The 1000 Day Holiday

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Russia
This is the heart of James Bond territory, with more than one movie depicting the tuxedo-clad skier being chased across a snowy landscape by skidoo-riding, machine-gun-wielding baddies. Visitors may not experience as much excitement, but Russia is the ultimate in Eastern European skiing. Partly because you can’t get there – at least not without connections.
Visas are still required, and a letter must be extended through a tour organisation that has the necessary contacts. But as the current favourite spot for professional skiers and snowboarders, it’s certainly worth a look. If it’s good enough for them, it should be good enough for you.
Look at a map and you will find Europe’s highest mountain range, the Caucasus, featuring Mount Elbrus, easily outstripping Mount Blanc at 5642 metres as Europe’s highest mountain. It’s a wild place, bristling with mountains over 4000 metres.

Czech Republic
Like the rest of Eastern Europe, the people of the Czech Republic are warm and friendly, but winters are cold. Daytime temperatures hover around -15C to -20C, dipping further at night. This may jeopardise any nocturnal disco-dancing outfits, but translates into excellent snow conditions. Cold, dry temperatures maintain the snow cover and, unlike other ski areas near the moist coast (think west-coast Canada), snow is reliable and fresh snowfalls result in powder champagne.
The main Czech resort is Spindleruv Mlyn in the Krkonose (Giant) Mountains near the Polish border, about two hours’ drive north of the capital, Prague.

Romania
Skiing in this part of the world once meant battling archaic lift systems, sleeping in barns and finding rental equipment that was little more than a plank of wood and chicken wire. Simply put, heading downhill here required more than a drop of Dutch courage and some weighty logistics.
But the times they are a-changing. Capitalism has arrived, possibly more important than democracy, and money talks in many languages. In ski language it has meant lift upgrades, ski area expansions and sleeping arrangements involving linen-covered pillows instead of pallets of hay.

Bulgaria
It’s hard to spot the locals for all the English descending here every season. Their increasing numbers have made this the flavour of the month and it is for one reason: it’s ridiculously cheap. As in Romania, a three-star hotel for seven nights with breakfast and dinner costs from $390.

Poland
Poland boasts one major ski resort, Zakopane, which bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics – unsuccessfully. While it has some good runs, it still has a way to go. The town has a long history and features every stage of the past century on its streets, from old haunts of Polish intellectuals to the ugly communist apartment blocks and the more recent addition of Burger King.

Slovenia
The major resort, Kranjska Gora, is tucked in the border between Austria and Italy, giving it an international flavour all its own. The Austrian ski field of Nassfeld is only an hour away, and Treviso in Italy a simple 30-minute drive.

Lying in the valley that separates the Julian Alps to the south from the Karavanke Range in the north, the resort is small. So small that the ski school employs most of the off-duty police officers (they could issue you with a speeding ticket).

Slovakia
The eastern part of what used to be Czechoslovakia is fairly unknown as a general tourist – let alone a skiing – destination. But mountains dominate the landscape – 80 per cent are higher than 750 metres – and bears, lynx and wolves are some of the unexpected locals. A bonus here is empty slopes. The skiers are mostly Russians intent on committing crimes against ski fashion (think 1970s ski clothes that were actually made in 1970, with leather ski boots) rather than heading downhill.

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