Skicentrum Deštné

Deštné is the largest ski resort in the Orlické Mountains. The village lies in the deep valley of the Běla stream, surrounded by high mountains covered with spruce forest. The ski resort is on the northern slopes of Studený vrch (883 m), which is in turn a side spur of the highest peak of the whole range, Velká Deštná (1,115 m). As the crow flies it is only a few kilometres from Zieleniec in Poland and has a very similar climate, one of the harshest in the whole Sudetes. It is known above all for very high precipitation, which keeps the snow cover deep even in the second half of April (depending on the season, of course). The main ski area is called Marta I. It has a chairlift and two T-bars climbing right up to the summit of Studený vrch, with varied pistes running down: black, red and blue. One more T-bar, with a difficult black piste, lies a little further up the valley, while closer to the mouth of the valley there is a second group of lifts, Marta II. Blue pistes and practice areas for beginners and children dominate here. In total the resort has 10 lifts and a two-seater chairlift, and the pistes total almost 5 km. Two pistes are floodlit, which makes the resort one of the most attractive places in the Czech Republic for night skiing. Naturally there is also a rental shop, a ski service, restaurants, bars and a ski school. The offer is rounded off by cross-country trails more than 65 km long. Although the resort is fairly large, it is usually very quiet, which makes it ideal for a family ski holiday.