Madrid will once again host the staging of the grand event for the winter sports, mountaineering and nature-based activities sector, which will present its third edition this year between 16th and 18th November at Feria de Madrid. Winter sports enthusiasts will come across a number of special offers regarding ski passes and tourist packages for the forthcoming ski season
Once again this year, coinciding with the commencement of the winter sports season, Madrid will host the staging of NATURIVA - ESQUI Y MONTAÑA, the grand event for ski enthusiasts and all fans of mountaineering and winter sports, effectively turning Hall 4 at Feria de Madrid into a meeting forum for the most attractive destinations and sports programmes. This show, which is organised by IFEMA and promoted by ATUDEM, the Ski and Mountain Resort Tourist Association, will take place from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th November.
The numerous visitors and enthusiasts who are expected to attend this new edition will be able to discover the latest new features regarding infrastructures, services and offers for the new season, as proposed by the leading Spanish ski resorts: Sierra Nevada, Baqueira Beret, Val D'Aran, Leitariegos, San Isidro, Sierra de Béjar-La Covatilla and Valle de Riaza-La Pinilla, Navacerrada and Valdesquí, among others. They will also come across an extensive range of offers for winter sports activities in Andorra, the Pyrenees and the French Alps.
The Leading Spanish Ski Resorts Offer a Preview of Their Latest New Features
This year, Sierra Nevada, which will be attending NATURIVA - ESQUI Y MONTAÑA with an exhibition space measuring more than 70 square metres, will offer a 5 per cent discount on all purchases of ski days and tourist packages for the long weekend in December (6th-9th December), Christmas and other holiday periods. Furthermore, new holders of the Sierra Nevada Club Card who sign up at Naturiva Esquí y Montaña will be able to add an extra 10% discount regarding the purchase of ski days, which means they will enjoy a 15% discount if they charge their first ski-pass to their cards at the fair itself.
Sierra Nevada will also present numerous new features at its ski resort, including various improvements regarding access to ski-lifts, an improved ski production network and fibre optics at the Sulayr Super Park, which is where the Cup Final of the World Snowboard and Freestyle Ski Championships will take place from 18th to 26th March 2013. Both styles, which have been brought together for the first time, will attract the 550 leading world experts in the most spectacular disciplines of the 'snow circus' to the pistes of this ski resort in Granada.
This year, the resort of Baqueira Beret will present a number of new developments on its pistes, all of which will be presented at the fair. Improvements regarding piste routes and design, reforestation, renovated cafeterias and restaurants located at the foot of the pistes and new snow cannons make up just some of these new features. However, undoubtedly the most innovative aspect will consist of the Catalan ski resort's focus on new technologies, with the incorporation of Safari Itineraries on the web, not to mention the development of a new application for smartphones that provides information regarding weather conditions, the state of the pistes and ski-lifts by means of Webcams, etc. Furthermore, through Google Streetview, skiers can view images of all the pistes at Baqueira Beret.
In addition, for the first time in the history of the Ski Resort of El Val D'Aran, a documentary, hitherto unseen in Spain, will be shown that has been filmed entirely on the pistes of the Catalan Pyrenees and that evokes all the pleasurable sensations of skiing through its different characters. Visitors to the fair will be able to enjoy this documentary in a series of continuous morning and afternoon showings in Hall 4.
As is customary each year, Aramón will be represented at Naturiva Esquí y Montaña with its resorts located at Cerler, Formigal, Javalambre, Panticosa and Valdelinares.
This edition of the fair will also feature the participation of the Castile-Leon Tourist Board. Measuring more than 94,000 square kilometres, this Region offers a considerable diversity of natural areas and landscapes, where visitors can enjoy a varied range of tourist and leisure activities, as well as an extensive selection of rural tourism opportunities. The Region boasts numerous ski resorts, all of which will be represented at the fair, such as Leitariegos, San Isidro, Sierra de Béjar-La Covatilla and Valle de Riaza-La Pinilla. Many other historic and rural destinations will also form part of the Castile-Leon Stand.
The fair will also feature representation on the part of the Madrid Region, with its two ski resorts known as Navacerrada and Valdesquí, not to mention the Madrid SnowZone covered piste at Xanadú. Madrid will play an active part at the event in order to promote its extensive and varied tourism and nature-based activities.
For its part, the Provincial Council of Huesca will also present its extensive range of rural tourism and mountain sports activities. Visitors will be able to choose from among a wide selection of destinations located all over the Province of Huesca.
Skiing in the Pyrenees and the Alps
The stand belong to Atout France (Hall 4, Nº 4D02) will feature representation on the part of different ski stations in the French Pyrenees and French Alps, such as the High Pyrenees, Ax 3 Domaines, Chamonix, Luchon, Peyragudes and Saint-Lary, among many others. The France area will also feature the participation of EVOLUCION VIAJES, which specialises in skiing trips to these destinations.
Throughout the course of the fair, visitors can pass by the Atout France Stand and enjoy a taste of the region's famous "fondue savoyarde," a speciality consisting of melted cheeses that will delight the most discerning of palates. (Tasting sessions will take place from 12.00 pm to 1.00 pm approximately).
The resorts of Vallnord and Grandvalira will also be represented at Naturiva Esquí y Montaña 2012, forming part of the Andorra Stand. This year they will present a series of new features that are designed to extend and enhance the facilities and services available to skiers. Vallnord has introduced a new integral online reservation system that places everything at the disposal of users so that they can plan their next winter holidays.
Grandvalira will be the destination that presents the largest number of new features this year, including a new downhill piste, a new BIG JUMP and numerous modules at the Grandvalira-El Tarter Snow-Park, thus becoming the longest station in the Pyrenees. Furthermore, adrenalin addicts will be able to take advantage of two new Freeride Areas devoted to Freeride. Other new developments this year will consist of the presentation of a new online space / interactive website that features a 360º visual integrator, as well as the staging of a number of competitions of international renown: the Speed Skiing World Cup in February 2013 and the European Cup for Men's Alpine Skiing in March 2013.
All of these leisure and sports opportunities make Naturiva - Esquí y Montaña a meeting-point for direct contact with all the leading operators within the industry (ski resorts, federations, clubs and schools, travel agencies, etc) ... which will be complemented by an extensive range of activities organised in order to attract families to the fair alongside mountain sports enthusiasts. Hall 4 will, thus, provide the setting for the staging of diverse Parkour, Skate and Flat Land competitions and exhibitions, as well as a programme of interesting potholing workshops, talks and demonstrations, organised by the Madrid Potholing Federation. Visitors will also be able to enjoy a series of mountain rescue demonstrations organised by the Red Cross. In addition, the fair will provide the setting for the staging of the First Spanish Block Climbing Cup and the Second Madrid Block Climbing Open, both competitions organised by the Madrid Mountaineering Federation.
As is customary each year, the fair will present the Innovation Laboratory, which at this edition will exhibit the winning products in the Fourth Desnivel Mountain and Outdoor Equipment Awards, which are presented in collaboration with the magazine, Desnivel, recognising the most cutting-edge innovations of the year.
Another of the main attractions at NATURIVA - ESQUI Y MONTAÑA consists of the numerous shops that are set up in order to introduce the public to the latest mountain and ski equipment and material. This shopping area received an extremely warm welcome at previous editions and the organisers hope that it will be equally popular on this occasion.