Jizerská Padesatka

The Czech mountains are suffering from unseasonably warm weather only a week before the most renowned Czech cross-country ski race, the Jizerska 50, is set to take place. Even though there is snow in the Jizera Mountain and the area around Bedrichov, warming poses a serious threat to the start of the 47^th CEZ Jizerska 50.

Most of the cross-country ski trails of the Jizera arterial route, where the event will take place from 10 to 12 January, are currently passable but do not fulfil race conditions, despite the intensive work of dozens of organisers and volunteers who have laid snow on the race route in recent weeks. Because meteorologists are forecasting further warming, the organisers are seeking alternate variants of the routes of individual races.

“Unfortunately, the weather does not favour us at all, as temperatures have been above freezing for several weeks already. There has been minimal snowfall. Furthermore, it is supposed to get even warmer, so the start of the 47^th CEZ Jizerska 50 is threatened,” explains David Dousa of the organising agency, Mather Activation.

The definitive decision as to whether the 47^th Jizerska 50 will take place and in what form will be taken on Monday, 6 January. “At this time there is nothing we can do but wait and see if the weather will bring us at least ten centimetres of snow. We don’t have anywhere from which to bring in natural snow and the above-freezing temperatures do not allow us to produce artificial snow,” Dousa adds.

You can find more information and monitor the current development of the situation on the race’s official website at www.jiz50.cz.