PlanetSKI Hunts Powder & Adventures in the Tatras

Storm chasing can be a precarious and frustrating pastime with so many factors needing to align to deliver epic days in the mountains.

It requires a “C’est la Vie’ temperament, a glass half full attitude, patience by the bucketful, and then a fair smattering of luck.

What would the Tatras hold on PlanetSKI’s mid-winter visit?

I was aiming for powder snow and mountain adventures – the visit did not disappoint.

Instead of heading to Jasná as the rest of the skiers and snowboarders on the flight did, we took a 30-minute drive to the small mountain town of Tatranska at the foot of Tatranská Lomnica ski area in the High Tatras region.

It actually took longer to leave the plane, pass through the new EES photo & fingerprints procedure, and collect our bags than it did to travel from Poprad Airport to the front door of our hotel.

But only by 5 minutes.

Our palatial home away from home in the High Tatras is the Grand Hotel Praha.

Dating from 1905 when it was named the Palace Hotel it has recently been refurbished to its early 20th century ‘Beautiful era’ grandeur and is brimming with old-world charm.

Entering the reception is like walking on to the set of the Wes Anderson movie ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’.

Rich & warm colours, grand staircases, high ceilings, balconies, columns, sculptures and a dark wood and leather ‘American Bar’.

There are smartly dressed, attentive staff, roaring fires, floor to ceiling windows all wrapped in Art Nouveau styling and flourishes.

Even the corridors are sumptious.

And in the lobby, a wooden television set housing a high alpine diorama and a skiing Santa perpetually ascending and descending the snow covered mountain.

It felts like I’ve stepped back in time, a grander time I can easily get used to.

After a delicious dinner in the elegant dining room we retired to the lounge to enjoy local wines, beer, and digestifs – to plan our upcoming ski days.

First stop, JASNÁ (pronounced yass-nah) in the Low Tatras.

No one can accuse the Slovakians of lacking a sense of humour.

As we watch the gondola cabin ahead of us disappear, swallowed up by a sky of milk, our guide for the day, René Tkác,  dramatically sweeps his arm across his body like a theatre impresario and with a broad grin announces:

“Welcome to Jasná, which in English means ‘Clear Sky’”.

It was anything but.

In fairness, the previous day had seen the best conditions of the season to date with blue skies and no wind.

From the 2,024m summit of Mt Chopok there were uninterrupted views of the resort and surrounding countryside and villages.

In the far distance were the jagged peaks of the High Tatras mountain range.

With perfectly groomed pistes and untracked powder all over the north and south facing slopes.

We receive the often heard mountain mantra of ‘you should have been here yesterday’ from everyone we spoke with throughout the day.

From the young rental staff to other holiday makers on the lifts, from our guide René and the restaurant staff at the 360 degree panoramic view Rotunda restaurant at the top of the mountain.

All of them eager to show us footage of themselves or videos posted on social media on their phones.

But this isn’t gloating.

It’s a genuine ‘I wish you could have been here yesterday so you could have seen how special this mountain, my mountain, is and can be’.

The potential is there for all to see and ski – or not as is the case during our visit.

This is where the luck comes in.

The 51km of pisted terrain,  modest by Alpine standards,  belies the size and scope of the skiing available.

Like the Slovak people, Jasná is understated, not showy and over delivers.

Just a 1-hr transfer from Poprad Airport, it has very affordable prices across the board compared with the main alpine resorts of France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

Add in a pumping après ski scene on weekends and live music events & festivals entertaining thousands throughout the season.

There’s a focus on wellness when you hang up the ski boots for the day.

Spa facilities at the slope side hotels and the thermal water park complexes a short 20 minute bus ride from resort.

It is a true resort experience which is becoming increasingly popular amongst British tourists and which can compete with its European neighbours.

So far, so familiar.

But with a distinctive Slovakian twist.

The triumvirate of Starý Smokovec, Štrbské Pleso, and our base at Tatranská Lomnica are much smaller in comparison, with 4 km, 9 km and 12 km of pisted terrain respectively.

But easy links by bus, car, and even electric train connecting the three ski areas and a shared common ski pass makes the whole truly greater than the sum of its parts.

The base area at TATRANSKÁ LOMNICA (pronounced tat-ran-ska lom-nits-ah) is a small collection of souvenir shops, cafes & restaurants, rental shops, ski school offices and a big, blue après-ski yurt.

They are set below the longest ski slope in Slovakia.

Plus the greatest vertical drop in Central Europe –  a very healthy 1302m and 6.5 km from the top lift station on the saddle of Lomnické Sedlo (2190m) to the base area at 888m.

If weather conditions allow you can travel even higher, aboard a one-of-a-kind 14-person red aerial tramway that gains 855m in altitude in just 8.5 minutes to the summit of Lomnický Štít.

At 2,634m it’s the second highest peak in the High Tatras.

This is definitely like something out of a movie.

Unfortunately you can’t take your skis up with you but you can take your pyjamas and spend the night enjoying a 4-course dinner in the Dedo cafe followed by star gazing by telescope.

It’s a truly unique winter holiday experience.

We explore the blue and red pistes on the lower mountain which are quiet despite the closure of the upper lifts due to wind and a youth race event taking place.

It’s perfect learn to ski and improve terrain, with boulevard wide runs and wonderful snow conditions underfoot.

We play in the boot top powder flanking the runs, crisscrossing our own tracks wondering what the upper mountain has in store.

We find out on our return the next day.

Around mid-morning as we’re approaching the top of the lift station we suddenly pop out above the murk which has been shrouding the upper mountain, and the full beauty of the peaks is laid out before us.

Behind us the valley is blanketed by a cloud inversion.

We ride the gondola to the Skalnaté Pleso plateau below Lomnický Štít and after the obligatory photographs we make our way down the mountain carving turns above the clouds.

The snow is grippy and firm.

You can really let the skis run, the slope twisting and turning following the contours of the mountain.

With no queues and a fast, modern gondola you can rack up plenty of runs and vertical in a short space of time.

Add the black Lomnické Sedlo piste and the off-piste terrain beside it and you have more than enough skiing and challenge if you’re happy to make laps.

But if you’re looking for an Alpine ski circus travel experience then the High Tatras is not for you.

With a deeper snowpack the potential for off-piste, lift accessed sidecountry, and backcountry turns is enormous.

After a late lunch we drive round to STARÝ SMOKOVEC (pronounced starry smoke-oh-vetch) to ride the funicular railway to Hrebienok, a modern version of Slovakia’s first cable railway dating back to 1908.

A short walk from the top station takes us to Tatranský Dóm (Tatra Temple of Ice) to view the 13th edition of ice sculpture tributes.

This season it celebrates the lives of two Popes with a replica of The Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, the Papal Chair, and the Papal Altar Jewels.

It’s impressive and reminiscent of my visits to the Sapporo Ice Festival on the island of Hokkaido, Japan.

This forms part of the Tatry Ice Master Event where international ice sculpture teams from around the world are invited to create works of ice art during the annual 3-day festival.

With the sun setting and snow beginning to fall we head to Bilíková Chata (Chalet) one of 13 alpine chalets built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries which dot the mountain landscape.

Slovakia is home to the last mountain Sherpas in Europe.

Groups of up to 60 mountain porters manually transport the provisions and supplies for the remote mountain chalets on their backs in oversized backpacks and frames.

Loads can reach up to 100kg and there is an annual celebration and rally to crown the strongest Sherpa.

The twinkling lights of the chalet beckon us in and we’re met with a traditional hunting lodge meets Santa’s Grotto interior.

The current wellness trend sees visitors enjoying more spa and less bar, but thankfully the Slovaks are purists not Puritans.

Imbibing the local wines and spirits and enjoying apres drinks is still very much part of the Slovakian ski experience.

Especially a spirit concoction of varying strengths and flavours called Tatratea which can be enjoyed hot or cold.

For dinner we visit the Gault & Millau recommended Koliba Kamzik restaurant in Starý Smokovec.

A koliba is a shepherd’s hut and we start with a sharing platter of traditional Slovakian mountain dishes.

Hearty and delicious.

For main course I’m presented with one of the best Venison dishes I’ve ever had, accompanied by glasses of high quality Slovakian red wine.

As if the day couldn’t get any better we return to the hotel and finish with a soak in the only outdoor thermal pool in the High Tatras looking out to the lights of Poprad and a sky full of stars and snowflakes.

• 10 runs
• 9 kms of piste
• No black runs
• 4 chairlifts
• 444m vertical

On paper the ŠTRBSKÉ PLESO (pronounced streb-ski pleh-sew) stats are underwhelming to say the least.

But thankfully we ski on snow, not paper.

And what snow.

Our patience has been rewarded, lady luck is on our side, and we save the best until last.

On our sunlit drive along the valley floor the snow piles up higher and higher at the side of the road as we climb to the 1,440m base area of Štrbské Pleso, the highest in the area.

The trees that line the lower mountain are laden with snow from the 30-40cm which has fallen in the past 48-hours with the sun streaming through the branches.

We take the Solisko Expres chairlift, a one shot bottom to top ride, the sunshine warming our faces despite the -10 C temperatures.

The pistes are packed powder, the fringes forgiving boot top fluff.

With no one skiing it.

We lap this lift venturing further and further into the trees finding untouched swaths of knee deep feather-light powder right through to quitting time at 3pm.

The snow, the terrain, the vibe reminds me of deserted days at the smaller ski areas on Hokkaido, Japan effortlessly skiing un-tracked powder all day.

Except the backdrop here is mini-Himalayan in nature with vertical, jagged faces holding a lifetime of backcountry lines that all flow back to the base area.

For me this is the sleeper ski area in the High Tatras and the one I’m most excited about revisiting when all the shrubbery and rock is filled in.

One of the greatest advantages of the rise of low-cost airlines opening up new destinations is the option to fly into one airport – Poprad in our case – and out of a different airport, Košice.

The old open-jaw ticket, but without the financial penalty.

With the High Tatras in the rear view mirror we drive one hour east to Slovakia’s second city, KOŠICE (pronounced Cosh-it-zeh) for a short city break to finish our trip.

Košice is a walking town and we take to the streets to admire the Art Nouveau architecture and to hit some of the city highlights.

We visit the best cafe (Slavia), plus the oldest restaurant & brewery in Slovakia (Pivovar Hostinec).

Complete with a beer tasting tour that guides us through the history of brewing in the city surprising us with their current flavour combinations.

Slovakia is a compact ski destination with truly unique skiing experiences, and one where you can easily combine the mountains and the city in the same visit.

Put it on your list.

For more information please visit :

• regiontatry.sk;
• visitliptov.sk;
• visitkosice.org

We had found powder and found adventures.

The first night at the Grand Hotel Praha was just a few days ago.

It feels like an eternity ago.

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