Ondrej Cibak Whitewater Slalom Course
| Areál vodného slalomu Ondreja Cibáka | |
 |
|
| About | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia |
| Managing agent | Tatra Canoe Club |
| Designer | Ondrej Cibák |
| Main shape | Y-shaped |
| Adjustable | No |
| Water source | Váh River |
| Pumped | No |
| Flow diversion | Yes |
| Practice pool | Yes |
| Grandstands | Covered Stadium |
| Canoe lift | No |
| Facilities | Yes |
| Construction |
2002 North (Orava) reconstuction 2004 South (Váh) reconstruction 2012 Stadium |
| Opening date | 1978 |
| Stats | |
| Length |
North (Orava): 300 metres (984 ft) South (Váh): 335 metres (1,099 ft) |
| Drop | 7.5 metres (25 ft) |
| Slope |
North (Orava): 2.5% (132 ft/mi) South (Váh): 2.2% (118 ft/mi) |
| Flowrate | 15 m3/s (530 cu ft/s) |
| Tatra Canoe Club | |
2002 North (Orava) reconstuction 2004 South (Váh) reconstruction
North (Orava): 300 metres (984 ft)
North (Orava): 2.5% (132 ft/mi)
Coordinates: 49°04′25″N 19°37′08″E / 49.0735°N 19.619°E
The Ondrej Cibak Whitewater Slalom Course, in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia, is the world's second-oldest artificial whitewater venue for international canoe slalom competition, after the Augsburg Eiskanal. Built in 1978, it diverts water around a small dam on the Váh river. With recent upgrades, including a covered stadium for spectators, it remains a prime site for the sport.
As a training facility, it is home course for canoe slalom's most highly decorated athlete, Michal Martikán, who has five Olympic medals, two of them gold, and for Elena Kaliská, who also has two Olympic golds. Both athletes have won numerous World and European Championships.
In addition to slalom practice, experienced paddlers can train in kayaks and canoes for running narrow creeks. For the general public, it operates as a family water park with guided raft trips.
Two parallel channels merge beyond the halfway point. The shorter, steeper branch, on the north side, called the Orava channel, makes a dramatic left turn and drop into the common channel. The water diverters are non-moveable boulders cemented into place.
The 7.5 meter drop is the highest of any artificial whitewater course in the international competition circuit, giving Cibak the steepest overall slope, over 2% for both branches. The common channel and the south branch are rated as whitewater class II-III, with the north branch class III-IV.
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