6.1.2014

47th ČEZ Jizerska 50 cancelled due to lack of snow

The 47th ČEZ Jizerska 50 has been cancelled due to insufficient natural snow. Persistent above-freezing temperatures and rain over the weekend have made it impossible to prepare the race route, many kilometers of which are completely without snow cover. Therefore, the organizers were forced to cancel the traditional cross-country skiing event.

“We regret that this has happened. Temperatures remain above freezing in Bedřichov and it is supposed to get even warmer in the coming days. Unfortunately, this critical situation has forced us to definitively decide that this year’s ČEZ Jizerska 50 will not happen,” said Marek Tesař of the organising agency Mather Activation, confirming the race’s cancellation.

The organisers tried until the last minute to save the situation. They brought in natural snow to the trail in December, but the unfavourable weather frustrated their efforts. “As long as temperatures stayed below the freezing point, we intensively produced artificial snow, with which we covered part of the trail including the stadium in Bedřichov. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough. We have had spring weather in the Jizera Mountains for several weeks already,” said Martin Koucký, chairman of the organising committee.

Until the last moment, the organisers considered a number of alternative variants and even tried to find an alternate date for the race. However, postponement of the Jizerska 50 is not possible because of the crowded schedule of the Swix Ski Classics long-distance cross-country series and the firmly set dates in the Woldloppet long-distance cross-country series. “In the coming years, we will endeavour to arrange with both series a set alternate date for the Jizerska 50,” added David Douša of Mather Activation.

“We’re sorry about the cancellation of the race, which all of us had greatly looked forward to and the preparation of which our organising team had worked on all year. Even though it is common that racers do not receive any compensation in such cases, which is stated in the race’s terms and conditions, we have decided to offer registered racers the maximum possible discount on the starting fee for next year’s event, which at the same time will not be a liquidation price for our race in 2015,” says Marek Tesař. Already paid parking fees will be carried over to next year or returned in the full amount to racers’ bank accounts upon request.

Because it was expected until the last minute that the race would take place, the organisers had completed most of the preparatory works including production of starting numbers, as well as preparation of starting bags and race facilities. The costs of the event reached ninety percent of the total anticipated expenditures.

Issuance of starting numbers and bags with gifts from race partners, including the original 47th ČEZ Jizerska 50 badge, will take place as planned from Thursday, 9 January at the Nisa shopping centre in Liberec.

The organisers will honour the memory of the Peru 70 Expedition and acclaimed mountaineer Zdeněk Hrubý at 9:00 a.m. on 12 January at the stadium in Bedřichov. They will set out for the Peru Expedition monument together with racers symbolically at the race’s start time.