The Carpathian Ski Club

The Carpathian Ski Club (KLK) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that brings together amateur and professional skiers and snowboarders. It was founded in Lviv, Ukraine, in 1924 as a sport and cultural association, originally called "Karpatskyj Leschatarskyj Klub" (KLK). The club's purpose has been to nurture social life among its members and to disseminate skiing and other sports among the population of the Carpathian Mountains and surrounding areas. At present, the club organizes sports and educational events for all age groups, promotes an environmentally friendly outlook, and works to preserve the ecosystems of the Carpathian area. Off the piste, it organizes hiking trips, cycling trips, tours, volleyball tournaments, social dance lessons, roundtables, conferences, competitions, sports training, and camps. Its annual Ski Races in the Carpathian mountains are a major and spectacular event. In modern times, members also explore new outdoor activities such as snowboarding, windsurfing, kitesurfing, wakeboarding, and mountain biking. The club celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024.

The Carpathian Ski Club (KLK) was founded in Lviv in 1924 as a sport and cultural association. The exact date of its establishment is debated; one source states that on October 11, 1924, a general meeting of winter sports enthusiasts (30 delegates) proclaimed the creation of the club, headed by Lev Sheparovych. Another source, Olha Kuzmovych in the KLK Almanac 1924-1984, writes that on Saturday, November 8, 1924, enthusiasts gathered at the Sokil-Batko sports society building in Lviv to create a separate organization, and the first general meeting was held on December 9, 1924, where the statute was adopted. The first board included Lev Sheparovych as head, Zenon Rusyn as deputy, Volodymyr Rozhankovsky as secretary, Znovia Kopertynska as treasurer, Ivan Mryts as host, and Roman Hovykovych as manager. The club's emblem was made by Robert Lisovsky, and its anthem was written by Roman Kupchynsky. Initially, KLK cultivated all sports (tennis, swimming, mountain tourism, athletics, etc.), later focusing on skiing (cross-country, jumping, downhill). In 1927, the first mass competitions were organized, and at the Zaporizhzhia Games in 1935, KLK members won prizes in all types of competitions. The club had branches throughout Galicia, including in Vorokhta (1932), Stanislaviv (1932), Slavske (1932), Kosmach (1932), Kolomyia, Nyzhniy Bereziv (1933), Ternopil, and Zboriv (organized in 1931). By 1937, it united 18 branches with 868 members; by early 1939, there were 20 branches with over 1,500 members. In 1934, KLK built a shelter (ski base) in Slavske designed by architect Oleksandr Pezhansky. During the first Soviet occupation of Lviv in September 1939, KLK's activities were suspended, and with the return of Soviet forces in 1944, KLK's activities in Ukraine were terminated. After World War II, the club continued in emigration: from 1945 in Germany, where in 1947 the first ski competitions were organized in Berchtesgaden. The third period began in the 1950s in the USA. From 1956, KLK-New York organized ski competitions within USCAK. KLK-New York established branches in Toronto (1957), Buffalo (1962), and Cleveland (1964). In Ukraine, the club was revived: on September 22, 1989, an initiative group of 14 people convened the founding meeting of KLK, using the 1935 statute found in the Rozhankovsky family. 68 skiers became founders, and architect Orest Antoniuk was elected head. On August 7, 1990, the statute of the "Carpathian Ski Club" was officially registered by the Lviv Regional Council executive committee. As of 2022, the director is Oleh Kubiv. The president of KLK America is singer Severyn Palydovych (Erko). In 2024, the club celebrated its 100th anniversary.

• 2024

  100th anniversary celebrated

• 1990

  Statute officially registered on August 7

• 1989

  Revival in Ukraine; founding meeting on September 22

• 1964

  Branch established in Cleveland

• 1962

  Branch established in Buffalo

• 1957

  Branch established in Toronto

• 1956

  KLK-New York organized ski competitions within USCAK

• 1947

  First ski competitions in Berchtesgaden

• 1945

  Continued in Germany after WWII

• 1944

  Activities in Ukraine terminated

• 1939

  Activities suspended during Soviet occupation

• 1937

  United 18 branches with 868 members

• 1935

  Members won prizes at the Zaporizhzhia Games

• 1934

  Built a ski shelter in Slavske designed by Oleksandr Pezhansky

• 1927

  First mass competitions organized

• 1924

  Founding of the Carpathian Ski Club in Lviv

Non-profit sports and cultural association promoting skiing and outdoor activities in the Carpathian region.

Product categories. Skiing events · Snowboarding events · Hiking trips · Cycling trips · Volleyball tournaments · Social dance lessons · Sports training and camps

1. 1About us - Mainklk.com.ua
2. 2Про КЛК - Головнаklk.com.ua
3. 3About us - Mainklk.com.ua
4. 4The Carpathian Ski Clubwikidata.org
5. 5Карпатський лещетарський клубuk.wikipedia.org