The world’s greatest women skiers will soon be racing down the slopes of Sljeme for the Snow Queen Trophy, one of the most popular stops on the World Cup circuit. Held since 2005 and bracketed among the elite meets since 2013, the Snow Queen Trophy attracts tens of thousands of winter sports fans to the pistes overlooking the Croatian capital. This year's starts on January 4 and runs for two days.
Revered for its signature features such as the crystal crown given to the winner and throne upon which she is presented with her award, the Snow Queen Trophy is also one of the closest races to a city centre of the 38 global locations. This means easy access for local residents and the chance for out-of-town spectators to explore Zagreb on their visit.
Press events take place at The Westin Zagreb hotel, and the public draw is at the Croatian National Theatre on Trg republike Hrvatske. As in previous years, the après-ski DJ party is held on both days at Krumpirište on Sljeme. Admission is included in the ticket price.
Inspectors from the International Ski Federation visited the slopes a few days ago to give this year’s race the go-ahead. Lack of snow has plagued the event in recent years. As for the competitors, three-time Snow Queen Slovak Petra Vlhova will be looking to equal the record of her nearest challengers, American Mikaela Shiffrin and Austrian Marlies Schild, who have each been crowned four times. For more details, see the Snow Queen website. For tickets, see here.