The grand opening of the new season took place on the main square of the northern slope of the Bolshoy Vudyavr ski resort. The ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Murmansk Region Andrei Chibis, the head of the Kirovsk city administration Yuri Kuzin and representatives of the PhosAgro company, which is implementing a social investment project for developing the infrastructure of the Khibiny mountain tourism cluster.
“This year we are the first among major Russian resorts to open the ski season. This is very great, and I congratulate everyone on this event – the residents of our region and our guests. “Big Woodyavr” is getting better every year, just like the city of Kirovsk. We will continue to develop it together with our partners – the PhosAgro company. I wish everyone a sporty mood and a great rest,” Governor of the Murmansk Region Andrey Chibis addressed the guests of the holiday.
“Bolshoi Vudyavr” is one of the most popular ski resorts in Russia. During the 2022–2023 season, it received more than 335 thousand guests, which is 25% more than in the previous season. The average attendance of the resort’s slopes is more than one and a half thousand people per day, while the peak reaches 5.5 thousand.
As Rosbalt was informed by the press service of the PhosAgro company, the resort is constantly working to develop infrastructure and improve the quality of service. Today, “Big Woodyavr” is 30 kilometers of trails of varying difficulty levels, the elevation difference of which reaches 600 meters. There is also a rental of inventory and equipment, and experienced instructors are at the service of guests. The pistes are ideally prepared for skiing thanks to an artificial snowmaking system and are well lit.
New for the 2023-24 season for guests of Bolshoy Vudyavr will be two cable cars, which are currently under construction. The first of them is a gondola-type suspended passenger cable car with a capacity of 1200 to 2250 people per hour on the southern slope of Mount Aykuaivenchorr. Its length will be about 2000 meters, and the rolling stock will consist of comfortable panoramic cabins. Boarding will be carried out directly from the parking lot, which will greatly simplify logistics. The second is a rope tow with two-seater towing devices on the northern slope of Mount Aykuaivenchorr, 300 meters long. Its capacity will be 1,200 people per hour. The lower station is located directly at the entrance to the equipment rental building. Also on the northern slope, work is underway to install additional lighting masts with high-intensity floodlights.
The total volume of PhosAgro’s investments in already implemented projects for the development of the Khibiny mountain tourism cluster amounted to more than 6 billion rubles. This year, the company’s contribution to improving the infrastructure of Bolshoi Woodyavr will exceed 1.5 billion rubles.
“The PhosAgro company traditionally takes an active part in the socio-economic development of the regions where it operates. The goal of our efforts is not only to improve the quality of life of our employees and their families, but also to make this effect obvious to everyone. In order to achieve this, we are implementing a complex of social investment projects in the Murmansk, Vologda, Leningrad and Saratov regions,” says Mikhail Rybnikov, General Director of PhosAgro PJSC. — In the Kola Arctic this is the development of the infrastructure of the Khibiny mountain tourism cluster. As a result, in the last five years alone, the tourist flow here has quadrupled. Following the growth in the number of guests, Kirovsk is growing with new tourist infrastructure facilities, which means jobs and, of course, additional taxes to the budget. The success of this project proves that we have chosen the right path to achieve our goal.”
Guests of the resort also note the constantly growing level of service and quality of preparation of the Bolshoy Vudyavr trails. “This is my second time in Kirovsk, but this is my first time attending the opening of the resort. We were really looking forward to the snow! Riding here is a pleasure. There are wide, always well-prepared trails. This is very convenient for both beginners and adults. And, of course, I’m glad that on the first weekend of November you can meet your favorite Khibiny corduroy again,” noted Natalya Zakharova from St. Petersburg.
On the opening day of the Bolshoi Vudyavr resort, an Arctic cuisine festival was held. The finale of the opening ceremony of the new season was a fire show, performances by DJs and creative groups, as well as festive fireworks.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
