SKIING: Chill arrives from Russia

THIS week expect a winter wonderland: a landscape completely covered with snow with a frost that you can hear crack.

Grit your teeth and you might survive the big freeze.
photo: www.goski.sk

THIS week expect a winter wonderland: a landscape completely covered with snow with a frost that you can hear crack.

After several snow showers, an artic chill will blow through Slovakia from Russia and in the middle of the week the temperatures in mountain valleys should drop to as low as from -25 to -35 degrees Celsius. It is impossible to ski in such temperatures for long.

If you do venture out, to get yourself warm you could visit one of Slovakia's many thermal springs, such as those in Bešeňová and Oravice, or the aquaparks in Liptovský Mikuláš and Poprad.

For those who can stand a bit of frost, why not go and see the krňačky competition in Donovaly on January 28 and 29. A krňačky is a traditional sledge used for carrying logs down the mountains to the valleys. All information on avalanches, as well as freeriding offers, can be found at the Free Down 2nd Avalanche Camp in Jasná, January 27 to 29. An important event is the FIS Snowboard Europe Cup in Vrátna dolina (valley), 25 kilometres from Žilina, where snowboarders will compete in a giant slalom race on January 28 and 29.

New facilities yet to be opened this season are a new cabin cableway to Chleb (Vrátna) as well as a four-person chairlift in Oravice and Valčianska dolina (valley). We will keep readers informed on their start-up.

And how's the current situation in selected ski resorts? Here's an update. Luckily, all continue to have very good ski conditions.


Ski resort - snow depth - price of daily ski pass
Štrbské Pleso 180 cm Sk650
Skalnaté Pleso 180 cm Sk640
Skipark Ružomberok 100 cm Sk650
Snow Paradise Veľká Rača Oščadnica 120 cm Sk680
Vrátna 60-160 cm Sk620
Martinské hole 180 cm Sk550
Jasná - Chopok 100-200 cm Sk690
Plejsy 80 cm Sk500
Donovaly 120 cm Sk640
Zverovka / Spálená 100 cm Sk580
Chopok - Juh 200-250 cm Sk500

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