Kopaonik, Serbia????

A snowHead

Has anyone ever been to Kopaonik in Serbia, searched lots of sites that have reviews but it seems this resort is unknown to most. Not even in the Which Ski Guide. Looks ok in the Thomson brochure, but I don't believe a word they say. We are booked for our regular hols in Cervinia but we wanted to try and manage a 2nd cheapy! (that has to be snow sure and good for a coward)

A snowHead

Welcome to snowHeads, sharon1953,

I'm sure there was a chap around here somewhere who was knowledgeable about ski=ing in the old Yugoslav states...have a look at this thread

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

thank you so much for that Ian, have read it all, still don't know if the snow is realiable or even if there is any yet but it looks a promising resort for the future.

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Welcome to snowheads sharon1953,
There are a few threads knocking about Re Kaopanik. (I don't know how to set up links though)
My missus comes from just outside Belgrade and used to ski there every weekend when she were a lass.
She says that the views are stunning, the terraine is as good as you'll find in most resorts but there are only about 60kms of piste. We have been to Serbia a couple of times this year and have driven over half the distance from Belgrade to the resort. A few years ago it was quite an adventure but know its much more tourist friendly. They have done loads of work out there on the roads and the whole atmosphere is now a lot more settled and appropriate to accept tourists. The people are fantastic and from those that I have spoken to they are looking forward to us lot getting out there and enjoying ourselves as we once did.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

sharon1953, This is the website: http://www.kopaonik.net/eng/_html/home.html

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Thanks, just need to get 'snowforcast' to let us know how much snow is there!!!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Hi, we skied Kapaonik just before the war broke out there. It was hubby's first time on snow, so a very suitable resort. I suppose that was about 14 years ago?

There were about 10 runs, possibly 60km, maybe less. They ranged from easy to very difficult, although the two steepest were rarely open as they were used for kids training. There are two sides of a mountain with a plateau across the top. We enjoyed it. Plus side - ski in / ski out, swimming pool in the hotel, mountain cafes with deck chairs, almost no queues, range of runs, scope to explore and be alone in the snow on the mountains, good views, cheap, lessons were good but limited, hubby was in top class after about 8 sessions on dry slope. Minuses - transfer was long and in the middle of the night, Serbia was very grey, ski / boot hire very limited, police presence was very noticeable. Plus / Minus - little to do other than ski / swim / drink, food short of choice - meat, meat, meat, oranges, kiwi fruit, polenta.

After all it is free

Here's the pist map

http://www.balkanholidays.co.uk/w04/kopaonik_map.htm

The site says 44km, I don't know if it includes all the pistes here, some aren't linked. I think the highest is new since we went there, we couldn't find the ones on the left of the map.

Firstly there are 22 ski lifts. A new four chair lift opened before 3 weeks. Currently there are 30cm snow...

Who wants to see how Kopaonik "today" look likes here is my photo gallery:

http://ept.kg.ac.yu/kopaonik

If anybody has any question feel free to ask me, I am going to Kopaonik for last decade Smile

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Stevs, how have the last 10 years been in Kopaonik? I remember it as a small and friendly resort, very convenient for skiing, but there was little around, there was a huge supermarket with empty shelves. Has it been open throughout with local visitors? Are the hotels still in good condition?

I'm pleased to see there are new lifts, there are some good runs, but many areas to expand into. Where's the 4 man chair? Does it replace the 2 stage chair where you can get of and on in the middle? Are the little cafes still there by the slope, where you can get a mixed grill for lunch (100% meat, nothing else)?

How much is a lift pass?

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snow reports

Stevs, Where do you live?

You know it makes sense.

i dont think theres very much snow in kopaonik over the past few weeks, last i heard there was 15cm - but thats not really a lot. usually this time of year in belgrade theres 20cm of snow everywhere, so far nothings settled. but of course kopaonik is a long way from belgrade, and a lot further above sea level than belgrade. i'll be there 19th-26th feb this year, cant wait.

note: last year there was no snow on the mountain as we got the coach up, and i was terrified, but at the top there was an amazing 1 meter of snow, and it preceeded to snow an additional meter while we were there. stevs found something that said that theres always been enough snow through jan-feb for the past 50 years.

the supermarkets in kopaonik are great, lots of variety - just make sure you dont try and speak serbian badly. last year i went into one and ordered some minced beef and because of a long day, poor pronounciation and misplaced confidence, i ordered "minced mouse". hilarity all round...

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Does anyone know what the best currency is to use in Serbia?

A snowHead

Take Euros and get it changed to Dinar out there....

Smile

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Happy New Year Everyone. My girlfriend and i are going to Kop for the first time on 22/01/06, flying from Gatwick. Have tried to find as much info on the resort as possible, but without much luck. We are staying in Hotel Putnik and trying out snowboarding for the first time. i have been skiing in Andorra but girlfriend has never been winter sports before.

Does anyone have any reviews in regard to the resort or hotel putnik? any tips or recommendations for when we get there, would be much appreciated.

Am looking forward to this holiday, but when telling friends that going to Serbia Snowboarding, they all start laughing. Confused

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I went in Feb 2004 and decided that if I went again I would learn to snowboard.

We went independently when package companies weren't going there. Friends went for a second time last year with Thompson. They said there were more lifts and that prices had gone up but it was still very cheap. Many instructors had good English and I 'm sure you could organise private lessons for a fraction of the price you would pay elsewhere in Europe. We loved it but the skiing would be a bit limited to keep going back as a skiier. Learning to board I would say there is more than enough piste for you. Having said that new lifts and new runs will make it more varied.

Teh littke bars and cafes are nice and affordable - even on the mountains. The food in the Hotel Grand was nearly all meat - I think the may have changed the food on the menu. Our group have stayed in the Putnik in the past and they liked it I think.

Enjoy - we did.

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AberdeenCouple, dont expect much from hotel putnik, think of it as just a place to sleep and you'll be fine though. i met some people on the kop last week who had been to andorra before, and they LOVED kop. they thought the pistes were much more interesting and fun.

if you want a decent teacher for snowboarding lessons, i can put you in touch with the guy who taught me a few years ago. he speaks very good english and is an excellent instructor. get in touch and i can give you his mobile number. (you can sms him when you are there).

only tip would be buy your skipass the night you get there (the skipass place is opposite the konaci reception, and is open till 8pm). there can be evil queues in the mornings especially on the weekends.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thank you both for replying...that has made me feel a lot better. am sure we will enjoy ourselves - all the pics that have seen have looked great. just keeping eye on weather snowHead

DNC - thankyou for teacher info - but we have got package with Thomson, where get equipment and lessons, so think we'll just chance it and see how it goes, but thank you anyway!

will hopefully come back from a great holiday with some great pics

Thanks Again!
Very Happy

After all it is free

Does anyone know how far hotel Putnik is from Aparthotel Konaci??

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yeah, its just down the road. theres a ski lift/run pretty much right in front of putnik, so as long as the lift and run are operating its possible to get there on skis. the british people i met who were staying at there said there was a shuttle service between putnik and hotel grand (considered the center of the resort) - although by "shuttle" they meant 1 at 8.30, 1 at 9, 1 at 10 and 1 to take everyone home at 5pm (pretty crap considering the slopes were closing at 3.30pm the week after christmas). apparently they complained about it and the agency sorted something out (more regular trips at more reasonable times).

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

Anybody know wha the snow conditions are like at present ? I'll be arriving Sun. 15th staying at ClubA.

Hopefully I'll find ATMs in the resort.

Cheers Shane.

You know it makes sense.

Doh Thks Stevs..Should have read further thks.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Anyone been to kopaonik recently? Going for first time in Feb half term. Have a few questions!
What is the Hotel Club A like? What is the food like?
Are there many ATM's in the town?
Is there any way we can pre-book private ski lessons for just a couple of hours in the morning.? All package companies seem to insist on four hours a day!
Have tried over the internet to arrange this and failed. Any contacts would be great!

A snowHead

[quote="shane45"]Doh Thks Stevs..Should have read further thks.[/quote]

Would be very interested in hearing from you on your return. re all my questions!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

hey, got back from kop last weekend. club a is the second best hotel in the resort. its supposed to be nice, but ive not got any first hand reviews im afraid. its in a good location. the insides are ok-ish, a bit "holiday inn circa 1985" - but better than some of the places ive been there.

the food will most probably be very serbian orientated, this means lots of grilled meat, pickled cabbage and bread. its all tasty, but it might take a few days to get used to (i moved to serbia over 3 years ago and im still not completely adjusted to serbian food). the good thing is that the food is often prepared with excellent local produce - so the vegetables taste like real vegetables and the meat is fantastic quality. if in doubt what something is, ask - a few of the british people i met when i was there said that they werent very adventurous with the food because they werent sure what was in it.

theres a few ATM's around, the only one i used was in the reception of "konaci" - which is the main shopping area of the resort. theres one in the wall outside in the inner circle of konaci, and i noticed one in the lobby of the grand hotel. they should all work with british visa/maestro cards.

i have the number of a private instructor (not a ski school instructor) who might be available, if not he should be able to put you in touch with someone a bit more flexible. send me a private message if you are interested, you can text him and see if he can arrange something. the ski schools are good, but a bit inflexible - the private instructors are often a lot more willing to work in your schedule.

have fun!

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In flying from gatwick to Nis on 29th for a week if anyone wants to meet up, i cant wait to try the plum brandy, shame I've got so many orders to bring some back, may have to smuggle some in in my sonwboard bag in water bottles.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

dnc, Hey dnc, not sure how to contact u privately. Is this a feature on this forum?

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Yvy, See another report from BobOblanc on the snow reports thread. But here is my review :

Club A is pretty tired by UK standards. We were a group of 4 blokes so 2 rooms. My room had one double bed and a sofa bed that wasn't made up. Seemed to be a shortage of twin bed rooms. The sofa bed was knacked, the shower tray was so old the enamel was worn thorough. After 2 days we were able to get a twin room, though small was adequate. The hotel is very quiet at night. The staff are good, a couple of the reception girls speak good english as does the head waiter. He will talk you through every dish on the buffet. The food was plentiful and tasty , the only complaint was it was never hot, luke warm at best. Except the soup that was always piping.

I wouldn't claim the hotel was ski to door unless you can ski up hill across a gritted road, but its a short 75m walk to where you can put on your skis. Never used the swimming pool or hot tub (which was a cold tub). Bar was fine and good prices.

To sum up I would stay there again for a boys trip, my wife wuldn't be very impressed so we'll prob. book our next trip in the Grand.

You must trip the mountain lodges for food, especially the hotel uner the 2nd 4 man chair (blue 8 I think), it was recommened to us by a Serb, had the cheapest beer in the resort and all the ood cooked on open fire in the middle of the bar, all bread home made as you can see it coming out of the oven. You wont understand the menu...just ask for pig and share between 2 Very Happy

If you have any questions at all just ask.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Hi Shane ,
Thanks for the info ,( and from Boboblanc) staying Club A next week , went to Kop a few years ago in the Summer , so I know what to expect . Glad Club A is quiet.

After all it is free

common sense but...

Lock your room, even when in for the night. My m8s 'forgot' and woke to find a strange man in their room trying to help himself to their stuff.

Regards Shane.

jesus, thats a bit outrageous. what happened?

we had one strange question asked to a friend of mine. on the way into the apartment a guy got chatting to my friend about where he was from etc... he said he was on holiday, the guy asked if he worked in london - he said yes, and then the guy asked if he had a laptop. (we did) but naturally my friend said no, then made sure he didnt see what room we were staying in.

generally crime against individuals is incredibly rare over here. ive yet to see a fight in a bar/club. the only time people get robbed is typically when gypsies pick peoples pockets (but its fairly easy to see the gypsies over here, so everyones a bit more concious of their belongings when they are around). occassionally theres reports of people getting mugged at cash machines in belgrade, but ive only heard of that twice since i moved here (3 1/12 years ago).

the police and resort authorities will be VERY helpful towards foreigners who have issues about stuff like this. they are really pushing hard to put kopaonik back on the international ski map. im fairly sure anyone caught stealing will be very strictly dealt with. oh and im not a lawyer, but as far as im aware theres not many rights for criminals, so if you want to put the boot in a few times then i dont think the authorities care too much (not really like in the UK where you'd end up being done for GBH).

there were a few incidents a couple of years back where people were raiding different apartments ski lockers. but they increased the security a bit, most ski locker rooms are locked in at night and they are more suspicious of people wandering around late at night/early in the morning with skis. i havent really heard of anyone stealing skis from outside bars/clubs on the slopes or in the resort, but i wouldnt suggest leaving them around in the resort itself (although ive often seen people do this).

oh one thing i should mention. serbs are typically very homophobic. think what the UK was like about 25 years ago. theres a lot of aggression towards homosexuality and people arent very understanding of it. its a very "macho" culture although being quite mediterranean its not uncommon to see guys kiss each other on the cheeks (3 times).

here ends my informal lesson on serbian culture and crime.

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Dnc,

My m8 woke up and the 'intruder' did a runner leaving the bag that he had put a digi camera in. Not sure what he was looking for but there was a dvd player & mini disc player in the room as well. Police arrived very quickly but of course nothing to report as nothing stolen and the intruder legged it. I'm pretty sure someone tried my room as well on a couple of occasions. Pretty stupid not locking your door anyway. Now if it had been one of those dancing girls from Cafe Andreja (?) it would have been a different story

Laughing

Help!!

Kopaonik, Serbia????

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