FEATURE
ULTIMATE SKI
WHERE TO BUILD
THIGHS OF STEEL
Fly to: Ljubljana
Set in the rustic Zgornjesavska
valley in the Julian Alps,
on the Austrian and Italian
borders, Slovenia’s oldest ski
resort of
Kranjska Gora
is a
quaint locale. Due to its Alpine
climate, winters tend to be long
and summers short, so expect
plenty of snow. Beginners and
recreational skiers will be
happy with 30km of low-lying
pistes served by 20 lifts, while
the main slopes leading into
town are floodlit for night
skiing. The main draw for cross-
country skiers is over 40km of
trails through dense, sprawling
forests, the particularly
demanding to be found in
Podkoren. For a day off the
slopes, there’s ice climbing at a
nearby frozen waterfall.
kranjska-gora.si
FOR RIDING THAT
BACKCOUNTRY TERRAIN
Fly to: Bucharest
Dating back to the turn of the
20
th Century,
Poiana Brasov
is one of Romania’s biggest
ski resorts. Set among the
pine forests of Postaˇvarul, its
12
pistes suit intermediate
skiers and snowboarders – but
for the more advanced, who
are prepared to hike, there’s
some great backcountry
terrain to explore. This
Transylvanian resort offers
a variety of on-piste hotels,
such as the great value Club
Rossignol at Drumul Sulinar 1
(
clubrossignol.ro) with ski-in,
ski-out accommodation for
a bargain 190 leu (€42) a
night. You can also pay a visit
to the fabled Dracula’s Castle
–
looking picturesque in snow –
at the nearby village of Bran.
poiana-brasov.com
SOMETHING FOR
EVERYONE
Fly to: Katowice
As a main base town for 14
nearby ski resorts,
Zakopane
is very much Poland’s answer
to Chamonix, France. Kasprowy
Wierch, with its alpine bowls
and powder stashes, invites
backcountry freeriding (or
snowboarding), Harenda and
Wiłow offers a terrain park
for those looking to indulge in
freestyle skiing, and the floodlit
Polana Szymoszkowa is ideal
for beginners – and is open
until 10pm. But if the action
on the mountain is dispersed,
come sundown the vodka flows
in the vicinity of the main street
of Krupówki, with a party vibe
at the student-friendly Klub
Rockus (rockus.z-ne.pl) and
the swanky club, Va Va Voom
club (vavavoom.pl).
zakopane.eu
“
Zakopane
is Poland’s
answer to
Chamonix,
and has a bit
of everything”
