Herlíkovice

Herlíkovice is one of the best and at the same time least appreciated ski resorts in the Czech Krkonoše. The reason is probably that it lies on the main road from Vrchlabí to Špindlerův Mlýn, which is the main magnet for skiers in the area. What is more, from the road along the deep Elbe valley you cannot properly judge the qualities of this out-of-the-ordinary resort. Which is a pity, because it is an excellent, modern ski area that falls short of its famous neighbour only in the length of its pistes and can easily compete with it on views, difficulty and quality of grooming. The pistes are grouped in two areas, connected by both lifts and link pistes. The main and most beautiful part of the resort lies on the slopes of the lofty Žalý (1,018 m), topped by a lookout tower (superb panoramas!). A four-seater chairlift runs from the bottom right up to the summit, and alongside it runs a scenic and very interesting piste, 2.8 km long with a vertical drop of more than 450 metres: the finest downhill run in the whole Krkonoše. The somewhat gentler slopes south of the chairlift hold the beginners' area, Bubákov. Blue pistes dominate here, one of them floodlit, served by the resort's second chairlift and several T-bars. In total the resort has more than 12 km of downhill pistes served by seven T-bars and two chairlifts. There is also a very well organised area for the youngest skiers, with a magic carpet and a ski kindergarten. The resort is rounded off by more than 28 km of cross-country trails.