The ISMF Comapedrosa Andorra Mountain Skiing World Cup Returns
For the first time, the event will last for 15 days, hosting the Spanish Cup and Andorra Cup on January 13th and 14th, 2024.
Comapedrosa Andorra celebrates its 5th edition and the 13th edition of the World Cup from January 19th to 21st, 2024.
Arinsal will once again be the epicenter of mountain skiing, hosting one of the country’s most important sports events, the ISMF Comapedrosa Andorra Mountain Skiing World Cup 2024. The event will take place from January 19th to 21st, featuring the traditional Individual Race and Vertical Race. This morning, the official presentation of the event took place at the Surf restaurant in Arinsal, with the presence of the Head of Government of Andorra, Xavier Espot; the Major Consul of La Massana, Eva Sansa; the President of the Andorran Mountaineering Federation (FAM), Patrick Frases; the General Director of Pal Arinsal, Josep Marticella; and the Technical Director of the FAM, Carlo Ferrari. All of them emphasized the great success of hosting the ISMF World Cup for the 13th time in the Principality and the 5th edition of Comapedrosa Andorra. “It is not easy to consolidate such an event, both technically and logistically. However, effort, experience, professionalism, and above all, enthusiasm have allowed us to meet year after year to present this competition in one of the most spectacular high mountain natural settings in our country, the Comapedrosa Natural Park,” highlighted Espot. Sansa, in turn, highlighted the country’s and Arinsal’s extensive experience in hosting mountain skiing World Cups, making it “a unique destination for mountain enthusiasts.”
15 Days of Mountain Skiing in Arinsal
One of the main novelties this year is the hosting of the Spanish Cup on January 13th and 14th, an event that will bring together all categories of federated athletes with the same modalities as the World Cup: Individual and Vertical. The Cup will also count towards the Andorra Mountain Skiing Cup. The event has always hosted Open format races, but in this edition, to provide more flexibility and freedom to the races, the organization decided to differentiate the categories and hold them on different dates to give them more prominence. This situation has allowed the return, after a long time, of a new edition of the Spanish Cup in Arinsal, on a circuit that is expected to be identical or very similar to the World Cup. In total, nearly 250 participants from categories ranging from U14 to federated seniors will take part in the event. This event will also count towards the Andorra Cup, and registrations to participate are still open.
The action will continue next week with the main events: the World Cup. The event will kick off on January 19th with the opening ceremony in the village of Arinsal. The first competition will be the Individual Race on January 20th, and it will conclude on January 21st with the Vertical Race, an event that will be broadcasted by RTVA and, for the first time, by the Olympic Channel. Both races will only take place in the senior male and female categories, with the participation of the top 150 mountain skiing athletes from 16 countries.
A Circuit That Adapts to the Best Conditions
As explained by the Technical Director of the FAM, Carlo Ferrari, the Individual Race will have a course for both categories that can “make the most of the snow available, adapting to the mountain.” Thus, with the recent and forecasted snowfall, the currently planned circuit is subject to modifications based on the evolution of conditions. In any case, it will be a spectacular high mountain race starting and ending at the Igloo Chalet (2,300 meters altitude) in the Arinsal area.
As for the Vertical Race, it will continue to take place entirely on the Arinsal ski slopes, in a race highly valued by the runners, who can give their best, and attractive for spectators. The start will be at the base of the Les Marrades slope, and the finish will be at the Igloo Chalet.
2024 and Beyond
The General Director of Pal Arinsal, Josep Marticella, reminded during the presentation that Comapedrosa Andorra has become an unavoidable event, and there is a firm commitment to continue hosting this competition in the future. “The goal is clear, and we have to be a permanent and classic venue. With everything we have done, I think we deserve it, and no one envisions a World Cup scenario without Andorra on the calendar,” he stated.
Three Representatives from Andorra at the World Cup
The Mountain Skiing World Cup will have Andorran representation with the participation of Arnau Soldevila, Oriol Olm, and Adrià Batumeu. The first two runners will participate in both modalities, demonstrating their versatility, and Adrià Batumeu will focus exclusively on the more intense race, the Vertical. The President of the Andorran Mountaineering Federation, Patrick Frases, explained that the Andorran representation will be smaller this year than usual but the selection was made “with a future vision and betting on the youth, who have given us many joys in recent days with prestigious podiums, and this makes us think that we are doing something right.”
Photo: SFGA/CEsteve
