 Poster: A snowHead
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and are now not offering this destination for this season. From the local website there seems to be a lot of work going on to continue developing the resort and Genex appear to have bought places like the Grand which I think was state owned. They are pretty upset that there will be virtually no Brits there this year as they've been good customers. Balkan Holidays are now the only TO offering the destination but their route includes a 5hr transfer from Belgrade rather than the 2-3hr one from Nis.
If you can get there it might be a bargain destination this season as if they're short of customers there could be some good offers? No idea what car hire/driving there is like.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Never heard of it, so just had a look at it on SCGB site. 1 Chair, 10 drags, don't suppose many of us will be losing sleep over this.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The SCGB is massively out of date then. We went to Kop a couple of years ago with Nielson and had a great time. about 50km of piste most based around the beginner, intermediate level.
At a guess there must have been 12 chair and 10 drag lifts.
Lovely small village and great value for money. (£1 a pint cant be wrong!!)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| no_snow_in_swindon wrote: |
| The SCGB is massively out of date then. |
nothing new there then 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Kel,
You're right, 50km isn't alot, but we wen't with some beginners and at the time we're on a budget so thats why we decided on Kop.
We loved the place and would go back again, but i did get bored of the skiing after a few days.
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I want to go back there. It was my first skiing experience and I want to find out that the runs I thought scary aren't really! They are constantly developing it, though it is small. It is however traffic free and all the accommodation is within a very short walk of a choice of lifts - great for families on a budget and the less adventurous skier! The people are very friendly and as has been said above it is (well at least was) cheap.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Butterfly, My first skiing experience too. Definately going to go back very soon. We have friends in Belgrade and they can drive there in about 4.5 hours depending on road conditions. We drive down to Val Cenis, so 4.5 hours in a car shouldn't be a problem. Where did you stay in Kop?
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Avago, We stayed in the Grand - perfect location but pity the conditions/weather weren't! Slush/ice/mud followed by a dump on the Weds with a blizzard till the Friday! Would your friends recommend foreigners do car hire there? Am quite happy in France/Germany/spain, but I was thinking a TO would be a safer bet in an unknown environment where my grasp of the language is strictly limited to ordering basic food and drink!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Butterfly, We stayed at The Grand too. Weather and snow conditions were good, apart from an area at the top where the wind had blown the snow off. We would borrow a car from our friends, but I will find out whether they recommend hiring. My husband has spent a lot of time there and has never had any problems once in Serbia, but driving a GB marked car through Hungary was a different story.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Avago, there is no chance I would be able to go in 2008/9 anyway and hopefully Thomsons will put it back on the books for 2009/10. However it'd be intersesting to know what the view is regarding car hire so that we could consider all options when the time's right.
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| Avago wrote: |
| Butterfly, We stayed at The Grand too. Weather and snow conditions were good, apart from an area at the top where the wind had blown the snow off. We would borrow a car from our friends, but I will find out whether they recommend hiring. My husband has spent a lot of time there and has never had any problems once in Serbia, but driving a GB marked car through Hungary was a different story. |
what was the problem in Hungary ?
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You know it makes sense.
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helena57, They were stopped at border control and the guards (with guns) tried to take their passports and demanded vast amounts of money. Thankfully, someone with some local clought turned up and cleared up the situation!! Needless to say they didn't go through Hungray on the way home!!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Avago, Was that before or after Hungary joined the EU? (May 2004)
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Poster: A snowHead
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alex_heney, It was around 2000/ 2001.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We stayed at the "Club A" hotel which was nice enough.
Went to the Grand for Pizza at lunchtime most days.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Avago, OK.
Hopefully it would be different now they are in the EU. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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alex_heney, Our friends have done the UK to Serbia car journey many times in the last few years and haven't had any further problems. I'm sure it was an isolated incident.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Interesting to read the full reasonaing behind the Thomson decision
"Kopaonik this winter will probably remain without tourist from Great Britain, because these agencies "Tomson" and "Balkanika holiday" quitted cooperation, said yesterday director of the Tourist agencies of Serbia Gordana Plamenac. British have been recent years frequent guests at Kopaonik.
She explained at a news conference that these agencies indicated that they did not have with whom to talk, considering that hotels in Kopaonik are in the process of privatization, and no one considered competent to negotiate. http://www.eng.infokop.net/
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We had a cheap family holiday there yonks ago. The snow wasn't great (but it was no worse than elsewhere that year) but it was a good resort for an impecunious family of early intermediates. The boys and OH had lessons, and really liked their Serbian instructor. I had just had major surgery and was supposed to be "taking it easy" so spent the week pulling the 4 year old round on her baby skis, or a sledge.  The coach journey back to Nis was a nightmare - story told elsewhere - horrific ice on the road, mad driver, coach in huge skid and teetering on the edge of the precipice. Inflation in the village store was a big issue; they opened late in the morning having changed all the prices. It was closed on New Year's Day (the only shop in a big self-catering complex), which was our first day. I had to negotiate in my 20 words of Serbo-Croat (learnt for a sailing holiday in Croatia the previous summer, but completely unnecessary because everybody who didn't speak English spoke German) for lunch. A little group of Serb peasants in old raincoats tied up with string had some sacks of stuff in the snow behind the complex, in the perishing cold. You should have seen my boys faces when presented with tiny wrinkled apples and "kaymak", a sort of cheesy yogurty thing, and actually delicious. And a pile of boiled potatoes which had been decimated by my having to cut out all the eyes and bad bits.
In other words, it was an adventure! Character building. Dropping it off the schedules is all part of the homogenizing of the holiday experience, I suppose.
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We were in KOP 2 years ago, around the same time as n_s_i_s. To be honest I was disappointed that it was withdrawn from sale, I found it to be a charming place, it was the year of awful snow across europe and we ski'd every day. The isntructors were friendly as were most of the locals, the prices were very reasonable and yes the pizza in the Grand Hotel was a must at lunch. I would definitely consider going back.
In fact it wouldn't suprise me if Thomson and Balkan aren't secretly kicking themselves for having pulled the plug. Considering the shocking £/€ rate if they had promoted it hard as a friendly and cheap € free zone holiday I'm sure it would/could have covered it's costs in the current economic climate. Mind you, we felt part of it's charm was the fact that Kop was a well kept secret.
The one thing we did find humorous (although a tad scary) was the sign at Nis airport check in where rather than the usual no lighters nail clippers etc there was a poster with pistols, machine guns and machettes with a sign stating something along the lines of "all weapons must be surrendered at this point" -BLIMEY!
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Cafu, that was the week that one of the coaches broke down just outside Kop on the way back to Nis in -15 temperatures wasn't it. I was on that coach! It seems that there is something seen as "dodgy" that Genex are buying some of the holiday property from the state, but Genex owned some property there when we went, so it is not a new company in the area or in the business. Provided they get their act together it should be back on offer next year I hope - if they have any sense T/C will re-evaluate as the season progresses and maybe offer a late deal but that would involve selling a whole plane-full of tickets of course.
Balkan holidays are still offering it (LHR-Belgrade), at around £500+ for HB at the Grand, or £350+ for SC in the Konaci and a 6-day lift pass is £93.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Butterfly, yes I think that was the week, I know there were people late arriving to check in at Nis and it was all a bit of a headache. I also recall Genex already having a stake in the resort, I noticed that the prices for the Grand were up this year and Club A wasn't available, as long as it doesn't head down the same route (greed) as Bulgaria it will be fine. It's a shame really as it's a perfect resort for early intermediates and kids (provided they meet the age requirements as there are no creche facilities in resort).
We've booked to go to France this year but will be checking for Kops reinstatement on the T/C's itinery going forward.
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That was the same week we went. Luckilly we were on the coach that didnt break down. We just had to wait in the portacabin that is Nic airport until you lot turned up.
Shame about Kop, the skiing bored me silly after three days, but i'd still love to go back
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Cafu wrote: |
| Butterfly, yes I think that was the week, I know there were people late arriving to check in at Nis and it was all a bit of a headache. |
Not as much of a headache as it was being stuck on a coach on a freezing mountain for several hours with either an incessant high pitched alarm plus the engine/heaters, or no alarm and no heat! The hardened smokers even started to give up going out for one as it was soooo cold!
This was the height of the entertainment!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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