Montenegro is known worldwide for its summer leisure activities, sea, beaches and sun. However, Russian-speaking tourists have yet to discover it as a skiing destination. Montenegro in winter is also pleasant will please skiing fans. Kolašin is one of two ski resorts in Montenegro. It is the best maintained of the two.
The slopes are located in 8.5 km from Kolašin. For that reason I will cover the KOLASIN ski resort 1450 and the town of Kolašin separately.
Ski resort
The resort was built in the Yugoslav era. It was not fully developed because the main ski resort in Montenegro was Žabljak and in Serbia it was Kopaonik. In 2008, Kolašin came to the attention of the Beppler & Jacobson investment company. The company entirely rebuilt the two largest hotels, Bianka and Lipka, upgrading them to 4*. The ski resort along with the hotels was reequipped and reorganised. The resort now complies to all relevant European safety and quality standards.
Due to small height variations and different tracks, the Kolašin ski resort is perfect for beginners and intermediate skiers alike. Even an experienced skier will find it interesting with freestyle tracks and unbroken snow. Visitors will be impressed by the beauty of the place. It could not fail to please.
The skiing season in Kolašin starts from the end of December and lasts until mid-April. There is a possibility that there will be no snow at Christmas in Kolašin, it is not very deep. However, it is always snowy from mid-January to the end of March.
Tracks
There are 7 tracks in total, not including the passes between them. They go through the forest and intertwine so you can alter your descent route each time. The lowest spot is at 1.450m above the sea level. The highest one is 1.973m. Most people start their descent at 1.840-1.850m. Unbroken snow can be found only under the lifts and the mountain tops where there is no forest. Instructors will not guide you there.
Lifts
There are five lifts in Kolašin, not including the lift for children. Three of them are T-bar lifts (3, 4, 5) and two are chair lifts (1, 2). Lift #1 is the most popular. It is a modern 6-space chairlift, that gets you on the very top in 6 minutes. Its throughput means it is impossible to queue for more than 3 minutes. T-bar lift #4 is goes non-stop and is also quite popular, especially amongst beginners. Even in peak season you will not need to queue for more than 5-7 minutes. T-bar lift #3 is usually in operation during the high season. Lift #5 that gets you to the very peak rarely operates. It is only in operation if there are a lot of skiers and the weather is fine. Lift #2 is old fashioned. There are only two spaces per chair, it is slow and there is an exit halfway. The ride to the peak takes about 20 minutes. There is no queue (understandably). It operates almost all the time when the weather is fine at the top.
Equipment
Almost all the lifts are new and in perfect condition. There are no power cuts or breakdowns. Even in the event of a power cut in the region all the lifts can get passengers to the top.
Snow cannons are installed at the widest and the most popular spot, the finishing part of track #5. The same part of the track has night lighting from 7pm to 10pm during Christmas holidays and weekends when there are a lot of skiers.
Rental equipment (skis, poles, boots, snowboards) is manufactured by Head, in good condition and is regularly updated.
Rado trucks, snowploughs, emergency snowmobiles, tourniquets and the other equipment at the resort is modern and well-maintained.
Kolašin Ski Resort Prices
SKI PASS per a day is €25, per two days it is €41.5, etc.
Standard equipment rent is €13/day, premium costs €19/day.
4 hours of instruction will cost €60
Parking is €1/hour.
There are significant discounts for extended periods of time that include equipment, SKI PASS and tutelage.
There are also two restaurants with heated terraces. The cuisine is good but the prices are higher than average.
Mulled wine is not very popular here so may not be available. Bring your own spices and thermos. Good wine is readily available…
Transport
You can get to the ski resort from Kolašin by taxi (a one way journey is €10-14) or catch the SKI BUS. The bus routes are organised by the Bianka and Lipka hotels so it’s free for their guests. Hotel staff say that only residents can take their buses. But you can catch it even if you are not staying there. It is about €3-4. If you are not staying at these hotels ask your hotel where to take the bus. The schedule varies from year to year.
You can also rent a car and drive there.This is the best option for a large group wanting to travel around the whole country. If you rent a car, you can also visit Žabljak and spend some time skiing. The journey takes about 2 hours each way. If you rent a car be sure to check that it is complete with winter equipment such as wheel chains.
Check car rental prices
Transfer from the airport
You can drive to Kolasin by yourself if you rent a car from Podgorica or Tivat airport. When picking up the car, make sure there is a set of snow chains in the trunk.
From TiIvat and Podgorica airports, you can travel to Kolašin by bus with a few changes or book a personal transfer. It is best to order a car in advance as taxis at the airport will cost you 2-3 times more than standard fare.
You can order your transfer using the fixed tariff on the corresponding page here.
Town
From a sightseeing perspective Kolašin is rather unremarkable. There are no famous monuments, old buildings, or bustling museums. The town is considered to be at the heart of mountain tourism in Montenegro throughout the year. Aside from visiting in winter to ski and snowboard, visitors also come in the summer. European visitors like the fresh forest air, mountain footpaths and natural beauty of the coast. From a tourism perspective the town is quite developed.
The local area has a few places of interest that are worth a visit. Choose from the Morača monastery on the road to Podgorica, the city of Podgorica with its clubs, restaurants, bowling, snooker halls, darts club (pikado in Montenegrin dialect), theatre and a 3D cinema. There is also Lake Biograd national park, note that it is closed to visitors in winter. There is Đurđevića Tara bridge over the Tara river on the road to Žabljak. On the map you will also see Lake Plava, however there is nothing to do there in the winter, as the roads are covered in snow and it freezes over almost entirely.
There are two larger hotels and a dozen smaller boutique hotels in the town itself. There are also a lot of apartments and houses for rent. You can check the prices at various websites that offer accommodation in Kolašin. Note that the New Year prices, namely from Dec 25 to Jan 14 are twice as high and rooms are sometimes already booked up by November.
In Kolašin there are several restaurants and many cafes. I would like to mention two in particular. Savardak and Konoba, both are marked on our map. The word savardak describes something akin to a wigwam, built by locals. The restaurant resembles an old fashioned savardak inside and out. The menu is rather basic with only a few choices. It has not changed for years perhaps because the dishes are the staples of local cuisine (that you won’t find at the coast) and they are extremely delicious. After a few visits you will have sampled the entire menu, the wonderful memory of the food will stay with you.
The Konoba restaurant is located in the centre of Kolašin. The menu is more extensive. The cuisine is also very fine. The most notable thing here is the atmosphere and the interior. It is warm, cosy and original, resembling an old wooden cabin of a local villager. In the evening the tables are candlelit and the rooms are decorated with burning wooden chips for additional lighting.
In terms of entertainment there are a couple discos where local and teenage tourists gather. Sometimes, there is a children’s skating rink in the town centre. There are many sled hills. For New Year and Christmas the town is decorated with strings of coloured lights and Christmas trees. In the main square, there is a hot fountain. Locals greet each other in a special way instead of a regular hello. The festive mood is palpable and that Christmas feeling will stay with you. It is like being in a Christmas fairy tale.
Climate and Weather in Kolašin
