The ČEZ Jizerska 50 rescheduled to 19 February 2017

The next ČEZ Jizerská 50 event, the 50th edition of this legendary race, will now take place on a new February date: over the weekend of 17 to 19 February 2017. The change of the race date results from the problem associated with lack of snow during the early January date, which has haunted the famous cross-country ski race over the past 10 years.

The organising team decided to change the date following a detailed analysis elaborated by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ). Based on the data collected over the period from 1951 to 2015, there is a 95% chance of a sufficient snow pack on the February date while it is only 83% on the previous January date.

The meteorologists’ findings and conclusions are evidenced by first-hand experience acquired in recent years: This year’s edition of the Jizerská 50 had to be held on a shortened circuit covered exclusively by artificial snow. In 2007 and 2014, the organisers were forced to cancel the event completely. However, the February date will not be anything unprecedented for the organisers. The Jizerská 50 used to take place in February from 1990 to 2000, before the event was included in the Worldloppet series of cross-country skiing marathons. Before these periods, it was in late January that the races had been held in the Jizera Mountains.

“The final change of the date has ensued from long negotiations, and it was not easy to take the decision. Although the February date is the most suitable one as far as the weather is concerned, this brings quite a number of logistic problems such as spring school holidays, the rate of accommodation capacity utilisation or clash of dates of other races. Eventually, the decisive factor was a simple consideration: If we want to hold the Jizerská 50 in its conventional scheme, then the February date is the most suitable one. It will be demanding but the best solution possible from the point of view of preserving traditions,” says Martin Koucký, the Chairman of the “Ski Klub Jizerská padesátka”.

Despite the rescheduling, the Jizerská 50 remains part of the prestigious Ski Classics series that associates the world’s most important cross-country ski races and that is entered by cross-country skiing stars. Again, the event will be included in the Worldloppet series as well as the national SkiTour series.

Registration for the 50th edition of the ČEZ Jizerská 50 will be launched on the www.jiz50.cz website during this spring. Apart from the classical 50-km race, the weekend programme will also include a 25-kilometre “half-distance” race, a 10-km classic skiing technique race, a 30-km freestyle race, a 1.5-km double-push sprint, and children’s races.