December 23, 2007 (Prague, Czech Republic) – The E.ON Prague Ski 2007 part of the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski scheduled for December 30, will be hosted not at a remote mountain resort, but rather in the large square in front of Prague Castle on one of the many hills overlooking the Czech capital reports the Prague Post. Other festival-like activities include music, a snowball contest, and other family-friendly activities.

While the venue being close to a major population centre is great for the sport’s visibility, a major complication is the lack of snow. Flowers were reportedly still in bloom last week and daytime temperatures will be hovering close to the freezing mark over the next few days. To overcome this obstacle, event organizers may import snow from Horní Vltavice National Park, which at 824m above sea level, is about 150km away. The other choice would be to make artificial snow for the event to take place around an oval track 1.5km in length.

Another complication involves locating and scheduling of skiing events so as not to disrupt the changing of the palace guard. Dating from 870 A.D., Prague Castle is one of the largest castles in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The event is being organized by the Kentaura Sports Marketing Agency, together with the energy company E.ON and the Czech Skiing Union (SLCR). The three top winners for both men and women will share prize winnings of 10,000 Swiss francs ($8,575 US/CDN). Retired Czech skiing superstar, Katerina Neumannova, will be attending the race on December 30.

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