Åre 2019 To Leave Legacy
The 2019 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Åre (SWE) is creating a positive legacy around the community. Thanks to the investments in Duved, the venue for the 2019 Championships qualification races is becoming one of the main training centres for Swedish ski clubs.
Located just 8km from the Swedish National Alpine Arena, Duved is a small community belonging to the Åre municipality, with some 1,000 people calling it home.
During the Åre 2019 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, a total of four competitions will be staged in Duved as the locality will play host to the ladies’ and men’s qualification races in slalom and giant slalom.
In preparation for 2019, the slope and infrastructure at Duved have undergone substantial development, including enhanced snow-making, improved flood lighting and slope widening as well as other terrain work.
Thanks to its top snow-making system, Duved was the first lift to open in Åre on 5th November this season. Because of its very high-quality, convenient set-up, Duved is becoming one of the most used training centres in the country for ski clubs from all around Sweden.
“From the perspective of ski racing, the training facilities now available in Duved for use by the entire SkiSverige are one of the biggest positive legacies of Åre 2019”, said Niklas Carlsson, CEO of Åre 2019.
On average there is at least one club training every day in Duved. Training activity is especially busy in the evenings, enabled by the excellent floodlighting system. More than 650 hours of club training were recorded in Duved last season, with all levels from youth to elite levels.
To be prepared for the Championships in just over one year’s time, the Åre 2019 team will host a FIS race in Duved as a dress rehearsal for the designated qualification race during the current 2017/18 season.
