We continue a rich tradition
Winter Park Resort follows a rich tradition of skiing on Martinske hole mts. which has lasted for a whole century. Let´s see the most important historical milestones:
Tradition since 1921
The ridges of Mala Fatra attracted skiing pioneers a hundred years ago. Between 1910 and 1915, a skijoring race was held in Turčiansky Svätý Martin. Several historical landmarks had an impact on the development of skiing. The first was the foundation of Sokol (1919) and the Club of Czechoslovak Tourists (1921). Over time, a ski club was established within the framework of both organizations, which already in its beginnings organized cross-country skiing races through the streets of the city.
The race for the Brewery Cup was popular, the course of which was 18 km long. The second significant landmark was the construction of tourist huts on the ridges of Mala Fatra. On Martinské holy already in 1928, the KČT bought the Cobrian family's firehouse and converted it into a tourist hut. It was named after Andrej Halaš, the founder of Martin tourism - cottage of Andrej Halaš. They started building the second cottage between 1932 and 1934 according to Albert Urban's project. In 1944, the Germans burned it down. Its restoration took place at the end of the 1940s.
Karol Kern belonged to the very active cottagers in the 1930s. His name is associated with the first ski race on Martinské holy. Between 1937 and 1943, skiers competed for the K. Kern Cup. A year later, the race for the Ján Kohút Cup (1938 - 1943) was added to it. From 1944 to 1949, the Slovak Cup was held, which was followed by the Janko Novák Memorial from 1950. This memorial was last held in 2000. A milestone that marked the further development of skiing (but not only this sport) was the unification of small sports clubs and physical education units into a new organization, the Czechoslovak Association of Physical Education. In Martin, these sports were covered by Turčianske Strojárne. Spartak Martin was founded, which played a big role in the advancement of skiing in Martin.