In the sports life of the Vologda region, the focus has always been on promoting and popularizing winter sports. The Great Patriotic war of 1941–1945 served as a catalyst for their development. The use of light and mobile ski battalions during combat operations led to a prioritization of skiing and military training for athletes. By may 1945, a network of interconnected sports institutions had been formed in the region, ski bases with the necessary equipment had been built in all areas, and competitions were actively held with the assignment of grades and passing the ready for work and defense (GTO). The research is based on documents from the Vologda oblast State archive that had not previously been introduced into scientific circulation.