08/04/2017 13:03
How does a “Miracle on Snow” happen?
2017 CEV Snow Volleyball European Tour
Kronplatz / Plan de Corones, Italy, April 8, 2017. Since Snow Volleyball is still so ‘young’, many people could wonder what it takes to set everything up in order for players to perform and compete for the top honours of a European Tour stop. Kronplatz / Plan de Corones is playing host this weekend to a Snow Volleyball event for the third straight year – and the local organisers have definitely understood the kind of added value they get from hosting an event of this calibre.
Stephan Kirchtag has been working as Project Manager and Tournament Director at five of the seven stops on this year’s European Tour and he knows first-hand what it takes for a ‘little miracle on snow’ to happen. “We usually travel to the venue on Tuesdays and we have about three days to set everything up,” he says. “On Thursday night we are almost ready to go even though little details can be fixed later on. Our main priority is to prepare the area where the courts are set up, since we are working on slopes and the surface is not flat at all once we get to the resorts. We have been learning by doing and the local staff is following our instructions. Of course, it gets better and better with each year, whereas venues hosting their first tournaments are initially a little bit more challenging.”
Snow Volleyball provides ski resorts with an opportunity to offer their visitors something more, which is truly exciting and cool. “Of course we have to pay much attention to involving all those who work at the resort 365 days a year, from those managing the ski lifts and the slopes to the bars and cafés. They all have to understand there is a bonus resulting from the organisation of a Snow Volleyball event in terms of visitors, not to speak about the media exposure they get from a European tournament and the global audience we can reach out to, especially via social media and video clips. At the same time, the resorts realise that the winter season becomes a little longer by adding this kind of event to their portfolio.”
From a logistical standpoint, the venue set-up can be a little challenging. “We almost bring everything up to the top of the mountains and this must be organised in such a way not to disrupt the usual routine of a ski resort, so we deliver things and stuff very early in the morning, at 5 a.m. or so. However, as challenging as this can be, the interest is growing and countries like Canada, China and Japan have shown an interest in hosting Snow Volleyball competitions. Everyone is excited and is willing to join and play!”
Kirchtag continues: “I am proud to say that we have developed a good cooperation with all ski resorts we have been to so far. They all understand there is a benefit from hosting the event and we – at the same time – try to be as less ‘disturbing’ as possible in building the venue up and once the tournament is finished as well. Snow Volleyball has a huge potential to grow and this is only the beginning of a long, exciting journey.”
The 2017 European Tour ends after the event in Kronplatz / Plan de Corones – so there is no need to rush to the next resort for Kirchtag and his crew – but fans can start looking forward to what promises to be an exciting and record-breaking 2018 season on the snow!
For further information on the European Tour, click here or visit SnowVolleyball.com.
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