Ski Adventure Serbia and Kosovo
In the center of the Balkans, a ski adventure Serbia and Kosovo awaits you. A crazy journey to two regions that have a love-hate relationship with each other. The trip begins in Skopje, the capital of northern Macedonia. In Serbia, we ski at the large Kopaonik ski resort.
Ski resort Bogë
Bogë is not what is called the most developed ski area in this region. Standards are a little different here than in the Alps. So we leave the ski resort far behind and head into the Bogë Valley, where we climb the slopes with the pistenbully – a beautiful, slightly stubborn, but indefatigable 1980s specimen – and conquer the sections.
The plan on the slopes in Bogë
We take a picnic and leave for a full day of catskiing. The pistenbully drivers seem at least as enthusiastic as we are: they diligently photograph the valley from every possible angle and jollily glide along on an inflatable (swimming) tire. We have lunch on top of the mountain with sandwiches, ajvar and a beer.
In the Bogë Valley, runs are sunny and rolling – no slopes steeper than 30° – and you can ski among both low coniferous and deciduous trees. The valley is on the border with Montenegro (so with a valid passport, you could actually ski or snowboard across the border). However, we will stay in Kosovo for a while and leave after a very last sunset run back to Peja.
The Rugova Region
The Rugova region is known as the cradle of skiing in Kosovo and even the entire Balkans. That’s because for a long time skiing was reserved only for alpinists. Rugova, with its gorges, caves and high peaks, has been of particular interest to mountaineers of all nations since time immemorial. In the winter, they simply tied lats under their mountain boots and did what they always did: went into the mountains. So when skiing became more popular, Rugova seemed a logical choice to expand on. The country’s first ski club, Rusolia, was also formed here. There is also plenty to do in the Rugova region in the summer. For example, you can visit Rugova Canyon or see a rugova sword dance show.