View from the slope (source: Jozef Jakubčo, Sme)
Lomnické Sedlo Saddle in the High Tatras welcomed skiers in mid-January thanks to a great deal of natural snow. The 1,240 metre-long ski slope is currently covered in 150 centimetres of snow, and skiing conditions are very good.
Skiers may use a 5.5 kilometre slope to Tatranská Lomnica from an altitude of 2,190 metres above sea level. Slopes from the Skalnaté Pleso mountain lake are also open - Esíčka, Generál, Čučoriedky Východ, Čučoriedky Západ and Štart Západ, informed Jana Pisarčíková from Tatry Mountain Resort.
Maintaining a ski-friendly saddle is not that easy. Ján Kozubík, head of the ski slopes and artificial snow, said they were able to do it within one month of the start of season.
“The ski slope in Lomnické Sedlo is in very good condition, weather helped a lot this year,” he said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Complicated maintenance
People who deal with artificial snow always want to keep as much natural snow as possible, Pisarčíková added. The slope and its modifications are unique as well.
“There is an incline of more than 40 degrees at some points of the slope. The vehicle for slope maintenance has to be secured in an anchoring point. The vehicle coils up on more than a one-kilometre long rope up the slope,” she explained, as quoted by TASR.
It is the highest and steepest slope in Slovakia. The earliest date Lomnické Sedlo has ever been opened was on November 20, which happened in the '80s, Pisarčíková added.
