With the end of Christmas, the long winter months begin which, with a few exceptions, are characterized by bad weather and the feeling that nothing ever happens. In addition to recommending the best skating rinks and ski resorts to burn the calories of the thrones, to make the wait easier until spring, and to show that things do happen from January to march, we present you the ten best winter sports events that can’t be missed in your calendar.
- TRANS Igloo Festival 2015, Switzerland
You don’t need to travel to Alaska to spend a night in an igloo. In Mechselsee-Fruit, a small village in the Swiss Alps, it is possible to see an igloo village for two days and even sleep in one of them! It is possible to reach the transa Igloo Festival by road, as well as by train or bus to the nearest town to the ski resort.
- Universidad de Invierno 2015, Spain
If we think of Spain and sport, the only thing that comes to our head is football, tennis and to a lesser extent basketball, motorbikes and Formula 1. But in our country, there is a wide variety of professional sports that would surprise more than one, especially winter sports. That is why we have chosen the celebration of the Universidad, an event that unites university students from all over the world as well as elite athletes, to hold their own Winter Olympics, hence the word game of the name, as a must-see event this winter. It is celebrated in Osrblie, Slovakia, and Granada. In our country, the competitions that take place are ice hockey, curling, figure skating, Alpine skiing, freestyle, and short-track speed-skating in different locations of the Andalusian city. Besides being able to enjoy some of the best athletes in the world, stopping by the Universidad allows you to enjoy the wonders of Granada. Such as the Alhambra, a must-visit, the District of Albaicรญn, the oldest in the city, and of course, discover the gastronomy and the night of Granada, always very lively as it is a central student city. And if you are jealous of the participants of the Universidad, you can always put on skis and enjoy the ski resort of Sierra Nevada, with spectacular views.
- Marathon do Funchal, Portugal
And on a list full of events with ice and snow, we moved to the sunny island of Madeira to run the marathon that runs through its capital, so it is possible to soak in the traditional Portuguese essence of Funchal while jogging. Since you are there, we recommend that you rent a bike and take the opportunity to admire the unique and impressive nature of this island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
- Volleyball Tournament-Snow, Austria
We all know volleyball in a sports complex and volleyball-beach, but volleyball-snow? In Walgreen, the world’s most crucial volleyball-snow competition with elite players takes place in the Austrian Alps. The rules do not differ much from those of volleyball-beach: 2 teams of 2 players faced and playing on snow instead of on sand. The region is very famous for ski jumping enthusiasts, as well as many typical alpine villages such as St. Johann, in addition to Walgreen himself.
- The World Cup Ski Women, Italy
Two different tests take place during the women’s Ski World Cup: Downhill, which values the maximum speed that skiers can reach, and Super G, also known as giant super slalom. If you are unfortunately not in the ranking of competing athletes, you can always go on your own to some of the ski resorts in this area, very famous for the quality of its slopes, its cozy cafes, luxury shops, and art galleries.
- Yukigassen: European snowball launch Championship, Finland
Every good snowfall gets its corresponding snowball war. So in a cold, snowy country like Finland, it was only a matter of time before it became a sport. Although this competition was initially held in Japan, the Scandinavian country Yukigassen quickly became popular. In the game, two teams face each with 270 snowballs, and the last remaining team wins. And since you are in the area, accessible from Helsinki by train, you can enjoy its geography of the best Christmas stamp with reindeer included, which also has the northernmost Lake in Finland.
- Scottish Snow Festival, UK
Skiing is not a common practice in the Highlands, which is why there are such exciting initiatives to popularize Winter King sport in the British Isles. This is the second time that the Annual Ski-Scotland Snow Festival is held simultaneously at the 5 Scottish resorts and ski and snowboarders of all levels can participate. Also, parallel to the competitions being held, there are plenty of other events and activities for all ages.
- SFR Freestyle Tour 2015, France
All snow-related sports are prevalent in France, which has the best seasons in the Pyrenees and the Alps. It is precisely in the latter is Tignes, one of the country’s most famous Gaul, where has placed one of the largest competitions of Freestyle of the world, within the circuit of the AFP. There are two different modes: Slopestyle and Halfpipe. If you get tired of seeing professionals, you can always try it, not only by skiing but also by skating or driving on ice, diving under ice or riding a dog-drawn sleigh, among many other activities.”