Seasonal Zagreb

Wintering on Zagreb's Alps

I will never forget the year 2005 when I asked my parents to let me go to Zagreb so I could watch the World Cup and the best skiers in the world on Sljeme mountain. Since then, I love snow, skiing and more precisely skiing on the Sljeme. :)

 

Can you imagine a day when you are done with your work and you come home dead tired, you leave your laptop, put on your ski suit and head to the ski slope at the speed of light? Well, I can imagine such a day because I live in Zagreb. :) That's the magic of Zagreb because Zagreb is the only city in Europe that provides to its citizens a world class ski resort that hosts FIS World Cup, and the best thing is that you can be on your skis after a half-hour drive from the city center.

The temperatures are low and there is enough snow at the top of Mount Medvednica in Zagreb so the official ski season has started. Instead of having a ritual cup of coffee on Saturday in the Lower Town of Zagreb, my friend and I decided to go skiing on Sljeme and check our technical skills. And guess what? Although a year has passed since we last skied, it didn't take much time to remember how to slalom ski. Ok, I admit, we have fallen down a couple of times, but we were laughing so much and had a great time.

 

Image credit: Vip Snow Queen Trophy

 

The most delicious cabbage rolls at 1,025 meters above sea level

The most interesting thing is that there were a lot of visitors on the first day of the ski season opening. There were those who came to ski or learn how to ski and those who came just to enjoy the magnificent view overlooking Zagreb while eating some delicious portions of beans or stuffed cabbage rolls. I must confess that I still haven't discovered what's the secret about Sljeme's cabbage rolls, but the fact is that this traditional dish obviously has a special taste at 1,025 meters above sea level. :)

 

Image credit: Nikolina Jozanović

 

Sljeme - the best ski resort for night skiing

The uniqueness of Sljeme is that it just has everything. :) Apart from the winter activities and recreation in the Nature Park Medvednica, you can also eat good sausages, fried bread, and sandwiches or warm up with tea or mulled wine in one of the many accommodation facilities such as beautiful Hotel ''Tomislavov dom'' or apartment house ''Snježna kraljica''. This is recognized by many people who spend their holidays on Sljeme instead of taking long journeys across Europe to expensive ski resorts. It should be noted that the Sljeme ski resort was declared as the best in the category of night skiing next to Maribor Pohorje and Italian Civetta.

 

Image credit: Nikolina Jozanović

 

Prices are affordable to everyone, including students

The total length of ski tracks is 4,000 meters and there are three ski lifts which allow Sljeme to accommodate more than 3,300 skiers per hour. And these tracks are open every Tuesday and Thursday for the night skiing so it allows fun, laugh and adrenaline to last until 10 pm. But what is most important for me as a student are the prices which are more than affordable including the price of ski rental, ski passes, delicious food and good mulled wine.

And that's why there is nothing better than that feeling when I finish with the lectures, sit on the tram, and in half an hour I am on the mountain for the night skiing and all books, obligations, and problems are miles away. It is even better when you sit down with friends on a ski lift, and while you are driving you can observe all the beauties of Medvednica mountain and laugh to various occasions that happened to you that day.

 

Image credit: Nikolina Jozanović

 

After a muscle soreness, I usually treat myself with a glass of mulled wine or beer. And after a good fun, I just put the skis on my shoulder which makes my going back home so important as if I had just won the World Cup. With recharged batteries, I am ready for new victories. Skiing above the main capital is a real rarity in the world, but not for Zagreb citizens. I hope that you now understand why I love Zagreb so much, but also why many citizens of Zagreb choose Sljeme as their ski destination.

 

Header image credit: Vip Snow Queen Trophy

 Author: Nikolina Jozanović