About 6,000 visitors attended the festival. Most made the drive from Baghdad and Basra, although some thrill-seekers made the journey from Europe.
Nearly 400 tourism companies coordinated with the Kurdistan’s tourism department to put on the event.
Local youth had the opportunity to experience modern skiing, in addition to traditional sledding.
The first such festival took place in 1951 at Haji Omeran near Korek, but the event has not been annual, which the event organizers hope to change.
Mawlawi Jabar, the head of Kurdistan's tourism department, helped to organize this year’s festival
The Kurdish mountains are popular tourist attractions in the spring and summer, drawing visitors from across Kurdistan, the rest of Iraq, and neighboring countries. The Kurdish region wants to also invest in winter tourism, especially in the high mountainous areas that have spectacular views in the snowy season.
