Can you handle the extreme cold weather? Some of you may say yes, because there are things to keep you warm; thick blankets, jackets, wool pants, earmuffs, gloves, and other warm clothes. But how about taking them all out and leaving you with nothing but swimsuit to wear? It may sound crazy, but some people have actually done it. In April, every year, the BoogelWoogel Ski Carnival is held at the Rosa Khutor resort in Sochi, Russia. One of the events is a mass descent from the slopes of skiers and snowboarders dress only in swimming suits.
The Story of the Event
The first chance in Russia to go for a ski in swimsuits was offered by a winter recreation center in the Kemerovo region Sheregesh. Here for several years, in honor of the closure of the season, the GRELKA fest holiday has been held. In 2013, representatives of the Guinness Book of Records introduced this event on their pages as the most massive descent in such clothes. Experts counted 500 people, although the resort says a thousand. In 2015, 1,835 people dressed in swimsuits came down from the slope of Mount Zelenaya in Sheregesh, but for some reason this was not recognized as a record. Thus, a thousand participants in the new festival in Sochi, BoogelWoogel, claim to be a world leader in the category of skiing in beachwear. According to the organizers press release, the corresponding application was sent to the Committee of the Book of Records and the data verification and decision-making takes up to 12 weeks.
Applications for descent in bathing suits were submitted by skiers not only from Russia, but also from other countries. According to the festival organizing committee, 34% were residents of the Krasnodar Territory, 23.7% – Moscow and the region, 5.07% – St. Petersburg and the region. Participants from the Stavropol Territory, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Yaroslavl, Voronezh, Samara, Ryazan Regions and Perm Territory also registered. Foreign countries were represented by tourists from Germany, Latvia, Belarus, Great Britain, Lithuania, the USA, Uzbekistan, Switzerland, Sri Lanka and South Korea. Such skating is not the only event in the framework of the high mountain carnival. There was also a descent of the alpine skiing orchestra of 35 musicians, and after them, participants in bright carnival costumes took to the tracks. In total, more than 8,000 winter sports enthusiasts attended the festival.
The BoogelWoogel Carnival
On April 1, in Sochi, skiers and snowboarders took part in the most massive descent from the mountain in swimsuits. The descent took place as part of the high-mountain carnival BoogelWoogel. During the BoogelWoogel carnival, three unusual descents took place. The first ski downhill descended from a band of musicians from True Jazz Band. The orchestra was led by a famous musician and showman Alexander Pushnoy. Then the descent “MATCH! Without Limitations ”with the participation of the paratrooper, winner of the World Championships and stages of the World Cup in snowboarding Serafim Pikalov and silver medalist of the Russian Championships in snowboarding Artem Bezrukavy.
And, finally, a massive ski slope of skiers and snowboarders in swimsuits and swimming trunks took place. Almost two thousand people registered to participate in the main event of the carnival. On the slopes of the Rosa Khutor resort one could meet the inhabitants of Moscow, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, Mezhdurechensk, Ufa, Kazan, Borisoglebsk, Kirov, Kaluga, Vorkuta, Nizhny Novgorod, Podolsk, Yeysk, Shakhty, Donetsk, Obninsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Murmansk, Norilsk, Sevastopol and Sochi.
The BoogelWoogel is one of the hottest spring holiday events in Russia which is celebrated every year. Thousands of people gather there not only to ski but also to see the unusual view of so many people going down the hill only in swimsuits. BoogelWoogel is an alpine carnival that takes place in the beautiful Russian city of Sochi. The celebration of the festival takes place in a place called “Rosa Khutor”, a ski resort that is always waiting for new guests and offers its services to every visitor.
Snow carnival – history and records
The festival of BoogelWoogel has always attracted skiers and snowboarders from all over the world. After all, the event which takes place in the Rosa Khutor ski resort is, above all, a sporting event. Every year the number of people wishing to get to the BoogelWoogel is growing. Therefore, it was not surprising that in 2019, during the BoogelWoogel in Sochi, there was a record number of participants in swimsuits. In addition, the participants of the festival were trying to break the records of the previous year. So, in order to break the record of the BoogelWoogel festival in 2018, it was necessary that at least 1,058 skiers and snowboarders come down from the mountain.
In 2019, this figure got slightly larger and reached up to 1,108 people. Since the necessary number of participants was gathered, the descent from the mountain in bathing suits could be entered in the Guinness Book of Records.
Program and special guests
BoogelWoogel festival in 2019 was held in Sochi from March 13 to 17. It lasted for five days and every day was filled around the clock. Therefore, it would be hard to miss anything interesting at the festival. Mumiy Troll, The Hatters, the Legendary Cheburashka with his faithful friend Gena, Therr Maitz, as well as Igor Meerson, Anton Borisov, Alexander Pushnoy made the special guests at the BoogelWoogel. They all performed on a specific day and time. The official website of the event and the booklet issued every year have the complete schedule. Participants should register in advance to take part in the festival. This event has been one of the most popular in Russia, mostly because it is uniquely an event where people go skiing in swimming suit.