With the approaching start of the World Cup in alpine skiing in Jasná, words of praise for the quality of the slopes below Chopok are coming from all sides. They were openly praised by the representatives of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and, most importantly, the competitors themselves are extremely satisfied. The quality of the tracks is not just a coincidence or result of good weather. It is thanks to extremely long time of preparation, experience and maintenance of the snow.
And Chief of Courses, Maroš Kupčo, has the final say in this in Jasná. “The weather is great, the slope is excellent. We also received praise from the FIS, so we are satisfied,” he admitted two days before the start of the race with the participation of world top skiers including Petra Vlhová.
However, such maintenance of slopes is not just about one person. “We have a high level here. We have a group of people that has been here for 20 years. They learned this in Jasná, Zagreb, Špindlerův Mlýn and the like. The boys know it and do not do it because of prestige, but out of love,” continued Maroš Kupčo.
It all started last year, when they “put down” some of the snow from last winter in Jasná. This served as a good basis for the current snow cover, with which, of course, nature also helped. Long hours of snow placement in the right place followed. In the past, the public would help to prepare the slope for the World Cup by recreational skiing. “If the hill was under load, it would be regularly milled and eight to ten thousand skiers would pass it every day, it would basically prepare itself. People would compact it themselves. It was not ideal for us that no one skied on it. However, we had to deal with it,” Kupčo said.
