winter sports | Adele in Slovenia

I’m not a fan of traditional winter sports, however, since living here I’ve had to get used to the fact that winter happens, and winter means snow. Therefore, I have learnt to participate in some alternative winter activities such as snowshoeing, winter hiking and, on occasion, cross-country skiing.

One of the best resorts in Slovenia for winter-based activities, both traditional skiing-based as well as alternative winter sports, is Kranjska Gora.

Though Kranjska Gora can sometimes affected by its relatively low altitude, and thus lack of, or meagre amounts of, snow, the resort has made concerted efforts to ensure there are plenty of other activities and events taking place during the winter season should lack of snow be a problem. Here are just some of the things happening in Kranjska Gora this winter, where there’s something on offer for all the family, whether skiers or not.

Kranjska Gora Welcomes You! which takes place weekly until the end of February on the snow beach behind the Ramada resort, comprises music, children’s entertainment and a presentation of what to see and do, and is an ideal way to acquaint yourself with all the resort has to offer.

Skiing, of course, is the number one activity in Kranjska Gora. The slopes are particularly suited to beginners, though seasoned skiers will find some more challenging runs among the 18 ski slopes with 5 chairlifts and 13 drag lifts. As with any major ski resort, there are numerous ski schools and ski rental outlets. On a sunny day, with the backdrop of the magnificent Julian Alps, you can, I’m sure, see the appeal!

There are over 40kms of maintained cross-country ski trails. The keen-eyed among you will notice that whilst this is me, it isn’t me in Kranjska Gora! This is me on Pokljuka! Although I’ve tried cross-country skiing, alas me and skiing – in any form – just don’t, and never will, get on, but I wanted to include this photos just to prove that I have tried!!!

The Vršič pass, which leads from Kranjska Gora to the Soča valley, is usually closed for much of the winter due to snowfall.* Providing someone has blazed a trail before you, it does, though, make a great place for a winter hike. Below you can see me on the road – yes, that’s a road! – at bend 17, with wonderful views of the Julian Alps. I must stress though, that you do need to be well-equipped for winter hiking and be sure to only follow worn trails if you don’t know the terrain.

* The Vršič pass doesn’t currently look like this. At the time of publishing this blog (4 Feb 2016) we have had very little snowfall – though there was fresh snowfall in the mountains yesterday evening – and for the first time that I can remember since being in Slovenia, the pass has remained open for much of the entire winter, though only for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes equipped with winter tyres and/or snow chains. Please be sure to check the traffic information centre website for the latest traffic information – http://www.promet.si/portal/en/1traffic-conditions.aspx

When there is heavy and fresh snow, hiking isn’t always possible so a pair of snowshoes are called for. Snowshoes enable you to traverse the snow without sinking in it up to your waist – or deeper! They fit over regular winter hiking boots and are easy to use, though do feel somewhat ungainly to begin with.

Every Thursday at 5pm the Kranjska Gora Culinary Journey takes place. Diners set off on a journey to visit five restaurants within the town and enjoy a different course, with accompanying drinks, at each venue. More information here – https://www.hit-alpinea.si/en/culinary-journey

Husky sledding trips can be booked and arranged in Kranjska Gora, though actually take place just over the border in Italy.

The Eskimo Village comprises a hotel, restaurant and bar. Guests can partake in a number of fun snow-based activities such as snow golf, igloo building, and sledding.

You can even cycle in the winter at the Winter Bike Park. Hmm, much as I love cycling I think I’ll give that one a miss, but I’m sure it’s an adrenaline-junkies dream!

There’s also no shortage of winter events, many of them international, including Family Day on the Snow Beach (13.2), Snow Volley 2016 (20.2), Audi FIS World Cup, Vitranc (5 & 6.3) and the Planica World Ski Jump Championships (18-20.3)

You can also see more about winter sports in Slovenia in this short video.

Useful Links:

Tourism Kranjska Gora – http://www.kranjska-gora.si/en/

Kranjska Gora Welcomes You – http://www.kranjska-gora.si/en/events-calendar/621-Kranjska-Gora-welcomes-you

Eskimo Village – http://www.eskimska-vas.si/en/

Winter Bike Park – http://www.bike-park.si/home

Why does it so often seem to happen that the weather is beautiful all week whilst we are all hard at work then, come the weekend, its all change? This is exactly what happened this past weekend when after a week of sunshine and unseasonably mild temperatures I had a head full of ideas about where I was going to go hiking at the weekend. Alas, it was a cold, wet weekend spent largely indoors working, so I’m afraid I have no snowy hikes to report this week. All rather frustrating since my shoulder is now ok(ish) and I’m raring to go! Still, there will be plenty more opportunities, as I don’t plan on being anywhere other than here in Radovljica, in Slovenia – my home!

There’s still plenty of snow around, and more due this week, for lovers of the white stuff and winter sports, and Slovenia’s winter sports stars are, again, making the country proud; in particular the ski-jumper, Peter Prevc, as seen below, who set a new world record last week of 250metres in Vikersund, Norway. He also uses skis made right here in Radol’ca, specifically at ELAN, and hails from Kranj, so the nation, unsurprisingly, is immensely proud of him. ELAN skis are based in Begunje na Gorenjskem, where they have been manufacturing skis, as well as snowboards and marine vessels, since 1944. There is also a shop open to the public. You can read more about ELAN here – http://www.radolca.si/en/elan/

When I decided to move to Slovenia, I already knew a little about the complexities of Slovenščina – the Slovene language, however, it wasn’t until I started learning it that I realised just how complicated it is; the more I learnt, the more complicated it became. When I say ‘learn’ what I actually did, or rather ‘do’, is to just speak it, read it, and attempt to write it (that for me is the hardest part). I haven’t attended courses other than briefly in the early days after my move here. I am, however, constantly complemented on my Slovene, which I know is far from perfect but is ‘good enough’ – at least for now – as it is widely acknowledged as being an incredibly difficult language to learn due to, among other things, its use of the dual form (only one other European language uses this), 6 cases meaning a myriad of possible variations of each word, and over 50 dialects for a population of just 2 million people who, in some areas, don’t even understand each other!

It’s not simply enough to know a word, you have to know how to use it, and recognise it, in all its different forms. For example, the word ‘pes’ means ‘dog’, and if you look in a Slovene/English dictionary, this is what you will find. However, the word ‘psom’ also means ‘dog, as does ‘psu’, as well as a number of other variations – none of which are found in a dictionary – so one can be left clueless as to what this mystery word is!

Anyway, far be it from my to try and explain it, for a brief introduction to the language and its uniqueness, this is a fascinating read – http://lingvo.info/en/lingvopedia/Slovene

Since I am nothing if not determined, I didn’t let the difficulty of Slovene deter me. I know other expats who have either tried and been defeated by it or, worse still, not even tried since one can easily, in the main, get by using just English. However, I had a strong desire to integrate into society here and speaking the language was/is, for me, a crucial part of it. It has often been challenging, especially in the early days when my Slovene wasn’t great and people tended to speak English with me and, in many cases Slovenes, who by the way largely speak outstandingly good English (better than some of the English, believe me!) want to speak English with me, whereas I want to speak Slovene with them! Nowadays, I only speak Slovene in meetings, correspondence, social gatherings etc. and all my hard work and dedication has paid off since I’m now able to make, or at least supplement, my living from translating. Learning and perfecting the language is, however, most definitely an ongoing process!

Adele in Slovenia

My life and adventures in Radovljica and throughout Slovenia

Tag Archives: winter sports

Winter Holidays in Kranjska Gora; So much more than ‘just’ snow!

The wonders of Slovenščina – The Slovene Language!