Pyrenees 2030, a springboard to strengthen the base of snow sports?

Pyrenees 2030, is it a tool to standardize snow sports in the Pyrenees? Winter Olympics planned by Catalonia and Aragon Can support a tradition that began in both regions in 1908when a group of hikers decided to go down to Rasos de Peguera.

The candidacy of the Catalonia generals and the Government of Aragon may be the necessary catalyst for the launch of the base of this sport, with its infrastructure development programs and initiatives dedicated to the sport.

The Games will also allow, according to Olmo Hernan, General Director and Sports Director of the Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation (Rfedi), to: The kids who are at the core of winter sports meet the snow pros. “The higher the number of young references among athletes, The more they want to look like themselvesThis is why the Olympics initiative is fundamental to our future development,” he explains to Palco23.

“Our goal is to support sports activity in schools, and to teach children snow sports, through agreements with schools,” he recalls, stressing the need for coordination with regional federations, ski clubs and educational institutions.

Among the more than 200 clubs present in Spain, Between 60% and 70% concentrated between Catalonia and Aragon. The rest of the regions that winter athletes travel to are the Cantabria Mountains, the Sierra Nevada and Navacerrada in Madrid. Some of the famous clubs in the Spanish Pyrenees are Associació Esportiva Pallars and La Molina Club d’Esports. MAF Ski Club, Tecalp Ski Club, White Camps Ski Club or Cejca.

“The more references athletes have, the more they want to look like them,” Olmo Hernan, president of Rfedi, told Palco23.

In the 2020-2021 season, Rfedi had 3,782 federal members, 0.8% less than in the year of Covid-19.But it’s 1.5% and 0.3% more than in 2018-2019, the year it made the leap, with a 7% increase in licenses. In addition, the rule has increased significantly in recent years and the federation already has nearly 2,000 licenses that correspond to athletes under the age of sixteen.

In all the Catalan Pyrenees, the agreement programs between the ski slopes and the schools, brokered by the Catalan government, benefited 2,474 students from 61 schools in the Pyrenees. Since its inception in 2013, 7,200 primary school students have been able to practice snow sports thanks to these programs.

Part of the growth in the snowsports base in recent years is due to the sponsorship of three companies: Audiwhich for fifteen years gave its name to the Spanish Cup; IberdrolaWhich enhances the role of women in the sector and Movestarwhich created a circle on the ice and free All over Spain where youngsters travel with reference athletes.

Ski resorts have invested 38.19 million euros this season

besides Rfedi has brands from the mountain and snow sector as technical sponsors Such as Leki, Salomon, Rossignol, Merrell, Head, Descente, Lange, Dynastar, GSG, Cabon Zero, Swany, Mico, Liski or Protest, Nutrition sponsors like Enervit or Carmex, Wellness and physiotherapy sponsors like DJO, Sportlast or an indoor station in Madrid , Snozone.

Although alpine skiing is the most traditional in Spain, many young people have been Recently attracted by figure skating and free. For ten years, these two methods have been considered by federations as specialties. In the 2020-2021 season, up to 10,263 skiers participated in national alpine skiing events, while 1,254 athletes participated in cross-country skiing, 364 in Frisky and 261 inches skateboard.

In the last years, Olympic medals varied. The base of young athletes it attracts ice She is represented in the Olympic medal table. Regino Hernandez Bronze in PyeongChang 2018 and Silver Queralt Castellet in Beijing 2022 They have allowed young snow lovers to see new standards in professional sports to look at.

Although alpine skiing is still the most practiced, recently young people have been attracted to snowboarding and free

Figure skating arrived from the United States in the mid-1990s and settled in the country thanks to the advent of the Ballantines rink, which through the various stations passed tests ice. Cerler, Formigal or La Molina, in the Catalan-Aragonese Pyrenees, pioneered the installation of these roads. La Molina also hosted the World Cup ice in 2011.

The free It has also grown in recent years, after establishing training groups and professional clubs. Union in this way goes back to 300 people, however, there are many young practitioners Hobby.

In order to follow the world competitions in Spain, fans can do so through Eurosport. The International Skating Federation (FIS) has sold the rights to the major discovery competitions until 2026-2027. What is more, The union has its own application Broadcast national events.

In Aragon, Candancho It was the first place in Spain where many self-made young people began to ski, It became the first station in the country in 1928. In Catalonia, in 1943, La Molina installed a ski lift to transport athletes between the slopes and established a train connection with Barcelona, ​​which made it possible to popularize snow sports in the region.

The cradle of snow sports expanded as the decades progressed, until Francisco Fernandez Ochoa in 1972 and Blanca Fernandez Ochoa in 1992 won Olympic medals and ski fever broke out. since then, The tradition of snow sports has been strengthened, currently reaching over six million skiers throughout the yearMore than two million people practice more than three days of skiing annually.

After Covid-19, the infrastructure and the number of fans have improved. In 2020, 71% of the skiers were concentrated in the Pyrenees, who climbed a total of 96 days, due to the early closure due to Spain’s State of Alarm decree. Ski resorts in Spain invested €38.19 million for the 2021-2022 season, up 1.8% from last year, Having recorded a decrease in sales in the 2020-2021 academic year by 68.4% to 37.2 million euros. The income last season was 117.7 million euros, while in 2018-2019 it amounted to 123.6 million euros.