The Pirin mountains are being challenged by Bansko development companies.

Several ski resort developments in the Balkans, Carpathians and Dolomites have been under fire from environmental interests for their impact on protected areas and forests, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the latest to protest.

SkiRebel.com reported recently on UNESCO’s futile efforts to stop these developments, particularly at Bulgarian ski resort Bansko. The WWF, the global nature conservation organization, has published a review of several new ski projects planned for Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine.

Continue reading ‘WWF joins UNESCO in targeting European ski resort developments’

Slovakia's High Tatras mountains are beginning to attract skiers from further than just Central Europe.

Slovak airline Danube Wings launched direct flights from London, Manchester and Dublin to the heart of Slovakia’s Tatras Mountains at Poprad-Tatry yesterday.

The flights will take skiers to within just 15 minutes’ drive of the ski slopes of Slovakia’s High Tatras Mountains and around 50 minutes’ drive from the country’s biggest resort of Jasna in the Low Tatras. Flights departing from London are at Luton Airport, and all return flights cost about €158 (£140).

Continue reading ‘Airline launches direct flights from UK and Ireland to Slovak ski areas’

Jasna in Slovakia is one of Central Europe's up and coming ski destinations.

Ski destinations in Eastern Europe are becoming more popular with UK ski travelers, according to a travel search site.

Skyscanner says it has seen a 154 per cent rise this year in searches for winter flights from the UK to cities east of the Alps. The most popular eastern ski hubs are Krakow in Poland, Sofia in Bulgaria, Bratislava in Slovakia and Ljubljana in Slovenia. The site believes that the trends reflect the search for better value skiing this winter in light of the recession and strong Euro.

Continue reading ‘More British ski vacationers flocking to Eastern Europe’

Included in Inghams’s upcoming winter Ski and Snowboard programme are new trips to resorts in Slovakia, Andorra, and Romania, among 90 other resorts in 13 countries.
“Inghams extensive ski programme continues to grow,” said Inghams Chief Executive Litsa Constantinou. “Despite the current climate, the ski market is resilient and diversifying.”
Trips to Poiana Brasov, Romania include lift pass, ski equipment hire, tuition and half board accommodation from as little as €762 ($1078 U.S.). There are also added value savings including free lift pass and free ski hire and 2 for 1 on ski and snowboard lessons offered in many resorts.
In Slovakia, new to Inghams this winter, is the resort of Salla in Lapland which offers many activities including reindeer, husky and snowmobile safaris, ice fishing and Learn to Ski and Board packages. Inghams also offers a choice of five resorts in Lapland and three and four night Santa Short Breaks in December.
For those looking for more than just a ski holiday, Inghams offers once in a lifetime winter experiences including sleeping in a glass igloo, ice-driving, ice-karting, snowshoe trekking, dog sledding, winter walking trails, train excursions, ice fishing, gold panning and spa treatments.

• Vacations: Click here for more vacation ideas.

In 1997 I was invited on a skiing junket to discover Slovakia’s Tatras Mountain range. Unfortunately, the planets never aligned (mainly because I couldn’t spare more than $ 20 at the time) and I put the idea quickly behind me. But twelve years later I was able to get a second opportunity to experience Jasna, Central Europe’s largest winter ski resort.

Getting in and out was quite an adventure – but winter traveling is always a challenge. Widespread wind and heavy rainstorms pummeled Europe and created lengthy delays on the way in, and a record snowfall on the way home made travelling in each direction about a 28-hour journey from Canada. Normally the trip would take half the time.

Skiing in Slovakia resembles a living time capsule. Everything from the ski resort infrastructure, roads, to automobiles and fashion is classically retrograded. But there is a sense of opportunity that has awakened in this country that tourism authorities have recognized and preparing to invest millions of euro’s to turn tourism as a bustling economy. Will they manage? Now that’s the subject of an entirely different story.
Continue reading ‘Jasna: The Tiger of the Tatras prepares an Extreme Makeover’

The Slovak ski resort of Tatranska Lomnica is undergoing a dramatic 11 million euro face-lift in time for the 2008/9 ski season. The expansion includes the addition of a further 4.9kms (three miles) of piste, the creation of Slovakia’s longest piste at 6.5km (Four miles), the installation of a new quad chairlift, new snowmaking equipment, a new kids school and ski area, new ski rental facilities, night skiing and a new apres ski bar.
Tatranska Lomnica is located in Slovakia’s High Tatras Mountains, the world’s shortest mountain range at just 24kms (q15 miles) long, part of the Carpathian mountain range, and is within 20 minutes drive of Poprad international airport. Poprad is served by a four times weekly flight from London Luton and direct flights via Slovakia’s second city of Kosice from Dublin and Manchester, with flying times of just over two hours.

Four years of planning, to meet with the environmental restrictions imposed on development in the High Tatras National Park, culminated in approval for the first phase of the development of the existing ski resort being granted in July 2008. Work started immediately and will be completed by December 2008. The ski facilities and ski area at Tatranska Lomnica are operated by TLD Tatry, part of J & T Group, Slovakia’s most successful Real Estate company.

The close proximity of the slopes to an international airport, just two hours flying time from the UK, with a minimal transfer time of around 20 minutes, prices up to a third cheaper than mainstream European resorts, coupled with the new snow-sure snow making system, makes Tatranska Lomnica one of the most viable ski weekend destinations in Europe, for British skiers.
With natural snow cover backed up by the new snowmaking equipment, experienced skiers will now have the opportunity to ski on the steepest black run, at Lomnicke sedlo, until May.
www.tldtatry.sk

A Dutch firm is reported to be planning to invest 40 million Euros in the leading Czech ski resort of Pec pod Snezkou. Middle Europe Investments apparently wants to upgrade facilities in the northern Bohemian ski town.
The money would go on a new central square with underground parking garage, town hall, hotel, shops and recreational facilities in the centre of Pec. It also offers a mountain tram to the ski area and a funicular railway.
Pec mayor Alan Tomasek is reported to be in favour of the project, which would begin in 2010 or 2011 sand take about three years, whilst other local council members oppose the plan.
Middle Europe Investments already owns and manages around 40 properties in tourist destinations throughout the Czech Republic and Slovakia.