Winter in Slovakia
Slovakia is a new winter ski destination, an ideal place for winter sport lovers with fantastic conditions. Almost all mountains are suitable (and most of them properly equipped) for skiing (down hill and cross-country) and snowboarding. The trails in ski resorts are suitable for beginners, so it is a great place for starters – together with professional instructors you will enjoy the best skiing experience of your life. But you will find here the trails also for intermediates, and for more advanced skiers as well as.
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.
The most known ski centres in Slovakia:
JASENSKA DOLINA
Mountain range Veľká Fatra
Altitude: 540 - 770 m
Rating: ****
Number of cablecars/lifts: 1/7
Number of pistes: 7
Length of pistes: 4,05 km
Level of difficulty: Easy/medium/difficult 4/3/0
Transport capacity: 6100 persons/h
Artificial snow: 2,05 km
Cross-country trails: 7 km
Night skiing: yes
Attractions: snowtubing run
Services, facilities: parking place free of charge, left luggage office, shops and rental shops for sporting equipment, ski and snowboard schools, children ski school, ski service, card payments, information centre, self-catering restaurant and snack bars
VALČIANSKA DOLINA
Mountain range: Malá Fatra
Altitude: 510 - 630 m
Rating: ***
Number of cablecars/lifts: 1/5
Number of pistes: 6
Length of pistes: 5 km
Level of difficulty: Easy/medium/difficult 3/2/0
Transport capacity: 5250 persons/h
Artificial snow: 3 km
Cross-country trails: 15 km
Night skiing: yes
Attractions: illuminated ice-skating rink
Services, facilities: ski and snowboarding school, ski-rental shop, ski service, ski shop and the left sport equipment office, skate-rental shop, sauna, illuminated ice-skating rink, free skibus (Žilina, Vrútky, Martin)
SNOW PARADISE OŠČADNICA VEĽKÁ RAČA
Mountain range: Kysucké Beskydy
Altitude: 630 - 1050 m
Rating: *****
Number of cablecars/lifts: 3/3
Number of pistes: 13
Length of pistes: 14 km
Level of difficulty: Easy/medium/difficult 7/4/2
Transport capacity: 9700 persons
Artificial snow: 14 km
Cross-country trails: 10 km
Night skiing: yes
Attractions: longest 1300-metre bobsleigh run „ALPINCOASTER“ with 15 twists and 12 super jumps, snowboarding park with U-ramp
Services, facilities: ski school, service, ski-rental shop, parking place free of charge, ski buses, exchange office, possibility of non-cash payments, left luggage office
PARK SNOW DONOVALY
Mountain range: Low Tatras/Veľká Fatra
Altitude: 940 - 1361 m
Rating: *****
Number of cablecars/lifts: 2/14
Number of pistes: 17
Length of pistes: 11 km
Level of difficulty: Easy/medium/difficult 14/3/0
Transport capacity: 14 100 persons
Artificial snow: 7,1 km
Cross-country trails: 20 km
Night skiing yes
Attractions: paintball, children’s FUN PARK, paragliding,snowtubing, snowrafting, dogsled racing, horse-drawn sledge/carriage, airboarding, professional ice skating rink for recreational ice skating and curling, timekeeping at the ski run – free of charge
Services, facilities: 4 parking places free of charge, ski school, ski-rental shop, ski service, relaxation services, koliba – traditional cottage restaurant
VRÁTNA
Mountain range: Malá Fatra
Altitude: 600 - 1709 m
Rating: *****
Number of cablecars/lifts: 2/14
Number of pistes: 16
Length of pistes: 10,6 km
Level of difficulty: Easy/medium/difficult 8/5/1
Transport capacity: 11 604 persons/h
Artificial snow: 4, 6 km
Cross-country trails: 18 km (3 trate: 4,6,8 km)
Night skiing: yes
Attractions: snowboarding complex with a boardercross run, jumps, children complex, children snowmobiles, snowtubing, ice skating rink, building of water world and a modern bowling run in progress
Services, facilities: ski school, school of freeride and snowboarding, ski-rental shop, ski service, indoor swimming pool, parking place free of charge, internet cafe, skibuses
JASNÁ NÍZKE TATRY
Mountain range: Low Tatras
Altitude: 950 - 1872 m
Rating: *****
Number of cablecars/lifts: 6/16
Number of pistes: 24
Length of pistes: 29,6 km
Level of difficulty: Easy/medium/difficult 3/3/3 + 3 freeride
Transport capacity: 20 150 persons
Artificial snow: 12 km
Cross-country trails: 11 km
Night skiing: yes
Attractions: paragliding, 1,5 km snowboarding park, snowtubing – inflatable tyres, freering, adrenaline forest adventure trail, trail TARZANIA, archery, kitewing – windsurfing on skis, horse-riding, close to aquapark Tatralandia
Services, facilities: ski school, ski-rental, ski service, internet café, relaxation services, free skibus – aquabus, regular activity program within the complex
PARK SNOW VYSOKÉ TATRY - ŠTRBSKÉ PLESO
Mountain range: High Tatras
Altitude: 1400 - 1840 m
Rating: *****
Number of cablecars/lifts: 2/3
Number of pistes: 6
Length of pistes: 5,3 km
Level of difficulty: Easy/medium/difficult 1/5/0
Transport capacity: 4700 persons/h
Artificial snow: 5,3 km
Cross-country trails: 20 km
Night skiing: yes
Attractions: ski-jöring, bungee jumping, paragliding, snowboarding, Fun Park- snowtubing, snowrafting, airboarding
Services, facilities: ski school, ski rental shop, ski service, internet, free skibus, left luggage office
STARÝ SMOKOVEC - HREBIENOK, JAKUBKOVA LÚKA
Mountain range: High Tatras
Altitude: 1025 – 1480 m
Rating: -
Number of cablecars/lifts: 1/5
Number of pistes: 4
Length of pistes: 3,873 km
Level of difficulty: Easy/medium/difficult 3/0/1
Transport capacity: 4740 persons
Artificial snow: Jakubkova lúka
Cross-country trails: 7 km
Night skiing: Jakubkova lúka
Attractions: sled run, night sledging, children’s centre “Svištík“ (small marmot)
Services, facilities: ski school, ski rental shop, ski service, sports equipment shop, free skibus, free parking
TATRANSKÁ LOMNICA - Skalnaté pleso, Lomnické sedlo, Jamy
Mountain range: High Tatras
Altitude: 850 - 2196 m
Rating: -
Number of cablecars/lifts: 2/3
Number of pistes: 6
Length of pistes: 5,97 km
Level of difficulty: Easy/medium/difficult 1/3/2
Transport capacity: 3480 persons/h
Artificial snow: Jamy, Štart – Tatranská Lomnica
Cross-country trails: 5 km
Night skiing: Jamy
Attractions: ice tower, small tourist train TULIBUS, sled run TATRABOB, skijöring, ice-skating rink, tennis hall
Services, facilities: ski school, ski-rental shop, ski service, shop with sports equipment, free skibus, free parking