Travel with Max: Skiing in Slovakia

This February, I took a ski trip to Slovakia, a country that was founded in 1993. I joined a group of nine and we met up in Bratislava. It’s a small city with a population of about  400,000. Lots of cobblestones and a castle in the center. 

Slovakia was once the poorer half of what made up Czechoslovakia. Today, Slovakia has built itself into a manufacturing superpower. The small country of more than 5 million is located between Poland and Hungary. Only about 30,000 Americans find their way to Slovakia each year, so not much English was spoken during most of the trip. The majority of the ski tourists in Jasná spoke Polish. 

We flew into Vienna and had an easy one-hour morning journey on a Flix bus to the rainy capital of Bratislava. The downtown had many cobblestone streets and pedestrian areas to wander around. I was meeting a group of eight other travelers, and our main destination was Jasná, which we would reach by train the following morning. I picked Slovakia because my friend Tim organizes ski trips in Europe. Joining the group made it simple. It was mostly all inclusive, I only had to cover meals and some transport.

Since the famous Velvet Divorce (dissolution of Czechoslovakia) was finalized in 1993, Slovakia has been the quiet industrial workhorse of this part of Europe, with five huge auto factories producing thousands of cars for export. They also lead Europe in the manufacture of railroad cars of all descriptions.

Since joining the European Union in 2004, Slovakia has used billions in EU Cohesion Funds to modernize highways, railways, water systems and tourism infrastructure, driving faster economic growth and raising living standards. You can notice it on the smooth highways and in the tidy towns. 

Skiing at Jasná

To reach the ski slopes from Bratislava, we took a train east to the Liptov region, the town of Liptovsky Mikulas. Here, we immediately found the Tesco superstore to stock up on provisions for the next three nights, snacks, wine and lots of Slovakian string cheese. The train was comfortable and the sight of the dramatic Tatras out the window got us in the mood for the slopes. It was fun sharing a group breakfast and having our own provisions in each condo.

We stayed in two adjacent chalets split up for our party of nine. The slope side accommodations were very easy, we just walked a short way down a hill to the rental shop to pick up our skis. Jasná is popular in mid February, with lots of visiting Polish and other European ski families. One woman told me that it was much less expensive here than in Austria. We agreed, lift tickets for 61 euros a day were a bargain! We noticed that skiers go fast, really fast here, and no one is there to police them as I have seen at resorts like Stratton. The men with the PLUS signs were to be respected, but here we didn’t see any of them on patrol. It was also of note that there were no attendants at the lift lines, just one guy when we got on the lift. The February snowfall was sparse in the woods along the lift line. Though it snowed while we were skiing, there is not a deep amount of snow on the mountain, until the very top. 

I’ve enjoyed skiing in Europe a few other times, and here the views up at the top of the Low Tatra Mountains were striking. Food at the mountain was better than I expected, with Slovakian specialties like sheep’s-milk cheese dumplings and sauerkraut soup. There was a buffet that served hot specialties like chicken and French fries that were charged by the pound. It was still a good deal and very hearty. 

After three days of great skiing, we took a van to our next destination in Slovakia, the towns of Poprad and Kezmarok. In the latter town we toured a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) listed church called the Articular Wooden Church built in 1717 without one nail. The paintings on the wall and the intricate wood carvings were beautiful as well as rustic. We drove to another town that looked preserved in the style of the 1800s, nothing was out of place or modern. In the town square there was an iron cage that looked like it would fit several people. Our guide explained that it was called the Cage of Shame and it was where women who spoke out against their husbands would be locked up, so that the villagers could taunt them. Creepy history, but it happened.

Another highlight in eastern Slovakia was touring the Spiš Castle, which is being restored. It sits up on a high hill, with nothing else around it, you can see it for miles as you approach it. 

My trip to Slovakia left me with the feeling of a place both welcoming and wonderfully unfamiliar … friendly people who smile even when you butcher their hard‑to‑pronounce language, trains that glide across the country with ease, hearty food, excellent skiing that doesn’t break the bank and mile after mile of wide‑open countryside unfolding outside the window on the long ride to Bratislava. It’s a country that surprises you with how simple, affordable and genuinely warm it is.

Max Hartshorne is a longtime travel editor and the host of the GoNOMAD Travel Podcast. For more than 25 years, he has been publishing GoNOMAD.com from right here in South Deerfield, sharing stories, tips and discoveries with travelers near and far.