On 19-20 January 2019, the City of Zakopane – for the eight time already – organized World Snow Day. It has already become our tradition that the celebration of the WSD lasts two days, during which we ensured a great many attractions!

According to our long WSD communication strategy, we started meeting with school and pre-school principals as early as in November, in order to inform them about the new concept of the event as well as to gather any comments concerning the organization of the next edition of World Snow Day.

WSD 2019 inviting clip
This year we had prepared the videoclip INVITING children to the 8. Edition of World Snow Day in Zakopane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em0Gw2pZbU0

MEDIA
As always we had prepared and sent to the journalists all necessary information pertaining to the planned sports competitions, starting times and other attractions. All journalists received official accreditations for World Snow Day (it is a very serious event, so journalists are treated seriously as well). Two weeks before the event, posters were distributed among our Zakopane schools and pre-schools, informing about the time and place of the event. The posters were also hung in the main spots of the city. E-mails with the information package were also sent out to our sport clubs along with a request to inform their members about the World Snow Day. Up-to-date information also appeared on the Zakopane City Hall website as well as on World Snow Day Zakopane Facebook.

MAIN CELEBRATIONS OF WSD
Main celebrations of World Snow Day were divided into two days. On 19 January 2019 (Saturday), the event was held at the Nosal ski slope with more than 100 competitors, who took part in the alpine skiing and snowboarding competitions. In recent years, we have noticed a significant decrease in the number of competitions organized for the youngest snowboard enthusiasts, which is why this year we decided to introduce this discipline to the official sports competition during WSD! In order to encourage the participants of Saturday competitions to also take part in Sunday events, all prizes and cups for the best three positions in the respective categories was given during the official celebrations of World Snow Day.

Free ski lessons
Children interested in skiing could take skiing lessons free of charge, which were conducted by the instructors from STRAMA Ski School in Zakopane. This year we have provided free ski rental for the children from indigent families.

Skitouring trip for kids
On Saturday morning we organized skitouring trip for kids. The trip was intended for children over the age of 10, familiar with downhill skiing. The group was led by a person who oversees the Freeski Mountaineering Youth Group of Polish Mountaineering Association on daily basis - Monikę Strojny, as well as a Tatra Mountains guide being at the same time an organizer of World Snow Day event – Agnieszkę Adamczyk.
Just like one and two years ago, sets of ski touring equipment (skis, ski skins, poles) were made available free of charge by the best equipped ski rental facility in Zakopane, Yurta Ski Touring Test Center, belonging to the best known freeski mountaineering and mountain running race competitor – Przemysław Sobczyk. Przemek Sobczyk provided us with not only ski equipment, but also “avalanche ABC” (pips, shovel and probe) for each participant! This year we had fifteen children in total and three accompanying parents! At the end of the trip, each of the young participants received the World Snow Day gold medal, diploma and a package of gifts from the organizer.

On Sunday, 20 January 2019, we celebrated pompously World Snow Day in the center of Zakopane. As in the previous editions, everything was prepared with reference to the three main WSD key words.

ENJOY
At Górna Rówń Krupowa a snow city was erected with a large stage in the central spot as well as our partners’ educational booths. On the stage, throughout the day, there was lots of fun with the animators, school groups and theaters for children. All ceremonies also took place on the stage – official opening ceremony and awarding ceremony for the sports competitions in alpine skiing, snowboarding and cross country skiing.

EXPLORE
In the aforementioned educational section, there were booth of our permanent partners, namely the Tatra Volunteer Rescue Service (TOPR), Tatra National Park (TPN), Association of Skiing Instructors and Coaches (SITN) as well as police. This year we also hosted the policemen from the Police Headquarters in Warsaw! The Police promoted the campaign “I am safe on the slope” through numerous competitions in which children could win skiing helmets.

EXPERIENCE
All around the ‘winter city’ every possible sports activities were located.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING COMPETITION
The main point on the agenda of Sunday was the cross-country skiing competition! We had almost 100 competitors, seven categories of young skiers (separately for girls and boys).

CROSS-COUNTRY CROSS COURSE
Teachers and students of the Zakopane School of Sports Championship, whose graduates include, among others, Kamil Stoch and Justyna Kowalczyk, prepared a special obstacle course intended to master skiing skills. Kinds wanted to pass over obstacles indefinitely, and queues formed in front of starting line all the time! This year we have set special prizes for the best time achieved separately by girls and boys.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING INSTRUCTION FOR CHILDREN
Participants of World Snow Day, who had never had cross-country skis on their feet, had a unique chance to spend pleasant moments with professional cross-country skiing instructors and be taught cross-country skiing free of charge. SITN instructors taught all interested children for free.

OPPORTUNITY TO RENT CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS FOR CHILDREN FOR FREE
Like the year before, the interested children also had an opportunity to rent cross-country skis for free. Within the framework of cooperation with the local elementary schools, which received sports equipment from the City Hall every year, physical education teachers along with volunteers from every school prepared four ski rental booths. At these booths, parents could rent school skis for their children, who wanted to start their adventure with cross-country skiing.

SNOW HILL FOR THE YOUNGEST
At children’s disposal, there was also a snow hill, on which the youngest ones could use sliding pan sledge. Our Zakopane teachers of physical education also made sure that there were enough sports games for children.

”FUNNY SKI” COMPETITION
At 13.00, team competition started whose goal was to cover a distance in the shortest possible time on jumping skis with binding for maximum of four people. This competition brought lot of joy to all participants, not just kids!

FAMILY NORDIC WALKING
During this year's World Snow Day, we also encouraged whole families to try family Nordic Walking. Children with their parents were happy to take part in a small competition in this discipline. We had 40 teams! Double relays (child+adult) had to defeat a special slalom in the shortest time. The winners of the first three places got prizes from the Organizers.

Every participant of games and sports competitions held on Saturday and Sunday received a gold medal for participation in World Snow Day!

LEND A HELPING HAND!
In 2015 during the fourth edition of WSD, we added another key word to the three basic ones – HELP! Regional Center for Blood Donors and Hemotherapy in Kraków, which ran a blood donation campaign. Zakopane Blood Donor Center was with us for the fifth time already, and on 20 January 2019, all willing persons could donate blood in a comfortable special bus, which came to us from Cracov.

PRIZES AND SUPPORT
Due to the fact that this year our official partner was the company ATOMIC, the winners of individual categories in alpine skiing competitions received prizes sponsored by our ski partner! The winners of the first place received beautiful Atomic backpacks, the winners of the second place got Atomic skiing googles, and the children who took the third place got Atomic hats.

The second official sponsor was the 4F Junior brand, which founded prizes in cross-country skiing. The winners of the first place received 4F googles, the winners of the second place got 4F skiing gloves and the children who took the third place 4F hats. 4F is an official sponsor of the Polish Ski Association, and thus the national team of ski jumpers, to introduce the youngest to this sport during the World Snow Day event, a special tent were placed where children with special VR goggles could feel like a professional jumper and experience a real ski jump.

ALPINSPORT company was with us for yet another time, again funding valuable material prizes, which were distributed as prizes in snowboard competitions.

Yurta Ski Touring Test Center in Kuźnice offered to provide complete ski equipment for ski touring trip for children. All free of charge.

Bakery Samanta Zakopane donated free doughnuts during Sunday games.

MEDIA PARTNER
This year, the media patronage over the event was taken by TVP ABC, a nationwide thematic channel for children. We are very happy that during the World Snow Day in Zakopane the team from TVP ABC was with us and we cannot wait broadcasting of the program on the nationwide channel.

WSD TEAM
Altogether more than 150 people worked on the organization of WSD. Traditionally, in February, we are going to prepare a meeting during which city authorities will personally thank everyone for their cooperation and award special thanks with small gifts. A short film production has been prepared reporting the event, which we all are going to watch reliving again the emotions connected with our favorite event!

- Free skis snowboards use
- Free ski passes
- Free ski snowboard lessons
- Free entry tickets
- Free food and drink
- Free gifts and prizes
Free skitouring equipment and lessonsSnowboarding competitionsMain celebrationAward Ceremony