on the environment. It will be interesting to see how each team copes with waxing. Everyone will want to have it done as best as possible and as quickly as possible," says Palovičová.

On the same day as Kitzbühel

The penultimate weekend of January next year will be a real celebration of alpine skiing. If the weather doesn't spoil it, there will be a women's giant slalom on the northern slopes of Chopok starting at 9:30 AM, while in Kitzbühel, Austria, on the same day, two hours later, the men's downhill will begin on the famous Hahnenkamm slope. "Viewers will be able to be in front of the screens from morning," Palovičová is excited.

In terms of terrain preparation, the Priehyba slope promises much better conditions compared to previous editions of the races in Jasna. The slope has been officially available since 2016. "We made sure there is much better visibility on the track than in the past. Even those who will be skiing during the races on other slopes will feel the competitive atmosphere. I am convinced that this will contribute to an even better atmosphere."

The race director is also pleased that, unlike in 2021, the competition will take place not in March but already in January. "The racers will already be in full swing. After us, there will only be three slaloms left on the program. It will definitely be interesting."

Another new feature is the possibility of enjoying a public drawing. "It will take place on Fridays and Saturdays at six o'clock. We see it as a certain prestige that fans can enjoy the racers twice."

Even a training slope

Unlike some other resorts, the organizers will also prepare a special training slope. "We are 'balconying' it," Palovičová indicates a complex snowmaking system, in which the snowmaking software controls the output pressure of each valve to be able to inject water into the snow more comfortably and interconnect individual layers so that the slope is as homogeneous as possible. "We have it more refined over the years, we can do it in three sections at once. However, we need at least 24 hours for the water to evaporate. It must not snow during that time, nor must the slope be covered. But it always remains a bit of alchemy," Palovičová concludes.