Klínovec

The Ore Mountains as a whole are about 150 km long and rise high above the surrounding lowlands, dropping, especially on the Czech side, in steep slopes several hundred metres high. Their summit areas are broad, gently rolling plateaus with the highest peaks rising above them. This is the setting of the Klínovec resort. It is an ideal spot for a ski resort: fairly good access, big differences in altitude, varied terrain and, above all, an excellent climate. The climate deserves a few words, because in Poland it is widely believed that only high altitude guarantees plenty of snow in the mountains. In the Ore Mountains, however, the climate is so harsh that conditions at 1,200 m are comparable to those in the Alps at 1,800 to 2,000 m. Snowfall here is very heavy and frequent: it snows on about 100 days a year, snow cover on the highest ground can last more than 200 days (the record is 214 days in a year), and it can be up to 4 metres deep! That is why skiing and winter sports have a long history on Klínovec: the first pistes and races were organised here between the wars, but the first lift was built only in 1968. The reason is that until the 1960s the area was closed to tourists, as uranium ore was being mined under military supervision in nearby Jáchymov… The resort went through a real revolution in 1991, when it was privatised. The following years brought gradual modernisation and new pistes and lifts, a process that speeded up after 2011. That was also when a modern snowmaking system was built; it is still being extended and now covers 80% of the resort's pistes. The ski terrain on Klínovec is concentrated in three locations. Most of the pistes are on the northern slopes, just below the summit with its distinctive television tower. Several parallel pistes, mostly blue and red, plus the resort's only black piste, run down attractive cuttings through the forest. To the south of the summit runs a modern detachable 4-seater chairlift, alongside which are the longest runs: piste 1, almost 3 km long (red, and by far the most interesting in the whole resort), and the Rondo piste, a full 5.2 km! The third area is near the village of Boži Dar, which has the most terrain for beginners and children. The constantly upgraded infrastructure comprises 5 chairlifts (including two modern detachable ones with weather hoods), 11 T-bars and five magic carpets for children. The pistes total 31 km, of which 55% are blue and the rest red, plus one black piste (850 m long). There are plenty of good places to eat on site, and many small hotels and guesthouses near the lifts. In character the resort is a little like Zieleniec in Poland, but it is much more interesting for skiing. The joint ski pass with Fichtelberg is also worth mentioning: together the two resorts form the InterSki Region Fichtelberg-Klinovec, with a total of 45 km of pistes served by 27 lifts (1 gondola, 6 chairlifts, 15 T-bars and 5 magic carpets). All in all, it is the third largest ski resort in Central Europe after Bukovel and Jasná!