Hikes, hot tubs and good snow? Our family ski trip to Slovakia is an eye opener
The Tatras in Slovakia have been touted as an ideal destination for a family ski holiday. But when we stepped off the sleeper train from Prague to Poprad station at 6am, we were more anxious than excited. From the station we could see the jagged peaks of the High Tatras rising like black and white knives with a luminous pre-dawn glow against a pale blue night sky. Across Europe, the news had been dominated by the lack of snow, that climate change was bringing about the end of the ski industry as we know it.
As the Poprad mountain railway climbed through the foothills and meandered through spruce and larch forests, stopping at several mountain villages before arriving at the main station of Tatranská Lomnica, we were slowly reassured. The snow wasn't deep, but deep enough, and above us we could see the sweeping tracks below the peaks and the lights of the snow tractors crawling over their tasks.
The Tatras are not the Alps. There aren't miles and miles of slopes and lifts, and lift pass prices take this into account (€285 for an adult, €200 for a child for a week). However, being part of the Carpathian mountain range that stretches from Slovakia to Romania, it is further east, more continental and therefore, so far at least, the reliable recipient of more snow. than the Alps.
The Slovak approach to skiing is also a key difference. As we ascended the slopes in chairlifts and cable cars, we saw on the slopes along the slopes dozens of ski tourers climbing the mountain in skins, and further down around the lake a similar number of skiers from bottom following marked trails that stretch for miles all around the foothills of the mountain range. And the resort is not a ski resort as such, but a winter vacation spot. At a time when industrial alpine skiing machinery is beginning to look like an abandoned asset, this might just be a good thing. ="inline" data-spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-173mewl">
The kids loved their ski lessons with Ema and Katka from Premiere Ski School every morning (around €20 per person of the hour for private lessons) But this broader definition of what a winter holiday entails has made the experience richer and lessened the focus on snow quality alone.
>One afternoon we tobogganed the famous Hrebienok run - a 2.6km track through the forest with a funicular to take you back to the top. walked on trails through the rainforest to frozen waterfalls and the Rainerova Hut where glühwein and hot chocolate are served under the pine trees.
My wife doesn't don't ski. She was m less concerned about the snow than what it would do while I was skiing with the kids. Passionate about running, she followed Rainerova's path in the mountains the next day to the highest hut in Téryho at 2,015 meters. Thus began a love affair with the Tatras. She...
The Tatras in Slovakia have been touted as an ideal destination for a family ski holiday. But when we stepped off the sleeper train from Prague to Poprad station at 6am, we were more anxious than excited. From the station we could see the jagged peaks of the High Tatras rising like black and white knives with a luminous pre-dawn glow against a pale blue night sky. Across Europe, the news had been dominated by the lack of snow, that climate change was bringing about the end of the ski industry as we know it.
As the Poprad mountain railway climbed through the foothills and meandered through spruce and larch forests, stopping at several mountain villages before arriving at the main station of Tatranská Lomnica, we were slowly reassured. The snow wasn't deep, but deep enough, and above us we could see the sweeping tracks below the peaks and the lights of the snow tractors crawling over their tasks.
The Tatras are not the Alps. There aren't miles and miles of slopes and lifts, and lift pass prices take this into account (€285 for an adult, €200 for a child for a week). However, being part of the Carpathian mountain range that stretches from Slovakia to Romania, it is further east, more continental and therefore, so far at least, the reliable recipient of more snow. than the Alps.
The Slovak approach to skiing is also a key difference. As we ascended the slopes in chairlifts and cable cars, we saw on the slopes along the slopes dozens of ski tourers climbing the mountain in skins, and further down around the lake a similar number of skiers from bottom following marked trails that stretch for miles all around the foothills of the mountain range. And the resort is not a ski resort as such, but a winter vacation spot. At a time when industrial alpine skiing machinery is beginning to look like an abandoned asset, this might just be a good thing. ="inline" data-spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-173mewl">
The kids loved their ski lessons with Ema and Katka from Premiere Ski School every morning (around €20 per person of the hour for private lessons) But this broader definition of what a winter holiday entails has made the experience richer and lessened the focus on snow quality alone.
>One afternoon we tobogganed the famous Hrebienok run - a 2.6km track through the forest with a funicular to take you back to the top. walked on trails through the rainforest to frozen waterfalls and the Rainerova Hut where glühwein and hot chocolate are served under the pine trees.
My wife doesn't don't ski. She was m less concerned about the snow than what it would do while I was skiing with the kids. Passionate about running, she followed Rainerova's path in the mountains the next day to the highest hut in Téryho at 2,015 meters. Thus began a love affair with the Tatras. She...
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