Slovenia has a number of skiing havens that are quickly becoming the highlight of quality yet pocket-friendly skiing adventures within tourism circles. The country has a handful of resorts offering just that with skiing differing from one location to another which forms the subject of today’s discussion as we delve into how the experience on the ice is like from resort to resort. Without further ado, let’s straight away get into the Vogel vs Kranjska Gora showdown.
1) Vogel
Cast against the backdrop of the resounding winter attraction that is Lake Bohinj, Vogel makes up one of the country’s most popular resorts. From an infrastructural point of view, the resort has 1 gondola, 16 lifts (8 drag lifts & 8 chairlifts), and 18 km of piste shared equally between red and black variations. Vogel relies heavily on natural snow generated by the Julian Alps thanks to its position as the first slope in that range which sets it as the first point of contact for wind and moisture from the Adriatic. Consequently, the skiing season can play until the latter period of April and needs not to be topped up with artificial snowmaking.
The course at Vogel runs out an elevation varying from 570m to 1800m and provides longer and harder pistes as well as dramatic off-piste that only seasoned skiers can match. However, black runs for experienced professionals are quite limited but the Graben run can present a formidable challenge when the conditions are just right offering distances just shy of 9 km for an elevation reaching up to 1230 vertical meters. Intermediates and newbies, on the other hand, can try their luck at the nursery plateau which is accessible via cable car.
2) Kranjska Gora
Unlike the aforementioned, Kranjska Gora relies a great deal on artificial snowmaking which accounts for about 70% of the snow generated in the area. It is also a rather reserved resort in comparison with skiing trails totaling up to 12km (4 km shorter than Vogel’s total haul) which is made up of black, red and blue pistes spanning out 4, 5 and 3 km respectively with the notable presence of blue pistes giving it an edge over Vogel. It also betters its counterpart on the infrastructural aspect particularly with regards to lifts as the resort avails more options consisting of 13 drag lifts and 6 chairlifts although it doesn’t have a Gondola which is where Vogel comes out on top.
Kranjska Gora is a more popular resort than Vogel and has consequently seen World Cup competitions grace its residence which could be down to the endearing Alpine valley (Zgornjesavska) and the giant ski jump in Planica which offer great Alpine skiing challenges and makes for nice viewing. Ski runs range between 800 and 1215 meters altitude wise- which is considerably lower than Vogel’s highest of 1800m- availing different challenges for novices, children and experienced boarders and skiers.
Skiing in Kranjska Gora is quite different from skiing in Vogel but, all in all, these two resorts offer a great experience encompassing nice pistes, lovely cross-country courses, endearing off-piste trails and inviting slopes perfect for all levels of skiing.
