Skiing in Slovakia

Skiing & snowboarding: For winter sport enthusiasts, Slovakia is a winter wonderland, where ski slopes are found virtually everywhere. If there�s hill, there�s good chance people ski down it. Slovakia lies within the Carpathian mountain system, which after the Alps is the second largest and longest in Europe. The huge arc of the Carpathians begins beside the Danube, close to Bratislava, and stretches trough the length of Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania. Slovakia boats dozens of fully appointed ski resorts, concentrated in its northern mountain ranges such as High and Low Tatras, Small and Big Fatra, West Tatras and Orava Region, but in Slovakia you can enjoy several, local ski resorts as well as. The ski season is typically from the end of November till last week of March. Skiers will find the best conditions in the Low Fatra (Mala Fatra), Big Fatra (Velka Fatra), West Tatras (Zapadne Tatry) and the Low Tatras Mountains (Nizke Tatry) which offer beautiful slopes and trails for skiers of all categories as well as complex services. All ski resorts offer gondola, cable way, chair lift or drag lift. During warmer weeks in winter resorts have equipped the slopes with facilities for making artificial snow. Slovak ski slopes are popular also for snowboarding. Advanced downhill skiers enjoy slopes at the Skalnate Alpine Lake (Skalnate Pleso)-1751 m above sea level), Strbske Alpine Lake (Strbske Pleso)- 1 360 m above sea level, but also on the northern and southern sides of Chopok Peak -2 024 m above level. Cross-country skiers will find well-maintained 3.5 km and 7.5 km long trail at Strbske Alpine Lake (Strbske Pleso). Doing cross-country skiing, you can admire beautiful nature at Strbske Alpine Lake (Strbske Pleso), Ziarska Valley (Ziarska Dolina), Skalka and Donovaly where one can attract cross-country skiing races with dog teams. Smokovce was the site of several World Cup and Europe Cup competitions of the FIS in downhill skiing and is one of the candidates for the 20th Winter Olympiad in 2006.

Snowboarding in Slovakia:

Slovakia as a new snowboarding destination offers very great natural conditions for snowboarding activities. In couple of years, interest of snowboarding has rapidly increased and became huge development of snowboard parks. The most popular snowboard parks are located in northern part of Slovakia and have hilly terrains, little bit edge and lots of facilities for free-style tricks such as U-ramps, interesting artificial jumps and trails. In last five years, in Slovakia are starting taking places several snowboards competitions as Nescafe Cup, Redbull Competion and others.

Low Taras provides extremely good conditions for snowboarding thanks its equipment and well terrains, which are covered by grass. Jasna as one of the most famous ski center of Low Tatras, offering to its visitors newly opened snowboard park and Burton Snowboarding School, which provides professionals lessons of snowboarding and easy free style snowboards tricks in U-ramp. Jasna has the best natural conditions for snowboarding, and it is suitable for all the levels of snowboarders.

In Small Fatra there are couple of newly renovated ski resorts, with up-to-dated snowboards facilities as Ski Park Ruzomberok, where you can enjoy not really craggy hills naturally shaped one part of terrain in cylinder, but when you will go in Vratna Valley to ski resort called Paseky, there you will find totally different conditions. The hills are more craggy and the trails are covered by grass, even when in it is lots of snow you can enjoy good conditions there. The most liked ski resorts in Small Fatra Mountains by snowboarders are Velka Raca and Martinske Hole.

Velka Raca it is one of the ski resorts, which is nicely equipped and offers lots of facilities for snowboarders such as U-ramp, several artificially built jumps and the trails divided after difficulty. Martinske Hole, there is a new built U-ramp for snowboarders, however they can enjoy there all of kind of ski terrains. Martinske Hole is suitable for most advanced, but also for beginners in snowboarding.

High Tatras as the highest placed ski resort in Slovakia haven�t such good conditions for snowboarding as Small Fatra and Low Tatras, but snowboarder lovers, could enjoy excellent piste in Strbske Pleso ski resorts.

Generally in all Slovakia, where�s hill, there�s chance that, everybody are skiing and snowboarding. Snowboard season due in higher placed ski resorts from last week of November till March, but it�s season always depend on weather conditions.

Regular ski slopes are available for snowboarding as well as specialized and professionally equipped snowboarding centres. Some of them organize courses for snowboarders of all age categories.