Spoilt for choice with Slovenia's winter sports

Slovenia has something for everyone that will bring you back year after year for active winter holidays. You can enjoy the fresh air in organised ski centres or ski touring surrounded by Alpine peaks. While skiing cross-country, the snow-white forests draw you in. You can spend evenings in the company of loved ones going night sledging, skating on organised natural skating rinks or going to ice hockey matches. Skiing, which has a long tradition, is deeply embedded in Slovenian culture. In the 17th century, people living on the Bloke plateau developed a special technique for moving skiing on snow using sme?e, special skis. World cup races are traditionally organised in Kranjska Gora and Maribor Pohorje. Other popular ski centres include Krvavec near Ljubljana and Kranj, Rogla in Zreško Pohorje, Vogel above Lake Bohinj and Cerkno, the most modern family ski centre. Kanin above Bovec is the highest ski centre in Slovenia and the only one where you can also ski to neighbouring Italy. In larger ski centres, you can test your skills in snow parks. All skiers and snowboarders can improve their turns with the help of ski instructors. For those seeking peace and quiet in an unspoilt white landscape, Slovenian mountains are ideal. Apart from good skiing skills and suitable equipment, safe ski touring requires knowledge of snow conditions, so we recommend that inexperienced cross-country skiers should hire a mountain guide. Winter sledging is an adrenaline sport in several parts of Slovenia, particularly the Julian and Kamnik-Savinja Alps. Trails from Vrši?, Velika Planina, Vogar above Bohinj and along the closed road over the pass below Mangart are very popular at night, when they are lit. If you prefer valleys to slopes, there are winter cross-country skiing trails near many tourist destinations. They are generally free of charge. The best-known trails are on Pokljuka, where a renovated, fully equipped sports centre and hotel has opened. The unspoilt Logarska Dolina valley is also very popular with cross-country skiers. In winter in major Slovenian towns and tourist destinations around Slovenia, you can go ice skating indoors or in artificial and natural skating rinks outdoors, a relaxing place to hang out. All skating rinks hire ice skates.