Well, although those days are long gone, the quality slopes are not. Olympic style skiing on Sarajevo’s Mt. Bjelasnica and Jahorina are back in full swing. Jahorina is a north face mountain was home to many of the competitions of the 1984 Winter Olympic Games. Jahorina is the largest ski area in the country. It has 8 lifts and over 20 kilometers of pistes all over the mountain that offerOlympic-style professional trails and novice trails for children and beginners. The high season on Jahorina is mid-December to late January. Around the new year it is almost impossible to get accommodation without advance reservations. An alternative for last-minute travelers is to book a hotel in Sarajevo, then drive to Jahorina as it is only about 45 minutes from town. On the mountain you will find the full range of facilities including anindoor swimming pool, medical centre, information centres, ski rentals, restaurants and café's, skiing instruction in English and internet access. One advantage to skiing in Bosnia, whether on Jahorina, Bjelasnica or Vlasic, is the incredibly low cost of just about anything. The basics are provided and the skiing is, well, good enough for the Olympics! A one-day ski pass costs 30 KM, 6-day ski pass costs 160 KM. 

With a full range of facilities with new and modern accommodation skiing in Sarajevo once again sits on top of the best skiing in southeast Europe. Snowboarding, snow shoeing, cross country and tour skiing are gaining popularity and are great additions to a fun winter program on both mountains. 

Sarajevo is not, however, the only ski center in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vlasic Mountain near the ancient town of Travnik is the best established ski center in central Bosnia. With fresh additions of several new hotels and pansions Vlasic is not to be missed. In western Bosnia are two great off-the-beaten track ski and boarding destinations. Kupres and Blidinje Nature Park are situated in the vast wilderness area to the far west of the country. 

The Olympic Mountains are about a half-hour drive from the center of town and if you don’t have a car, you can make use of the GRAS or Centrotrans bus lines, or make a deal for a ride with one of the taxi companies in town.

GRAS minibus is driving during the weekends on relation Latinska Ćuprija - Trebević. They drive from Latinska Ćuprija at 09:00 and 16:00, and returning from Trebević at 10:00 and 17:00. Single tickets for adults cost 1,60 KM, and return tickets cost 2,70 KM. Single ticket for children cost 0,50 KM.

GRAS will be providing a Sarajevo-Bjelašnica line and the bus will be running every day during the month-long winter holiday break in January. The bus departs from Sarajevo at the stop on Franje Račkog Street (next to the National Museum) at 9:00 a.m. and leaves Ilidža at 9:20 a.m. The bus then departs from Bjelašnica at 3:30 p.m. Single tickets for adults cost 4.30 KM and return tickets cost 7.40 KM. Single and return tickets for children cost 3.20 KM and 5.30 KM, respectively.

Jahorina is located about 28 km southeast of Sarajevo and is 12 km from Pale. You can reach Jahorina by taking the new road from the airport via Lukavica and Trebević. 

If you’re interested in transporting a large number of people from Sarajevo to Jahorina, or vice versa, you can contact Jahorina Olympic Center.

If you plan on exploring nature up on the mountains, be sure to jot down the number for Mountain Rescue Services (Gorska Služba Spašavanja) – 062/654-456, or just 121. They will be more than happy to come and help out if you get lost!

Ski Bosnia and Herzegovina – fast, fun and inexpensive. 

(bhtourism.ba)