Snow Queen (Croatian: Snježna kraljica) is the name of a men's and women's slalom race held as part of the Alpine skiing World Cup. It has taken place on the Medvednica mountaintop Sljeme since 2005.
The race is held on the red run on Medvednica (Bear Mountain), starting at 985 meters and ending at 785 meters. It is the only race in the World Cup that is held in a capital city.
The prize fund of €165,000 is the largest on the Alpine skiing World Cup circuit, of which the winner takes €60,000.
The race has been known to attract up to 25,000 spectators[1][2] making it the largest and the most visited race in the Alpine skiing World Cup.
The trophy is made out of a crystal crown which has past winners' names imprinted on it. The winner receives a cloak and sits on a throne like a queen\king.
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The race was originally called the "Golden Bear", but later the name was changed in honor of Janica Kostelić whose victories in the sport helped gain the race for the city of Zagreb in Croatia.
On 5 January 2006, Croatia's Janica Kostelić gave one of the best performances in her life during the race. From 7th place on the first run, while missing a pole and glove, she skied to 3rd place on her second run, ahead of Olympic champion Anja Pärson.
Source: official results/organizers[3]
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