Europe, Italy: The Longest Ski Slopes II

Today, I will introduce you two of the longest ski slopes that are longer than 20 kilometers! This limit however, surpasses by one kilometer a slope in world-famous French ski resortChamonix. It is probably needless to introduce you the Mecca of skiers, few notes will be enough. In 1924, for example, Chamonix hosted the first ever winter Olympics. It was also suggested the Olympics should take place in the Giant Mountains. Chamonix is also the most ideal place to climb up the highest peak in Europe - Mont Blanc (4810 meters above the sea level)

Haute-Savoie is one of the most popular tourist locations not only in the Western Alps. Extreme sports are very common discipline there in summer and in winter as well, especially in a freeride paradise - Vallée Blanche. One of the greatest things is a view over an extreme ski slope from Aiguille du Midi mountains (3842 meters above the sea level), you can get there by a unique panorama cableway. It is good to share your freeride adrenaline experience with a professional guide or instructor aware of Vallée Blanche glacier field insidiousness, the field has 2807 meters of elevation!

Number one, or numero uno, among ski slopes is skiing in Italian Valle d'Aosta valley. Local resort Breuil-Cervinia, hidden between glaciers and the highest peaks of the Alps are located at, similarly as Swiss Zermatt, foothills of mighty Matterhornu, or Monte Cervino in Italian. We return again to this well-known area however, from the other side to overcome 22 kilometers from Klein Matterhornu or Picolo Cervino on the Swiss side to Valtournenche in Italia, elevation 2300 meters above the sea level...

And what about Czech or Slovak mountains, i.e. ski slopes? Of course we must choose different criteria despite the fact that Slovak mountains offer many unsuspected ski joys. The Czech, i.e. Silesia, mountains were for a long time dominated by a ski slope from Šerák in the Jesenky Mountains to Ramzová the total length of which is 3,260 meters. On the second place is the ski slope leading from Lysá, i.e. Černá Mountain to Jánské lázně in the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše) the total length of which is just above 3 kilometers. There is still a question if Ramzová is still the longest ski slope in the Czech Republic. It depends. A bottom part that is very used more often is in a upper part relatively boring. However, almost 3,5 kilometers between Šerák and Mračná are served by an old uncovered one-seat ski tow. Maybe this is what attracts people to visit the longest ski slope at Černá hora ski resort that offers really interesting "non-stop" skiing. There are three types of skiing that are dominated by the so-called . "Černohorská jednička"...

Slovakia has evident No. 1. Difficult ski slope respected by lovers of sharper ride from Lomnické sedlo to Tatranská Lomnica allegedly offers a ski slope up to 6 kilometers long and with an elevation of 1,300 meters.                     

text: Jan Chaloupka

foto: wikipedia commons:M.Janner, P.Nash, Jean Rubiano