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The Place - Ricky v Orlickich Horach, Czech Republic Ricky (pronounced 'Richky') is a tiny village in the North-West corner of the Czech Republic. It is about three hours from Prague, right on the border with Poland. Racers do not normally stay in the village itself, but are put up in various hotels and youth hostels in the surrounding area. We never know where we will be staying until we arrive in Prague! We are met at the airport by a bus (which may be shared with other National Teams) and driven to our surprise accommodation! The resort itself is small, with just three main runs, served by two chairlifts and a T bar lift. It is quite low but the race run has snow cannons. The race run is usually closed to the public for a few days prior to the event to ensure good conditions for racing. Within the country, it is a very high profile event, with national TV coverage, and visits by prominent public figures. Whenever he is free, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus attends the event. The hospitality shown to all the Teams and their accompanying managers and trainers is quite superb, and we are very grateful to the Ski Federation of the Czech Republic and particularly to the Ski Club of Ricky nad Orlicke for their invitation to attend the event each season. In the last few years, we have been able to persuade our driver to allow us into Prague so that we can have a look at the city before we fly home. However, it does also means persuading the athletes to get up early - those who have done it in previous years reckoned it was well worth the effort! Move to The Race or to Ricky 2009
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