The Important Snow Awards celebrated their first edition in 2005 thanks to the collaboration of the Municipal Communities of Ordino and la Massana, together with VALLNORD. These awards are given in recognition of all the people and institutions that have significantly contributed to the promotion and public exposure of snow tourism and sports, both on a national and international level, bringing the skiing and mountain world closer to all those followers, professional or amateur, who enjoy the snow in all its disciplines.
Those who received an award in the different editions were the following:
1st Important Snow Awards (2005-2006 season)
- - National Personality:
Marc Forné Molné, head of the Government of Andorra from 1994 to 2005.
- - International Personality:
Carlos Arenado Pujol, Marketing Director of Baqueira Beret.
- - Institution:
Police Force of Andorra – Mountain Group, first Institution to develop mountain rescue work.
2nd Important Snow Awards (2006-2007 season)
- - National Personality:
Josep Farré Areny, pioneer in manufacturing artificial snow at the Parador Canaro.
- - International Personality:
José Antonio Maldonado, in recognition of his informative work on the TVE meteorological spot.
- - Institution:
Agencia Andorra 2020, in recognition of their vision of the future through the definition of a strategic plan which must allow for the sustainable economic growth of the country over the next few years.
- - Special Award:
Antoni Real Martí, director of the programme “Temps de Neu” on TV3 with more than 20 years on air.
3rd Important Snow Awards (2007-2008 season)
- - National Personality:
The Serra family, for their work as pioneers in the management and handling of the Arinsal ski resorts; and The Viladomat family, for installing the first ski lift in Andorra in Pas de la Casa in 1956.
- - International Personality:
The Fernández – Ochoa family, the family of skiers who have contributed most to Spanish skiing, placing it among the world’s elite and forming one of the most famous sagas of Spanish sporting history.
- - Institution:
Rescue Group, Immersion and Mountain (GRIM), in recognition of their great work, which needs a team with highly technical training, constant specialisation and a true vocation of unconditional service, that has made this Institution an essential tool in the surrounding environment.
- - Special Award:
Andorra Skiing Club, in recognition of their commitment to advertise skiing throughout our country, promoting the culture of the sport to young people and children, along with the competitive spirit and respect for the mountains and nature.
4th Important Snow Awards (2008-2009 season)
- - National Personality:
Albert Llovera: Born in 1966 in Andorra, Llovera was the youngest athlete to take part in the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, at just 17 years old. In 1985 he had an accident during the European Skiing Cup in Yugoslavia. The accident, which caused a spinal injury and left the lower half of his body paralysed, couldn’t break his sporting spirit and his will to overcome all odds. From then on Llovera replaced the adrenalin he got from skiing with motor racing. He is currently competing in the land rallies Spanish Championship, driving a Fiat Grande Punto S2000 and under the management of the Team Wolf Racing. He has taken part in World Championship rally races and in the 2007 Dakar rally. He also starred in the documentary by Josep Maria Borrell, Albert Llovera, the Wings of the Phoenix, produced by Odisea and Góndola Films. The award, as well as rewarding his sporting achievements, is also given in recognition of Llovera’s promotion of adapted sports.
- - International Personality:
Josep Maria Figueres i Anmella: Born in Barcelona in 1926, Josep Maria Figueras i Anmella is a remarkable traumatologist and orthopaedic surgeon; internationally renowned for his knowledge of sports medicine and for his long commitment to mountain sports, skiing in particular.
In 1942, at only 16 years old, Figueras entered the world of skiing as a racer in all the disciplines and as a monitor at La Molina Ski School. Six years later he was preselected to go to the Saint Moritz Olympic Games, but an injury put an end to his skiing dreams. Between 1950-1951 he started to practice medicine at La Molina Clinic which, at the time, occupied one room of the chalet of the Cataluña Sightseeing Centre. After a while, the clinic moved to one of the suites of the Adserà Hotel, which also became the home of the Figueras family and their four children. It was not until 1969 that the real La Molina Clinic was inaugurated and Dr. Figueras took charge of it.
In 1956 the Catalan doctor was present at his first Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo as a traumatologist doctor for the Spanish skiing team, a position that he did not leave until the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary.
Josep Maria Figueras is considered to be one of the pioneers of sports medicine as well as skiing. The more than 65 years he has dedicated to winter sports have given him a whole mountain of personal anecdotes. He experienced one of these with King Juan Carlos, who had an accident on the Swiss slopes of Gstaad. Figueras, who at the time was 100 kilometres away from the Swiss town enjoying a few days off, was located by the Royal Palace. Three hours later, and wondering how they had located him, he found himself attending to King Juan Carlos who had suffered a cracked pelvis.
As well as the King, the biggest skiers of the time have passed through the hands of Figueras and even Andorran names such as the current president of the ASF, Albert Coma. His knowledge of preventing winter accidents also led him to Andorra in 2002, when he was a member of the honorary committee of the 25th SITEMSH Conference in Pas of the Casa-Grau Roig. Figueras has been head of the Surgery and Traumatology Service of the Red Cross Hospital and is an honorary member of the Catalan Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology. In 2001 he received the Josep Trueta medal for his services to medicine and in 2003 he received the Saint George Cross from the Generalitat de Catalunya.
- - Institution:
Federació Andorrana d’Esquí: On 19th November 1965 the General Council declared skiing a “Sport of National Interest” and in 1988 the Federative Committee of the Andorra Skiing Club was created which at the time consisted of five clubs. On 22nd April of the same year the first Federative Plenary Meeting was held to choose the first Board of the Andorran Skiing Federation and the first president, Mr. Antoni Crespo. Mr. Josep Maria Cosan took over on 22nd June 1992 and was the president of the Federation until the year 2000, when the role passed on to the current president, Mr. Albert Coma.
The Andorran Skiing and Winter Sports Federation was created with the aim of grouping clubs together, sports associations, referees and technicians among others, and to promote and manage skiing activity in Andorra. At first, the ASF focussed on downhill skiing, taking part in national competitions, FIS, European Cups, World Cups and the Olympic Games. Over time, it has extended the number of teams and the sports disciplines, which nowadays include downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding.
In the 20 years of the federation, we can emphasise the first cross-country skiing participation in the Winter Olympic Games in 2006 in Turin, where Francesc Soulié was the Andorran racer representing his country.
The award will be received by Albert Coma, president of the Andorran Skiing Federation.
