If you have been skiing at any time in the past, you will know just how expensive it can be to get all the clothing that you need for it.
So if you are thinking of saving some money this year, why not consider taking a leaf out of the book of some people in Russia? It might sound promising at this stage, but do read on if you want to know the whole story – you might just change your mind!
Now it should be said at this stage that Russians in general don’t go in for the activity we are about to reveal to you. And those that do only do it when the skiing season ends – hence they have just hit the headlines for doing this very activity.
So what exactly do they get up to?
Well it would seem that Russians in the area of Syktyvkar take part in a skiing event that has but one rule – you must not wear normal ski clothing. In fact, the rule goes a lot further than that. You mustn’t wear much in the way of clothing at all. A recent news report used the word ‘skimpy’ to describe the attire of those who were brave enough to take part in this event.
The whole idea is to celebrate the finish of the skiing season itself, but this does seem like a wild way to do it! For example, many of the skiers who were pictured at the start line were wearing attire that you would normally expect them to wear if they were running a marathon. It was literally a case of wearing a vest top, a pair of thin shorts and then the required helmet, skis and ski poles.
So did this make things as cold as they might seem? Well some skiers actually said otherwise. The course was supposedly three miles long for the male competitors and two and a half miles for the ladies. But a comment that was often made was that once they got going, they were absolutely fine.
One does wonder how well they would have fared if someone had an accident though. It doesn’t seem to be a race that requires you to go at top speed – it seems to be more of a celebration and much more good natured than a traditional competition – but at the same time a tumble is going to be rather cold to cope with!
Mind you from the pictures that have been on the internet and the news stories that have inevitably done the rounds about ‘nearly nude skiing’, it is clear that those who take part really enjoy this activity every year.
The main question is whether this event in Russia ends up catching on in other skiing areas as well. It might be interesting to see what happens and to keep an eye on the news in future years, as we might end up having something of an annual event to start reporting on!