Over 90% of Czech ski resorts are open and operating

The vast majority of Czech ski resorts are open, and conditions are expected to improve in the latter part of January.

According to the Czech Association of Mountain Resorts (AHS ČR), 91% of 103 monitored ski resorts are currently in operation in the Czech mountains. Some do not yet have all slopes in operation, but there are areas that offer 80% to 100% of their slopes.

The main ski slopes are operating and gradually more are opening. Two-thirds of the lifts and cable cars are in operation. “We expect that the period from the second half of January will be more favorable for skiers. … Consequently, we expect the launch of other routes,” AHS ČR’s Libor Knot said in a press release.

Thanks to snow, which the mountain resorts helped significantly by creating artificial snow, the quality of skiing is especially good on the main slopes, according to the AHS ČR.

“Although it does not look like it from the window of an urban apartment, in our mountains the skiing conditions are very decent. Cooling has come and at least until the beginning of February temperatures and rainfall should be according to long-term norms, which is positive news before the approaching high season in the mountains,”AHS ČR President Kateřina Neumannová said.

Czech mountains are visited by about 4.5 million tourists in the winter season, with about 80% of them domestic visitors, despite the majority of slopes being on the borders with Germany and Poland.

Skiing has a large impact on local economies. “Mountain resorts significantly contribute to the year-round development of mountain village infrastructure and create approximately 40.000 jobs,” CzechTourism director Jan Herget said. “Each crown spent on the ski slope generates another 7 CZK in the mountain districts, according to a KPMG ČR study,” she added.

In addition to skiing on the standard slopes and on cross country-trails, tourists to enjoy other activities. They are all sorts of “fun tracks” for children and adults featuring waves, jumps, banked turns and tunnels. In the afternoon and often even in the evening people can visit special trails for snowtubing or toboggan runs. In some places there are bobsleds, which also have winter operation.

The three most popular ski areas are in the Krkonoše (Giant Mounrians) area: Špindlerův Mlýn with 25 kilometers of slopes and trails, Černá hora – Pec with 41 km, and Rokytnice nad Jizerou with 14.5 km. Klínovec in Krušné hory, Lipno in Šumava, and Dolní Morava in Orlické hory / Jeseníky are also popular.

Popular cross-country trails with good views can be found at Lipno and Janské Lázně, as well as the Cloud Trail (Stezka do oblak) in Dolní Morava.