Cerna Hora, Czech Republic 12/31 - 01/03/22

[Robert]

Spent the holidays abroad in Poland but needed to get a few turns in. We drove about 4 hours south to the Czeck Republics biggest Ski Resort Cerna Hora. The resort is actually a few slopes and lifts spread around the valley with a single gondola, a few quads and plenty of surface lifts. The largest vertical was 1800ft, they have night skiing and the snow making is very good.

It was cold and snowy the days before we arrived so they had a great base. It was lightly raining we got to the mountain Friday and Saturday but it soon dissipated. Not sure if the place is normally this empty but we didn't stand in a lift line all Weekend. I'll take that any day.

We stuck to the larger ski areas Janske Lazne and Pec Pod Snezkou. If the weather cooperated we could have rode a snow cat to a higher peak and rode from one to other. We ended up taking the free bus that runs between the resorts and hotels, which was easy enough.

We rented all our hard equipment. It was all name brand equipment, in good shape and very affordable(~40 bucks a person for all 3 days). We stayed in a nearby hotel that was a short walk to the gondola.

Soft snow, no lift lines and great beer. How can it get any better. This is my second time riding in eastern europe and both times have been a blast. Highly recommend it if you make it over!

 

[Harvey]

That looks very good from here!

Nice one @Robert, nice pics too.

 

[Brownski]

That looks awesome Robert. Is the red building a lodge or somebody’s house?

 

[DomB]

Awesome! Random questions:

1- Are you Polish? My wife is from Bialystok in the East.

2- I went to Zakopane years ago with my wife but we didn't ski (which depending on where you were may not have been very far from your resort) - was your other time in Eastern Europe in that area?

 

[jasonwx]

Awesome report!!

 

[Robert]

@Brownski I think the red building is ski in ski out lodging. Few of these spread out around the mountain that actually had signs.

@DomB my gf is in school in western Poland. Yes the other time I skied zakopane. It was during Xmas and it was nuts due to the holiday crowd. Zakopane turns into a huge party. Would love to go back non holiday. We only rode the smaller resorts i wanted to hit kasprowy wierch badly but not enough snow. We also drove an hour south into Slovenia and skied tatrasanka lamnica, that was absolutely beautiful. Pic below

 

[raisingarizona]

This is very cool and unexpected. I’ve never seen a tr from that area, thanks for taking the time to post.

Those mountains around Zakopane look dangerous. The snow is thin and it looks cold and windy, much like the Colorado continental divide country.

 

[Robert]

*slovakia not slovenia.

@raisingarizona good observation. These are the tatra mountain and provide a split between Poland and slovakia

 

[DomB]

*slovakia not slovenia.

@raisingarizona good observation. These are the tatra mountain and provide a split between Poland and slovakia

If you thought your average Pole was pretty hardy, they say the 'Mountain People' of the south (like the Zakopane area) are particularly hardy. I don't know too many folks from Southern Poland, but the ones I know from the east are plenty hardy themselves. A really great people with a sometimes sad history.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Great report @Robert. I somehow missed it when you posted in January -- probably because there wasn't a Trip Subforum index back then!