Thick snow keeps the organizers of the Biathlon World Cup busy

The slopes of the biathlon stadium in Kontiolahti, which is preparing for the Biathlon World Cup, are in exceptionally thick condition. The event organizers have to use snow plows to shovel half a meter of snow in some places in order to make the conditions meet international requirements.

—We spread a 70 centimeter layer of cannon snow on the first snow trail in October. There has been a lot of natural snow, and the thickness of the piste is now up to 120 centimeters in some places, says the leader of the competition and the chairman of the Kontiolahti Sportsmen's Association Kimmo Turunen.

The spectators must be cleaned by hand

Abundant snow also complicates arrangements in parking areas, stands and erecting temporary structures. The main grandstand has already been cleaned several times, but there is still a lot to do.

—Processing excessive snow requires machine work and tens of man-days. The hardest part is removing the snow from the stands, because the work has to be done by hand. If someone hasn't had enough of snow work yet, you can sign up for shovel work here before the competition week to show your creative power, says Turunen.

The natural snow will not last until next autumn

Despite the thickness of the snow cover, more than 60,000 cubic meters of cannon snow have been made at the stadium. Cannon snow is used for the first snow slope that opens in October and to secure the opening of the World Cup season in November-December.

—It's a contradiction. There is plenty of natural snow, but it does not last through the summer. That's why it's necessary to make artificial snow, which will last until next fall under a layer of sawdust, Turunen says.

Shooting bench display new in Finland

Last week, a shooting bench screen was installed in Kontiolahti as the first biathlon stadium in Finland. The screen was installed above the shooting boards. At a height of one meter, it covers the entire 90-meter-wide shooting range.

The screen serves the audience of the VIP and A stands, who watch the hits 90 meters away from the shooting boards.

—The display shows the athlete's name, nationality, hits and misses above each target. The view is the same that television viewers see as well. With the help of the screen, the spectators in the stadium will be able to follow the shooting clearly better than before, says Turunen.