Lost & Overlooked Ski Areas - Montenegro

Part two of the series

I didn't expect to find ski lifts in Montenegro. Between its mild climate, small population and developing economy, I didn't think they'd have the luxury . I have made three trips to Montenegro since 2013 and it has me captivated. When  I found out there was skiing there I longed to know more about the people who share one of my biggest passions. So far, I've found out little. Here's what I do know.

During my trips to Montenegro, I was surprised to find signs of a ski community, both more put-together resorty operations along with smaller ski areas, and old abandoned lifts.

There's a small ski operation with a few lifts in Ivanova Korita and we saw a sign for a ski area in the Piva canyon near Vučje. Kolašin, a charming town not far from Podgorica, Montenegro's capital, boasts a decent size ski area.

The most interesting area for ski culture in Montenegro is the town of Žabljak. Located at 4,776 feet above sea level, Žabljak is the highest town in the Balkans. It's at the edge of Durmitor National Park and numerous ski lifts can be found throughout the area. 

The most notable Žabljak ski area is Savin Kuk located about five km from town. Mike and I visited Savin Kuk in late May 2015 and were struck with how it felt like there could be some serious skiing both in and outside of the ski area boundary. With a vertical rise of over 2,400 feet, towering mountains just beyond the ski area and a mix of cabins and restaurants at its base, we speculated this is where Montenegro's ski bums gather. We were intrigued. Was this the Jackson Hole of Montenegro? 

Curious to find out more we went to the all-knowing internet but we were surprised at how difficult it was to find out more information on Savin Kuk. The search did not turn up a dedicated website for the ski area but it was mentioned many times on Trip Advisor, tourism websites, and generic ski websites such as skiresort.info.

In addition, there had recently been a fire at the ski area. The bottom lift tower was burned - perhaps the fire started in the motor? Charred remnants were littered across the ground including burnt skis that appeared as if their owner just clicked out of them and walked away. Again, a web search revealed nothing. When did this happen? What caused the fire? Was the ski area able to re-open? All of it was a mystery, but fast forward to 2018 where this article from November states that millions is being spent on upgrades to the ski area. Keep posted for the latest.

Abandoned ski lift near Hotel Durmitor

In  Žabljak there's also a small lift near the bus station that appears to be operational and another lift across the valley that's much longer and offers pristine views of Durmitor National Park, but it's hard to tell if it has been open in recent years or not. Two other abandoned lifts can be found near town but info on them is scarce. Of the two, the abandoned ski lift near the abandoned Hotel Durmitor (Read about here: http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2015/06/contemplaing-wild-beauty.html) leaves me with the most questions. How could this once stately hotel have fallen into disrepair remains an unanswered question. With a great property, stellar view, and its own ski lift (How many hotels can boast that?), it seemed to have it all. 

Who is this skier?!

So it looks like people do ski in Montenegro but how widespread, I do not know. What I did find out is that there's at least one Montenegrin skier who's had some sort of impact on skiing as I came across this sign at the eastern edge of Durmitor National Park. Perhaps he was a ski racer, maybe a pioneer in the country's ski industry. 

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Other lost and overlooked ski areas:

• New Jersey: http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2018/11/lost-overlooked-ski-areas-new-jersey.html

• Bear Paw Snow Bowl, Montana http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2019/02/lost-overlooked-ski-areas-bear-paw.html