[Review] Jasná in Slovakia

This time last week I was cruising the sunny slopes of Jasná.
Now I'm stuck in a dull office looking at a pile of paperwork

I found that good information on Jasná was a little scarce (Slovakia isn't even in the "Where to Ski & Snowboard Guide") so to kill some time on a dull Friday I thought I'd write up a bit of a review. Here goes...


Getting There

This is probably the single biggest issue that puts people off, especially those more used to package holidays where everything is done for them. But honestly it's really not that bad, it just sounds much more hassle than it really is.

From the UK you'll be looking to get a RyanAir (spit!) flight to Bratislava. The flight is around two and half hours and available from Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and London. Prices are around £40 each way, but watch out for RyanAir's extra charges for ski/board carriage (currently another £50 each way!).

http://www.skyscanner.net/flights/uk/bts/cheapest-flights-from-united-kingdom-to-bratislava.html

From Bratislava airport you take a short taxi ride (15-20mins) to Bratislava train station and catch the train to Liptovský Mikuláš. The train ride is 3-4 hours depending which train you get.

For some reason we were expecting the trains to be rusty Eastern Bloc relics, chuntering along a 10mph. Perhaps with sawdust on the floor and livestock loose in the carriage. In reality they are high-speed modern trains that are nicer than most trains I've been on in the UK. They have a bar and restaurant car, with table service and a good size menu. A decent hot meal costs less than you'd probably pay for a soggy cheese sandwich on Virgin or GNER.

Tickets are cheap too: we paid just €26 to travel first class (might as well) without booking ahead.

Check train times are here: http://www.zssk.sk/en

The Edinburgh flight gets in pretty late, so to avoid the late night sleeper/vodka train and stumbling into the chalet at 3am, we opted to fly from Liverpool instead (1pm flight, arriving just in time for the 5:40pm train).

There are other travel options: some folk fly to Krakow instead, but you need a private transfer from there (some chalets may offer this) and it's still a long transfer. Personally I'd rather spend 3hrs on a nice train with a well-stocked bar than stuck in the back of a sweaty minibus.

Also there is a much closer airport at Poprad, but sadly no UK carriers currently fly there.
(Update 2017: they do now! Wizzair is back flying London Luton to Poprad-Tatry)

Accommodation

We stayed with the lovely Dan & Clare at Chalet Slovakia who also happen to be regular posters on SCUK (coooeee! *waves*).

Their chalet is comfortable and very relaxed: picture a warm fire blazing away in the wood burner, while you kick back on the big ass sofas, mellow tunes warbling away in the background as you shoot the sh1t, with a brew in one hand and a slice of Clare's freshly baked cake in the other. Bliss!






The rooms all have their own private bathrooms. There is also a drying room, honesty bar, nice garden and a proper man-garage with a selection of servicing tools and a small fleet of rental boards and gear.

The chalet is situated in the main town of Liptovský Mikuláš, so there are plenty of good pubs, bars, restaurants and shops within a 10 minute walk.
If you're feeling properly hungry then I can personally recommend the 1.2kg pork knuckle at Hotel Steve:




Access to and from the hill was via the chalet's own minibus. Dan took care of the driving and the secretive negotiating in Slovak to get a good parking space. He was also more than happy to come riding with us, showing us some of his best spots and finding us some hidden powder long after we thought it had gone. Plus he hooked us up with some buddies who were out there doing a mini-season (*waves to Nick and Dani*), providing us with excellent riding and drinking partners for the week.




Note: Another SCUK regular, Propaganda Snowboards, also have a chalet in the nearby village of Demanova. I can't comment what that's like (maybe someone else will?) - but they looked happy enough when we saw them out and about. They were probably the only other Brits we saw all week.


The Resort

Jasná is a fairly small resort by Alpine standards with 24 lifts and 29 pistes providing 36km of marked runs with a good mix of blue (30%), red (48%) and black (20%).

It's not the Alps. If you go expecting St Anton or Chamonix then you'll be disappointed.
But if you go expecting Bulgaria then you'll be pleasantly surprised.



http://www.jasna.sk/en/winter/

What the piste map doesn't show is that there is a crapload of off-piste terrain available, with some cracking tree runs available straight off the lifts and good size bowls within short hikes. Plus the locals pretty much stick to the pistes, so you'll still be finding untracked runs for several days after a dump. And if you can keep up then Dan will cheerfully lead you right to them. Assuming he hasn't stacked into a tree again of course

If you fancy something a bit more extreme, then there a five marked Freeride Zones that are used in the Freeride World Tour and other events. But be warned, they are serious bits of terrain:

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For parkrats there's also a moderate size park under the gondola with a couple of good size intermediate kickers, various rails, boxes and the usual furniture.

For the 2012/13 season they plan to open a new gondola going right to the top of the mountain, which will conveniently link both sides (currently you need to take a tough poma) and open up a lot more skiing area. I think this is the top station



(obviously without my huge thumb hovering over it - pesky gloves! )

Prices in the resort are still as ludicrously cheap as the rest of Slovakia: buying four beers at a slopeside bar and getting change back from five euros is quite a shock if you're used to French or Swiss prices! Food on the hill is cheap too so you don't need to faff about with a packed lunch to save the pennies.

Queues were fairly non-existent and the slopes were pretty quiet by European standards. We were fairly off-peak though, it may be busier during Slovak or Polish holidays.

Weather-wise we had a real late-season mix: some fresh snowfall but also hail, windy and really low viz for our first four days. Then suddenly warming up to blazing sun and bluebird skies for the last four.


Other Stuff To Do

There is a huge aquapark nearby which you can get into free with your lift ticket if you are taking a day off (or discounted entry in the evening). It's definitely worth going to. The hot pools are great for tired legs. The flumes are a laugh. And the local Slovak ladies wear tiny bikinis.

We also went along to the go-karting. Nothing like the UK: no hour long health and safety lecture. Just pay 5 euros, pick up a helmet and go! Good fun.

If all else fails then spend a lazy afternoon alternately letching after some of the gorgeous women and gawping at some of the unusual skiwear fashions on display (if you've got a tight faded 80's Nevica onesy hiding at the bottom of your kitbag then bring it along, you'll blend right in):






Executive Summary

• Much cheapness.
• Cracking chalet.
• Not a huge number of slopes..
• ..but a ton of accessible off-piste.
• Scary freeride zones for the brave and talented.
• Something a little bit different from the Alps.
• No French.