Last year, a video from a ski resort circulated on social media, in which all the participants hung out and danced to the music with the words "Don't you want somebody to love" from the Jefferson Airplane remix of "Somebody To Love".

Not everyone knows, but this video was filmed in the most party European ski resort of Alpe d'Huez, located in the French Alps. Many participants of the festival in the mountains of Quiksilver New Star Camp used this video in their social media accounts, as it most organically conveys the spirit of what happens in the spring at Rosa Khutor during the festival.

Why this is so, we will try to figure it out. Why is Rosa Khutor at the time of the Quiksilver New Star Camp the top location in the ski industry, how music has become side with sports, what does the Sochi Olympics have to do with it, and why world-famous brands are integrated into the festival every spring.

About Alpe d'Huez

Why Rosa Khutor, in particular and thanks to the festival, has turned into a top world-class ski resort and become a competitive and popular holiday destination is both simple and difficult to answer. Of course, the pandemic has made adjustments, domestic tourism is on the rise. The restrictions associated with the pandemic have placed certain restrictions on our ability to move around Europe.

Last year's winter season officially started at Rosa Khutor on December 25, 2020 and lasted until April 18, 2021. During this period, over 900 thousand guests visited the resort. For comparison, in the 2019/20 winter season, which ended almost a month earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 800 thousand people rested at Rosa Khutor. At the same time, the participants of the Quiksilver New Star Camp 2021 festival provided a significant part of the resort's hotel occupancy during this period.

The festival traditionally gathers almost 10 thousand guests. A huge amount of user-generated content, stories of stars and influencers, technical equipment of the snow park, trendy lineup and competent marketing of the resort, all this promotes exactly this type of holiday that optimally combines sports and parties, relaxation and activity, culture and networking.

Photo: Quiksilver New Star Camp About 40% of last year's festival guests came to Quiksilver New Star Camp for the first time, half of them had previously rested most often in European ski resorts. This is the case when the event promotes both domestic tourism and the extreme sports industry.

Impact on the industry

The most powerful impetus for the development of the infrastructure of ski resorts, of course, was the Olympics in Sochi and the development of Krasnaya Polyana associated with it. Now these are three top resorts with developed infrastructure, various housing options, cafes and restaurants, entertainment for children and adults.

The appearance of Olympic facilities in Sochi, of course, has become a driver for the development of snowboarding and skiing, both professional and amateur. Local spots in most ski resorts in Russia boast a slope length of 500 to 1300 meters. Therefore, many used to go to Europe for a full-fledged skiing with tracks 4-5 km long. The length of the slope and the number of runs is the main indicator by which the user evaluates the resort. Of course, these options are considered together with infrastructure and service. You get tired of skiing on small local slopes, therefore, of course, once or twice a year, snowboarders and skiers try to get out into the big mountains.

“For those who have been riding for a long time and constantly, until 2014 there was only one choice - to go to Austria, Switzerland or Italy. And now, you can ski in the season at a local resort, and once a year you can afford to spend time at the ski resorts of Sochi much cheaper than in Europe. Only 2.5 hours of flight, the proximity of the sea, the ability to combine several types of recreation - this is a unique place of its kind, ”says Igor Ignatiev, director of the Quiksilver New Star Camp festival, about ski holidays.

Photo: Quiksilver New Star Camp "From sports to music"

Quiksilver New Star Camp is growing and changing all the time. The organizers began to make it in the concept of "sport only". It was an event for the rider community only. In recent years, Quiksilver New Star Camp has been expanding its audience, many families have begun to come.

In general, there was always music at the festival, there were always some live performances. But at some point, the organizers realized that the program had outgrown the après-ski format and light entertainment.

When several thousand people began to come to the festival, it became clear that guests should be surprised not only with a snow park, international riders from the snowboard and freeski community, but it is also worth developing in the musical direction. The festival team realized that the guests were waiting for something bigger. It was the impetus for a change in the direction of music.“Sometimes we are told as a reproach that we used to be more athletic, but now music prevails in the program. We like that this is our reality now. After all, a very large number of people come to the festival not only to ride from morning to evening. Plus, in 10 days, sports can get a little boring, sometimes you need to pause for relaxation and recuperation, or just to change activities, reboot. Moreover, in terms of sports and music programs, we give guests a very wide choice. Everyone finds his own. Every year we change the program, connect new communities, thereby expanding the audience. More will be known about us. This is our task.

At the same time, with the growth of the festival, we have more financial opportunities, as big brands are happy to integrate into the festival. This allows us to bring actual and big musical names to Sochi. This year, by the way, there will be many surprises,” Ignatiev tells about the festival’s journey from sports to music.

Photo: Quiksilver New Star Camp The festival is a cool networking

Young entrepreneurs, fashion influencers and Russian businessmen ride and relax here.

How recreation at Quiksilver New Star Camp coexists with art and inspiration, says theater producer Fedor Elyutin: “For me, the festival is the best sports and entertainment event that has been created in Russia. Because it is snow, and joy, and fun, and a meeting of like-minded people and friends. During the day you can ride cool tracks, listen to very relevant music in the evening, show off with friends at night, and in between all this, have time to discuss work issues, meet people important to you and catch inspiration for new projects. Remarkably, some of our projects were literally born and conceived in the mountains at the festival. Amazingly, the right people met in the right place. And that place is Quiksilver New Star Camp.”

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