SKI PARK

THE
TOP 10
SKI CENTRES
IN
SLOVAKIA
G Excellent skiing conditions
G Superb tracks for downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding
and ski mountaineering
G Thrills in the snow
G An attractive programme for the whole family
G High quality at affordable prices
Hilly Slovakia is the ideal place for a family skiing holiday,
but it is equally attractive for fans of adrenalin winter sports.
The natural landscape and climatic conditions of our
country make it ideal for winter tourism and that is why
more and more foreign visitors are spending long
weekends, holidays, Christmas and New Year breaks or
winter or spring school vacations in Slovakia.
While the first Slovak ski resorts were established at the end
of the 19th century in the High Tatras (Vysoké Tatry),
nowadays, partly thanks to the great interest in skiing, the
winter sports centres are spreading to the lower mountain
ranges. It may seem incredible in such a small country as
Slovakia, but it is possible to ski in as many as 320 different
localities. For lovers of the "white sport" there are almost
100 skiing centres, over 1000 ski tows, 36 cableways and
150 km of tracks with snowmaking facilities. In recent years
many of the centres have been extensively reconstructed
and the level of their services has reached a high standard.
On the basis of strict, well-established European standards,
every three years the state of the ski centres' technical
facilities is assessed, along with the quality of the services
provided and, last but not least, the degree of safety and
protection provided for skiers. This is carried out by the Sitour
company and the Slovak Association of Ski-Lift Operators,
LAVEX, which in its last survey awarded TOP five-star quality
to five ski centres and granted another four four-star status.
In Slovakia it is possible to ski for an average of 125 days
in the year at 8 centres, over 110 days in 20 centres and
over 100 days in 36 ski centres. These figures confirm the fact that
the ski terrain, prepared mainly on grassy mountainsides, provides
excellent skiing even when the snow cover is not very thick. That is
why the skiing season in Slovakia can begin in December and,
thanks to the snowmaking that almost all the larger centres now
have at their disposal, it can be extended into the late spring
months. The choice of downhill slopes is also wide - from
challenging to intermediate to gentle slopes suitable not only for
beginners, but especially for children. They are well maintained
and many of them also offer attractive evening skiing. Slovakia
ranks among the first ten countries in the world in the number of
localities equipped with mountain cableways. The resorts offer
complex services for skiers. You can buy or hire sports equipment
and ski servicing facilities are available. In the ski nurseries and
schools qualified instructors teach skiing and snowboarding to
beginners of all ages.
At the valley stations of the ski lifts and tows there are large car
parks with public conveniences, for the most part free of charge.
The Mountain Rescue Service watches over the safety of the skiers
24 hours a day. There are buffets, restaurants and attractive bars
on the slopes and good quality hotels, guest houses and private
chalets look after the visitors' comfort. Apres-ski facilities are very
varied. In the mountain resorts these usually take the form of
modern leisure centres and there is a wide selection of specialised
programmes enabling visitors to familiarise themselves with the
history of the region, the cultural sights and the national parks in the
surroundings.
On Slovak Television's "Živá panoráma" you can see live pictures of the resorts: www.holidayinfo.sk, www.ski.sk
Mountain Rescue Service (Horská záchranná služba), non-stop tel.: 18 300
pages 2-3
THE
TOP 10
JASNÁ
The foremost of the TOP Slovak centres is Jasná
in the Low Tatras. It lies on both sides of Chopok,
the third highest summit in this broad mountain
chain (2024 m). Jasná has 4 centres. Three are on
the northern side of Chopok (Chopok sever) at
the end of Demänovská dolina (Záhradky, Jasná
and Otupné) and one on the southern side
(Chopok juh) in Bystrianska dolina (Srdiečko Kosodrevina). The skiing season lasts from the
beginning of December to the end of April.
The well-prepared northern downhill runs at Jasná are the
longest in Slovakia. They include easy, intermediate and
challenging pistes, so both the beginner and advanced skier
will find what they are looking for. For families with children,
but also for good skiers, the Pretekárska, Májová, Otupné,
Derešský kotol are suitable, and Biela púť for beginners. The
Spravodlivá, Majstrovská and Slalomový svah are real treats
for expert skiers. The flagship centre is the FIS downhill slope
with its new six-seater chair lift. Its parameters meet the
exacting criteria for international downhill skiing contests.
Jasná has already been the venue for the World University
Winter Games, the Junior World Ski Championships and the
world and European slalom and giant slalom cup competitions.
Wonderful steep hollows can also be found on the southern
side of Chopok and it is possible to combine skiing on both
sides of the mountain, but the elevation difference of about
200 metres has to be overcome.
The newly-established Snowboard Park in the Otupné
locality is one of the best of its kind in Slovakia. It has 12 rails
and one medium-size fun box jump. The upper slopes of the
park are designed for beginners, the lower with more
complicated obstacles for the more advanced. The slope has
a cabin cableway and a button tow.
Jasná offers ski mountaineers magnificent tours over to the
southern side of Chopok. For lovers of extreme sports there is
an ice tower, snow rafting, snow tubbing, kitewing and winter
paragliding. Cross-country skiers can vary their sport by
combining it with archery. Skating and sledging are also
possible.
Places to visit
? The valley of Demänovská dolina with its caves,
Demänovská jaskyňa slobody and Demänovská
ľadová jaskyňa (an ice cave)
? Liptovský Mikuláš - Slovak Museum of Wildlife
Conservation and Caving (Slovenské múzeum
prírody a jaskyniarstva), the M.P.Bohúň Gallery
? Tatralandia Aquapark
? Pribylina - Liptov Village Museum (Múzeum
liptovskej dediny)
? Svätý Kríž - the old wooden Lutheran church
? Havránok - a Celtic archeological site
950 - 2024 m
1 gondola
cableway,
5 chair lifts - a six-seater
with a roof, three four-seaters, one
two-seater
16 ski tows
24 downhill runs (30 km),
of which 12 km have
snowmaking facilities,
5 and 6 km regularlymaintained cross-country
trails,
3 freeride zones of varying
difficulty
e-mail: [email protected]
pages 4-5
www.jasna.sk
THE
TOP 10
PARK SNOW
ŠTRBSKÉ PLESO
Štrbské Pleso and Skalnaté Pleso in the High Tatras,
together with Jasná in the Low Tatras are among the
most important ski centres in Slovakia. Štrbské Pleso
lies at the beginning of the valley of Mlynická dolina,
above a lake of the same name. It has a long history after all, the first skiing course was organised here
for 90 participants as early as 1899. Ever since that
time it has been popular with downhill and crosscountry skiers, ski jumpers, as well as snowboarders
looking for excitement. The first-rate
terrains draw those who enjoy freeriding
and jumping with plenty of rails and
obstacles. The "Areál snov" (Dream
Arena) at Štrbské Pleso has been the
venue for several University Winter
Games, as well as the World
Championships in Nordic
Skiing.
The ski centre has 12 km of regularly-groomed ski tracks for
Alpine skiing in three localities. Interski is a wide downhill slope
of medium difficulty, beside which there is an arena for ski
jumping and the start and finish of the cross-country skiing trails.
It has a three-seater chair lift and a ski tow. Its lower part with a
separate tow is suitable for children and beginners. The tow that
serves the Interski slope also takes skiers to Esíčko, from which
there is an 850-metre intermediate run. More advanced skiers
will enjoy the Solisko terrain, which can be reached by a modern
four-seater chair lift from the bottom of the Interski slope. All the
pistes have snowmaking facilities and evening floodlighting. At
Štrbské Pleso there is also enough room for snowboarding - for
freeriding or jumping. Those skilled in snow paragliding can take
off from Solisko mountain overlooking Štrbské Pleso, and dogsled racing or ski-jöring are also very attractive.
A Skibus shuttle runs between the main car park at Šrbské Pleso
and the ski centre.
Lomnické sedlo (Skalnaté Pleso)
The ski centre of Skalnaté Pleso lies high above Tatranská
Lomnica at an altitude of 1751 m. It has the highestlocated downhill ski slope in Slovakia and is a venue for
top international downhill races. We can
recommend it for more advanced
skiers. You can take the cableway
with gondolas for 4 passengers
from Tatranská Lomnica, and
from there the 2-seater chair lift
to the mountain saddle,
Lomnické sedlo (2196 m). There
are two demanding black runs one beside the chair lift and the
other through a steep hollow.
Places to visit
? Štrbské Pleso spa
? The towns of Starý Smokovec and Tatranská
Lomnica
? Aquacity Poprad - Aquapark
? The Poprad - Spišská Sobota urban heritage
reserve
Štrbské Pleso
1400 - 1900 m
2 chair lifts
(three and
four-seaters)
4 ski tows
6 downhill runs (5 km)
Lomnické sedlo
903 - 2196 m
1 gondola cableway
1 two-seater chair lift
and ski tows
5 downhill runs
[email protected]
pages 6-7
A run of medium difficulty leads down from Skalnaté
Pleso to Štart - the half-way station of the
cableway - from where there is a pleasant downhill
track to Tatranská Lomnica. The summit of Lomnický
štít (2634 m) can be reached by a suspended cabin
cableway from Skalnaté Pleso.
www.parksnow.sk
THE
TOP 10
S
PARADISE SKI CENTRUM
NOW
Snow Paradise lies in the north west of Slovakia, near the
border with Poland. It embraces three localities - Dedovka,
Marguška and Lalíky, where a new six-seater chair lift has
been built in combination with gondolas. While Dedovka and
Lalíky each have one expert run, there are another 11 intermediate
to easy runs for good and less skilled skiers. Snowmaking
facilities cover all the downhill runs, which are also regularly
maintained. Top Slovak skiers are among those who train on
the broad slopes of Veľká Rača (1236 m). Cross-country
runners can find tracks of varying length along the "Stopa
zdravia" trail and can continue along the main Kysuce ski trail.
For those fond of extreme sports, at Dedovka there is a 1300 m
mountain bobsleigh run, the longest of its kind in Eastern
Europe and open all year round.
600 - 1709 m
1 six-seater chair
lift in combination
with gondolas for 8 passengers,
2 four-seater chair lifts
1
8-passenger
gondola cableway,
1 four-seater chair
lift
3 ski tows
14 ski tows
13 downhill runs (14 km), 1, 3, 5
and 10 km cross-country tracks
17 downhill runs (11.5 km),
18 km cross-country trails,
11 km ski mountaineering routes,
11 km downhill ski tours
? The town of Čadca
? Vychylovka - Kysuce Village
Museum
pages 8-9
This is one of the Slovak winter sports resorts with the most
visitors. It spreads over the Malá Fatra mountain range, above
the quaint village of Terchová. Its centres - Paseky, Príslop and
Tížinka are on grassy hillsides, while Poludňový Grúň and
Snilovské sedlo in particular, on mountain pastures partly above
the tree line. The slopes of Vrátna are busy from the beginning
of December to the end of April. 80 % of the downhill runs have
snowmaking and can offer evening skiing. The centre has two
black runs and eight red, while the rest are easy blue ones.
A new feature is a snowboarding arena with its own tow and
snowmaking facilities. There is also excellent terrain for ski
mountaineering and for winter tours along the ridge of the Malá
Fatra chain. In the Ski Centre you will find attractions for children
and adults alike - snow tubbing, a toboggan run and in the
Tížinka centre a children's area with four ski tows. A cabin
cableway is also being built to Snilovské sedlo.
600 - 1236 m
Places to visit
e-mail: [email protected]
VRÁTNA
VEĽKÁ RAČA - OŠČADNICA
www.velkaraca.sk
Places to visit
? The village of Terchová - with a
little museum in memory of the
folk hero Juraj Jánošík, with a
nativity scene carved out of wood
? The urban heritage reserve of
Žilina - museums, galleries,
theatre, Budatin - a castle
surrounded by water with an
exhibition of the tinkers' trade
? Strečno castle
? Teplička nad Váhom - in the local
church there is a 17th century
sarcophagus containing the body
of a noblewoman, Žofia Bošniaková,
which though not embalmed has
not succumbed to decay
e-mail: [email protected]
www. vratna.sk
THE
TOP 10
P
ARKD
SNOW
ONOVALY
RUŽOMBEROK
On the border between the Low Tatra and Veľká Fatra mountains lies one of the most
popular mountain resorts in Slovakia. It takes its name from the 300-year-old
mountain village of Donovaly, to which its downhill ski runs lead. Park snow consists of
two skiing areas. For more advanced skiers there is the slope below Nová hoľa (1361 m),
which is served by a new six-seater chair lift and another two ski tows. The 2-kilometre
slope drops 447 metres down to the valley station of the chair lift, with two possible
routes to be taken. Visitors on foot will also find it worth taking the lift to Nová hoľa, as
the panoramic views over the surrounding mountains are their own reward. Záhradište
is a family area, with 12 ski tows and a four-seater chair lift, suitable for children
and adults alike. There is a snowboard park here and an ice wall. In the
surroundings of Donovaly and the nearby villages there are excellent
tracks for cross-country skiers. Donovaly also provides suitable terrain
for dogsled racing. The European championships are held here every
year and it has also been the scene of the world championships.
Triathlon fans from all over Europe gather here every February.
545 - 1209 m
1 six-seater and
1 four-seater chair lift
1 8-passenger gondola
cableway, 1 four-seater
chair lift
8 ski tows (5 of which for
children and 1 for snow
tubbing)
7 downhill runs (12 km),
30 km cross-country trails
17 downhill runs (11 km),
25 km cross-country trails,
a snowboarding park,
freeriding, snow paragliding
Places to visit
Places to visit
www.parksnow.sk
e-mail: [email protected]
? The urban heritage
reserve of Banská
Bystrica - the town
castle, museums, galleries,
historical religious
buildings, an opera stage
? The heritage reserve of
Špania Dolina - a mining
village, where bobbin
lace of world renown is
made
? Hronsek - an old wooden
Lutheran church
pages 10-11
About 2 km from the town centre there is the district of
Hrabovo, from where a gondola cableway takes skiers to the
"SkiPark" centre below the summit of Malinô Brdo (1209 m). On
the slopes of the Veľká Fatra range beginner, intermediate and
expert skiers alike will find suitable terrain. A lowpressure system of snowmaking is used when
needed on 60% of the downhill runs, the longest
of which measures as much as 3.9 km and leads to the
valley station of the gondola cableway and is at
the same time the longest track with artificial
snow in Slovakia. Every year an ice wall is built
in the centre and snow tubbing is also available.
From the upper station of the four-seater chair lift you
can get a beautiful view of the Malá Fatra and Low
Tatra mountain ranges.
915 - 1402 m
14 ski tows
e-mail: [email protected]
SKI PARK
? The town of
Ružomberok - the A.
Hlinka Cultural Centre,
Ľudovít Fulla Gallery,
Bowling Club with a
laser shooting range
and flight simulator
? Bešeňová Thermal
Park
? Vlkolínec - heritage
reserve of folk
architecture included on
the UNESCO Heritage List
www.skipark.sk
THE
TOP 10
R
OHÁČE
SPÁLENÁ DOLINA
SPÁLENÁ - ZVEROVKA
The Western Tatras invite you to one of the most picturesque parts of the Tatra
massif - to the Roháče mountains. The Spálená - Zverovka ski centre built in
a forest clearing in Salatínska dolina offers suitable conditions for family skiing
with children, but also for more advanced skiers. The favourable climate
provides sufficient snow to make it possible for the centre to be among the first
to open the winter season. Two ski lifts beside the blue trails are suitable for
children and beginners, while a four-seater chair lift takes skiers to the red
run on the upper slopes, from which you can turn off onto an even more
demanding downhill run. The top station of the chair lift is at an altitude of
1460 metres above sea level. On the upper part of the slope there is another
ski tow. The "Goralský klobúčik" (Goral hat) international skiing competition
for children takes place here at the beginning of April. A number of trails are
maintained for cross-country skiers in the valley of Roháčska dolina.
On nine occasions this has been the scene of the European Cup, with
homologised tracks for slalom, giant slalom and supergiant slalom
races. Plejsy lies in the
north east of Slovakia
(70 km from the High
Tatras) on the northern
slopes of Krompašský
vrch (1025 m), not far
from the town of
Krompachy. Free
transport by ski-bus
carries skiers there
from the town's railway
station. The use of snowmaking facilities throughout the
whole centre ensures good skiing into the late spring
months. The skiing season here lasts for approximately 123
days in the year. A third of the pistes are used by children
and beginners, another third by intermediate skiers and
three expert downhill runs covering a total of 4.8 km should
satisfy even the most demanding. The longest run in the
centre is 2350 metres. At the foot of the downhill slopes
visitors can take advantage of the services of the Relax
Centre, which has a "Vital World" with Finnish, herbal,
steam and infra-saunas. Visitors can also enjoy a countercurrent pool and a whirlpool.
1090 - 1460 m
1 four-seater
chair lift
3 ski tows
Places to visit
? Zuberec Brestová - the
Orava Village
Museum
? Orava Castle
? Oravice - Meander
Park (aquapark)
with geothermal
water
email: [email protected]
pages 12-13
www.tatrawestsro.sk
Places to visit
? Spišský hrad (Spiš Castle) registered on the UNESCO
Heritage List
? Spišská Kapitula, Levoča urban heritage reserves
e-mail: [email protected]
www.plejsy.com
THE
TOP 10
JASENSKÁ
DOLINA
On the Turiec side of the Veľká Fatra mountains, beneath the northern
slopes of Lysec (1381 m) peak, southeast of Martin, lies Jasenská dolina.
It is one of the best-known valleys in the range, offering varied tourist and
sporting activities. Downhill skiers, snowboarders, as well as crosscountry skiers and tobogganers like to visit its two winter sports centres
built on grassy slopes, where a thin covering of snow is enough for
excellent skiing. In the lower part of Jasenská dolina there is the Kašová
centre, 2.5 km from the village of Belá - Dulice. There are 6 ski tows here
and a four-seater chair lift. Its slopes are mostly popular with families with
children, less with expert and more advanced skiers. The floodlit slopes
make night skiing possible. One kilometre north of Kašová is the Lehota
centre with a ski tow and ski runs designed for more demanding skiers.
During the weekends there is no shortage of entertaining events on the
snowy slopes, including attractions such as snow tubbing.
In the northeast of Slovakia a ski centre in the Čergov range is
worthy of our attention. The winter season here starts in the
middle of December and finishes at the end of March. The
centre consists of two areas joined by a cableway. At the
beginning of Drienická dolina valley the Drienica locality
serves less advanced skiers. Above the tree line, on the slopes
of a summit of the same name (1068 m) there is the Lysá
centre with mainly steeper and more demanding terrains. In
Drienica you can slip off your skis and immediately enter an
indoor swimming pool.
550 - 1068 m
1
four-seater
chair lift
1 chair
lift
7 ski tows
9 ski tows
7 runs (4.1 km), 5 km crosscountry trails (3 km marked)
16 runs (14 km),
20 km cross-country trails
? The urban heritage area
of Martin
? The Slovak Village
Museum, Jahodnícke háj Martin
? Turčianske Teplice - a spa
? Sklabiňa Castle
pages 14-15
LYSÁ
540 -770 m
Places to visit
e-mail: [email protected]
DRIENICA
www.jasenskadolina.sk
Places to visit
? The urban heritage zone
of Sabinov
? The town Bardejov registered on the
UNESCO Heritage List
e-mail: [email protected]
www.skidrienica.sk