Jahorina Ski Resort

Jahorina Ski Resort (Serbian: Ски центар Јахорина, romanized: Ski centar Jahorina), officially named Olympic Center Jahorina, is a mountain resort and the largest and most popular winter tourism resort in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Jahorina Ski Resort
Jahorina ski resort
Jahorina Ski Resort Location within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location	Jahorina Mountain, Dinaric Alps
Nearest major city	Pale, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates	43°44′12″N 18°33′59″E
Vertical	616 m (2,021 ft)
Top elevation	1,916 m (6,286 ft)
Base elevation	1,300 m (4,300 ft)
Skiable area	40 km (25 mi)
Longest run	2 km (1.2 mi)
Lift system	11 total
Lift capacity	13,000/hour
Snowfall	175 days
Snowmaking	Yes
Night skiing	Yes
Website	www.oc-jahorina.com/en/

The ski resort is situated on the slopes of Jahorina mountain in Dinaric Alps. It is located 15 km (9.3 mi) from the municipality of Pale in the Republika Srpska entity and 30 km (19 mi) from the Sarajevo International Airport. During the 1984 Winter Olympics, it hosted alpine skiing competition.

History

The first written documents recorded skiing on Jahorina mountain in the late 19th century during the Austro-Hungarian rule.^[1] The origins of organized tourism on Jahorina trace back to 1923, founding year of the ski resort.^[1] Between the First and the Second World War, ski jumps and a mountain lodge were constructed at Jahorina. The first Yugoslav ski rally was held at Jahorina in 1937.

After World War II, Jahorina hosted the "International Students Winter Week" in 1955, a forerunner to the Winter Universiade that would start five years later in Chamonix, France.^{[citation needed]}

The Jahorina ski resort was the site of the Women's Alpine Winter Olympic competitions during the 1984 Winter Olympics, that took place from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia.^[2] Starting from 1984, Jahorina ski resort bares the official name "Olympic Center Jahorina".

Since the 2010s, the Jahorina ski resort went thorough several investment cycles with aim to renew its aging infrastructure.^[3] The ski lift system was upgraded from 2012 to 2018 with new Leitner chairlifts.^[4][5]

During 2017, the brand new snowmaking infrastructure was deployed in ski resort, along with huge artificial lake built on top of Jahorina mountain. In December 2018, the Jahorina ski resort has officially put the new snowmaking system in use, covering all ski slopes with artificial snow.^[6]

As of 2018, the Jahorina ski resort is the largest and most popular ski resort in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Apart from alpine skiing, snowboarding, hiking and sledding, it offers a variety of outdoor sports and activities.^[3] The nordic skiing tracks, cross-country trails and various other sport facilities offer additional options for athletes and tourists.^[3] The floodlighting system enables night skiing on Poljice ski piste.^{[citation needed]} In 2018, the ski resort recorded 185,000 visitors, the biggest count since the 1980s.^[3]

The Jahorina ski resort was among the venues where the 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival took place during February 2019.^[7]

Climate and Geography

The ski resort is located at elevations between 1,300 and 1,916 meters, with over 25 km (16 mi) of ski slopes and modern facilities. Day count under the snow in Jahorina ski resort is on average 175 days annually, spanning from October till May.^{[citation needed]} The average natural snow height on ski pistes in February is 106 cm (42 in).^{[citation needed]} High levels of natural snowfall are complemented by snowmaking equipment.

Transportation

The Sarajevo International Airport is located 30 km (19 mi) away from ski resort, making Jahorina one of the most reachable ski resorts in Europe via plane.^{[citation needed]} The ski resort is located 15 km (9.3 mi) from the municipality of Pale and 25 km (16 mi) from the capital city of Sarajevo, making it well-connected with all main transport routes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ski resort is reached by maximum of six hour drive from all major cities in the region: Belgrade, Zagreb, Novi Sad, Split, Podgorica and Ljubljana.^[1]

Gallery

• 
  Jahorina ski resort base
• 
  Jahorina ski resort chairlifts
• 
  View from the base of Jahorina ski resort
• 
  Jahorina ski lifts
• 
  Jahorina chairlift
• 
  Jahorina chairlift looking on ski resort center
• 
  View from chairlift
• 
  View on ski slope from chairlift
• 
  Jahorina ski resort
• 
  Jahorina ski resort
• 
  Jahorina ski resort
• 
  View on ski resort base from ski slope
• 
  Winter house in Jahorina after avalanche

See also

• Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina

References

1. Pivljanin, Ranko (25 February 2018). "Pre skoro sto godina, Jahorina je ugostila prve skijaše, a sada ova planinska lepotica dobija novo lice". blic.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 30 December 2018.
2. "Final Report Sarajevo '84". la84.org. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
3. Crnjak, Marija (6 December 2018). "Jahorina se vraća na svjetsku ski scenu". poslovni.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 30 December 2018.
4. "Sarajevo, riapre la funivia simbolo di pace: era stata distrutta dalle bombe". ilmessaggero.it (in Italian). 7 April 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
5. Haddad, Sam (14 February 2014). "Skiing in eastern Europe on a budget: the best resorts". theguardian.com. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
6. "Puštanje u rad sistema vještačkog osnježavanja na Jahorini". nezavisne.com (in Serbian). Srna. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
7. Papaz, Stefan (26 November 2018). "EYOF stigao pred vrata". oslobodjenje.ba (in Bosnian). Retrieved 4 January 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Ski resort Jahorina at skiresort.info