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Visitor reviews for Kopaonik Ski Resort

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• January 03, 2011
  Dusan Bosnjak from Serbia
  

  I think it's very hard to write a review about Kopaonik. In one word, I'd describe the whole resort as unusual...

  The resort itself is in a national park, although, that's kinda hart to tell due to dense development that sprung up in the past few years. This being said, the whole resort is basically cut through a forest. This creates a lot of interesting freeride possibilities. There are no death traps like in the Alps, so instead of being challenging and dangerous its actually pretty fun and safe. You won't be buried in an avalanche, you won't break your neck dropping from a cliff, even the chances of busting up your edges on a hidden rock are slim. The bounds are open and there are no fascist enforcers chasing after you, confiscating your ticket or ticketing you for not carrying the avalanche gear. I've been in a few resorts in the french and Italian alps and i didn't like the fact that the mountains were so barren. This is great when it comes to fog, as you always see dark trees contrasting the light snow. On barren slopes in the alps you get nausea from not being able to tell where's the ground and where's the sky.

  The slopes themselves are a bit short and mellow. The classification does seem to be different from the alps, and should generally be colored down. There are only a couple of black runs, a handful of reds which are more like tougher blues, and the rest is pretty gentle. Half of the runs are not exactly border friendly, and you are bound to get stuck on flat. But on the other hand you can make such loops where its all downhill-lift-downhill-lift...

  The chairlifts are all modern fast 4 seaters, with the exception of a few T and J bars.

  To be honest, Alps offer a lot more vertical descent, much longer runs, and probably more snow, at least on the pistes. But there is another aspect of Kopaonik to consider.

  Compared to the Alps, this place is CHEAP! Beer is not 5 euros a glass like it is in Italy or in France. They also don't serve 2.5dl beer like they do in Italy and France. UN should pass a resolution against 2.5dl beer glasses, it's just not right. Polenta (cornmeal?) the poor peasants food doesn't cost 15euros a plate like it does in Valle d'Aosta, but is quite inexpensive instead. You can get a decent steak meal with drinks for under 10euros a head. There are well equipped grocery stores no more expensive than supermarkets in the cities.

  I hate clubbing when im up in the mountains, but to each his own. There are lots of clubs and cafes here, and you can get properly wasted at a reasonable price. People are usually friendly and most of them speak English.

  I'd sum it up like this:

  If you are die hard rider/skier which cares only about being on the snow and you are on a budget when it comes to free days, don't waste them on Kopaonik. If you are looking for fun after the slopes as well as on them, Kopaonik is a good place to visit. If you are in the neighborhood, then by all means give it a shot.

• Kopaonik Ratings

  Based on 10 votes. Vote

  Access: 3.9 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Kopaonik.	Public Transport: 4.2 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Kopaonik, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 4.3 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 4.7 (1) No places to stay in/near Kopaonik, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 4.8 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 4.4 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Kopaonik.
  Ski in/Ski out: 5.0 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 4.3 (1) There are no child care facilities at Kopaonik, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 4.1 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Kopaonik is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 4.2 (1) Kopaonik relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 4.9 (1) There are no snow groomers at Kopaonik, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Kopaonik are groomed daily.	Shelter: 4.4 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Kopaonik is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 2.6 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Kopaonik, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 4.4 (1) Kopaonik usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 4.3 (1) The staff at Kopaonik are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Kopaonik are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 3.8 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 4.9 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 4.8 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 4.3 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Kopaonik has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 5.0 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 4.7 (1) No intermediate terrain at Kopaonik, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 3.9 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 4.1 (1) Not even a kicker at Kopaonik, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 4.0 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 3.2 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Kopaonik, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 2.2 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Kopaonik has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 4.7 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 4.8 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 4.9 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 4.0 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 4.1 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 3.6 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 4.3 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 4.8 (1) Overall, Kopaonik is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 4.7 (1) Overall, Kopaonik is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 10 votes. Vote

• October 22, 2010
  Andrija from Serbia
  

  I spent 7 days on Kopaonik. Nice Ski resort. I was in village Treska, about 3-4km from Ski centar. I spent 7 days with my girlfriend and one more couple in nice house with 2 apartments. I reserve it over internet on site www .kucaperisica.com.
  Go wisit Kopaonik, no mistake. :D

• October 09, 2010
  Jovan from Serbia
  

  Everything about last ski season was bad, starting with snow. But we had a great time at one of the hostels at Kopaonik! Log house with fireplace, wine and great food:)

• February 10, 2010
  jane beth from United Kingdom
  

  Went to Kopaonik with my husband after years of stories by Serbian friend of ours. We are a serious skiing couple having skied almost everything to be skied in Europe and North America. Some places we liked we skied even twice. Normally we ski twice a year and the problem we had was that this year we couldn't. Once it was, and after years of promising to D. it came down to Kopaonik. And what a disappointment it was. It is a weekend resort, two days tops. We skied it all in 2,5 hours and in horror realised that we are stuck here for a week. Our friend was not happy that we did not like it at Kopaonik. Told him the truth and then decided to go to join a group of our friends in Zermmat because there was not time for a second holiday this year.

• February 06, 2010
  Nesa from SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
  

  Some reviewers must have been drinking a lot for sure, either during your skiing in Kopaonik or during writing your joke of reviews.

• February 04, 2010
  Luca Dylan from Italy
  

  Have anyone ever been to a proper French, Swiss, Austrian or Italian resort? Kopaonik is a joke of a resort. Local Italian resorts offer more on their slopes than this place. Slope marking should be at least two colors down. Their black slope, in France, would not be a blue. We joke in places like this "its not black but dark blue". It is picturesque in a way but skiing is terribly boring. Food is all about meat, after a while you can't take it any more.

• January 21, 2010
  Dijana Trajković from SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
  

  Everybody is welcome in this fantastic resort (Kopaonik), where you can ski and have fun in the protected nature's resort with unique flora. However, I do not regret, not even a little bit, that protecting our land and our children, gets in the way of some good skiing. Some people should carry a name tag when skiing on Kopaonik, so that few of us can appoligise kindly when we see them.

• February 18, 2009
  george giannopoulos from Greece
  

  I visited Kop (Kopaonik) last year. We traveled by car from Athens, Greece to Kopaonik (Athens-Thessaloniki-skopje-Nis-brus-Kop). It took us about 12 hours. I was really very pleased with the facilities.
  Kopaonik offers everything (tennis, spa, basketball, football na salu) for skiers/snowboarders. You shouldn't bother to travel to Kopaonik if you'll not stay at least for a week.
  The people are very friendly and everything was cheap. The quality of the food was excellent. Don't forget to drink cetnik tea at the chalet right next to the fireplace.
  I wish Kopaonik wasn't so remote from Athens where I live, and also between Fyrom-Kossovo, that we should make a giant round trip to reach town of bus.
  I can't wait to get back to Kopaonik.
  Hvala srbija

• December 10, 2008
  olga from United Kingdom
  

  My impressions of Kopaonik are great. I had about 3 months of great fun over there during the last couple of years. People are friendly, they speak English and everything is quite cheap. Ski and Snowboard lessons were around 25eur per hour if you have individual lessons and around 150eur for 6 days of group lessons (you have 4 hours with instructor every day in a group of up to 6 people). The food is good, and if you are not going over there via touristic agency, check out "Vila Runolist" - it's a small private hotel, quite cheap - great food, nice rooms. It's in the near-by village, but you can get a cab for 3 pounds or mini-bus ride for less than a pound. If you're a snowboard-freak like me, check out the Jaram- slope and their snowboard school for some free-style lessons.
  And don't miss out on night life. :)

• January 22, 2008
  Gail Warrander from SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
  

  Mette
  We go from Pristina to Kopaonik all the time but you have to have a Serbian entry stamp due to Serbian politics. Annoying as it means going out into Macedonia and into Serbia and then into Kosovo. It's because Serbs don't recognise the Kosovo UNMIK borders.
  A pity that politics gets in the way of a good ski.
  There is another way to get to Kopaonik if you don't have a stamp and that's along with Kosovar serbs - they will make sure you get across the border. Ask a friendly K Serb in Mitrovica and they would find you a taxi driver to sort this out. Technically it's not really legal but...you would be spending money in Serbia.
  Sorry you didn't like the Pristina hotels. You probably had the wrong hotel - Ambasador, Royal, Ora, Prishtina are VERY nice indeed catering to internationals.
  Answer - buy the Bradt travel guides - one for Serbia and one for Kosovo. Then you don't make the stamp or hotel mistakes! I wrote the Kosovo guide. It is very detailed with lots of places to go.
  Pristina is no war zone. I have lived as an international for 5 years and plenty of my Danish friends enjoy it. OK, so it's not Belgrade but it's a lot better than some other towns in, say, Southern Serbia or Northern Albania.
  Gail

• January 21, 2008
  juliette langford from United Kingdom
  

  Came home yesterday, January 19th 2008. Very pretty resort with lovely skiing through the trees as well as some very good pistes. Not the best for advanced skiers as there are only a few black runs of which most seemed to be closed. Great for intermediates and a wonderful area for the children. Ski instructors speak good English and are very dedicated to teaching. Away from the pistes the resort is low key, not a lot to do in the evening unless you stay at the Grand which I did. There they have a pool and very good sports hall. There is quite a language problem, most locals do not have any English knowledge and ,of course, us the lazy Brits have no language skills either so cannot complain too much.
  The Grand hotel was ok. However, I would recommend staying in one of the many apartments instead, much better value and there are some excellent supermarkets. Overall, a lovely holiday with good, if not limited skiing. If you are thinking of Kopaonik, I am sure you will enjoy what it has to offer.

• December 01, 2007
  Matt from SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
  

  This winter, the skiing season started early.
  I was up for the weekend 24-25th November, only 4 ski-lifts were running but with only 200-300 people on the slopes it was brilliant. This weekend is even better (fresh few inches of snow yesterday) as mates are telling me today.
  Try the "Vucko" cafe hut on the top of Karaman ski-lift (No.7), with wolf skins on the walls and food cooked in front of you on the open stove.

• January 13, 2007
  CHRISTINE from Australia
  

  Whilst visiting relatives in Serbia January 2006 went to Kopaonik for 1 week
  Excellent snow and sking. Great friendly instructors. What it cost for a family for 1 week would have only been 1 days sking in Australia.
  People are so friendly. Accomodation may be basic but clean. They are really
  trying so hard, GIVE THEM A GO. You won't be disappointed.

• December 17, 2006
  Joy from SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
  

  I want to clarify some things about Kopaonik Mountain. It is in Southern Serbia, and best way to get there is form Belgrade Airport(150 miles) which is largest in Country or Nis Airport(60 miles).Currency is Serbian Dinar (1pound about 115 Dinars. Ski Resorts are very nice and best hotel is Grand Hotel (but most expensive ) People in Serbia are very friendly and they will help you if you have experience any issue.
  In every hotel you can change your money, or use yours credit cards (visa and master card are most common).
  My recommendation is to celebrate New Year Evening in Belgrade(capital of Serbia visited by 100000 turist from Slovenia and other Southern Countries) and after that go to Kopaonik Mountain for Skiing.
  

  More information you can find on http://www.tckopaonik.com/
  Best Regards, Joy

• December 12, 2006
  Neil from United Kingdom
  

  For snow, see the webcam at http://www.jatkopaonik.com/kamera.html

• November 28, 2006
  isam from United Kingdom
  

  Kopaonik is a wonderful place to ski and enjoy the mountains. Rasha the ski instructor taught us how to ski from scratch. It is very good value for money.
  That mountain took away all the stress i had. The locals are friendly, the food
  well I hope they improve on it but don't worry the beer makes up for it.

• October 15, 2006
  sheki from SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
  

  Mette Helbæk from DENMARK
  Sir,I am a Kosovar from Prizren, town nearby Brezovica ,sorry you didn't have good time ,but be sure in the very near future, you'll enjoy in Kosova and Brezovica. If possible let me be your host. I assure you safety and fun.
  sheki772000@yahoo.com

• February 28, 2006
  Lee from United States
  

  There is a mistake in Claire's post from UK:
  "Skiing was fantastic, despite the sub zero temperatures. A consequence of the Siberian weather."
  Kopaonik is in Serbia, NOT Siberia, which is a part of Russia, so it should be written as "Serbian weather."

• February 08, 2006
  Mette Helbæk from Denmark
  

  Please be aware that it's not possible to go from Pristina to Kopaonik. We tried after seeing a great snow forecast but had to return back home after one day.

  Pristina is a warzone and the hotels suck. We booked at The Grand in Kapaonik but never made it there.

  Mette & Flemming - Denmark

• January 31, 2006
  Claire from United Kingdom
  

  I just got back from Serbia a couple of days ago. This is easily one of the best resorts I have been to.
  Skiing was fantastic, despite the sub zero temperatures. A consequence of the Siberian weather.
  Challenging enough for intermediates who don't want to do black runs and lots of nicely linked blues and reds.
  I stayed in the Konaci apartments which were basic but clean and tidy. Its' advantage is that it is close to the main ski lift. The instructor was very good and spoke excellent English. Would definitely recommend it to all my friends.

• January 30, 2006
  richard jacobs from United Kingdom
  

  First visit to Serbia, arrived back on the 30/01/06.
  Excellent skiing, perfect for beginners, lots of snow.
  Only one hotel worth staying in and that was The Grand, unfortunatly we were not there and in The Putnik, which is a health hazard, be warned.
  The skiing made up for it.

• January 10, 2006
  chris from United Kingdom
  

  First visit to Kopaonik. Learned to snow-board, weather fab, loads of snow, fab resort

• November 21, 2005
  olivera from SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
  

  Visit Kopaonik!!! The people are great, and after skiing there are many places for extra fun!!! And above all, it is very cheap compered with other resorts!