Proa Communication will collaborate as a communications partner for the upcoming World Snowshoeing Championshipswhich will take place for the first time in Spain between 2 and 4 March. The cable car of Fuente Dé, located in the region of Liébana within the Picos de Europa National Parkwill witness a unique spectacle that for the first time comes to a place where many summer and winter sports competitions are held.
The snowshoe world title race will be an exclusive race, the only one of its kind in the whole of northern Spain, which for the last three years has enjoyed the confidence of the FEDME (Spanish Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing Sports) to host the Spanish Championships in this speciality. Not content with organising an event at national level, they wanted to take a step forward and with this intention they travelled to New York in February of this year to present their candidacy to host the World Championships in 2018.
The professional event will bring together a total of 350 athletesThe maximum allowed by the national park, and around a similar figure for a non-competitive event. For both editions the route will consist of 9 kilometres and anyone who wants to can sign up, as no ranking is required to participate. There will also be a junior category, with a distance of 5 kilometres. Athletes from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, USA, Russia, Canada, Italy, France, Norway, Sweden and New Zealand will participate in this great sporting event.
All participants will be able to enjoy an opening ceremony, with a parade of all the countries taking part in the event, parades, audiovisual shows, a dinner for all the racers, a non-competitive evening event, as well as a multitude of activities and surprises that will make the World Snowshoeing Championships an unforgettable experience.
With this international event organised by the active mountain tourism company Xtreme Peaks, The aim is to achieve greater visibility outside Spain so that in the future more sporting and other events can be held in the area, attracted by the extraordinary landscape and culture, making it a recognisable destination throughout the world.
The World Snowshoeing Championships are supported by the Government of Cantabria, framed within the events of the Lebaniego Jubilee Year which takes place every 4, 5 or 11 years as is the case of the last celebration and which coincides with the opening of the door of forgiveness in the Monastery of Santo Toribio, one of the 4 holy places of Christianity since the Middle Ages. There will also be the invaluable help of a multitude of well-known companies from the world of sport and other sectors.
Óscar Sebrango, Picos Xtreme Manager, has stressed that "lhe holding of the first snowshoeing world championships in Spain is a very important step forward in the consolidation of winter sports in our country. The presence of some of the best in the world in this sport, such as Joseph Gray, current world champion; Stephan Ricard, champion in 2016; Roberto Ruiz, three times Spanish champion in this speciality; or Manuel Merillas, twice Spanish champion, makes this competition a truly unrepeatable world showcase".