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Nord Freeride Cat Skiing Packages

Nord Freeride Cat Skiing Packages5/51
Nord Freeride Cat Skiing Packages5 out of 5 based on 1 reviews
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Nord Freeride Cat Skiing Packages Enquire
Price p/p From price based on 8-day Sunday to Sunday package, twin share
Base/invoice currency is in EUR inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 2,067

GUIDED CAT SKIING PACKAGE
4 or 8 Days | 4 or 7 Nights | 3 or 6 Days Cat Skiing

Location: Europe | Tour Focus: Guided | Terrain Focus: Backcountry
Ability: Intermediate to Advanced
Price p/p From price based on 8-day Sunday to Sunday package, twin share
Base/invoice currency is in EUR inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 2,067
Great value catskiing on the remote north side of the Sharr Mountains in Kosovo. With a maximum of 12 guests/tour, ride up to 3,500m vertical/day on descents up to 7km long. Standard packages include 6-days of cat skiing, all meals & drinks, transfers & accommodation. Go solo or in a group & join a 4 or 8-day tour ...
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Fixed Date(s)
Days
Price
Availability
Fixed Date(s): Dec 15 - Dec 22, 2024
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Enquire
Fixed Date(s): Dec 15 - Dec 19, 2024
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Enquire
Fixed Date(s): Dec 22 - Dec 26, 2024
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Enquire
Fixed Date(s): Dec 22 - Dec 29, 2024
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Enquire
Fixed Date(s): Dec 29 - Jan 05, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Dec 29 - Jan 02, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Jan 05 - Jan 09, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Jan 05 - Jan 12, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Jan 12 - Jan 19, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Jan 12 - Jan 16, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Jan 19 - Jan 23, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Jan 19 - Jan 26, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Jan 26 - Feb 02, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Jan 26 - Jan 30, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Feb 02 - Feb 06, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Feb 02 - Feb 09, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Feb 09 - Feb 16, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Feb 09 - Feb 13, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Feb 16 - Feb 20, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Feb 16 - Feb 23, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Feb 23 - Mar 02, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Feb 23 - Jan 30, 2025
Days: -23
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 02 - Mar 06, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 02 - Mar 09, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 09 - Mar 16, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 09 - Mar 16, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 16 - Mar 20, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 16 - Mar 23, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 23 - Mar 30, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 23 - Mar 27, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 30 - Apr 03, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Mar 30 - Apr 06, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Available
Fixed Date(s): Apr 06 - Apr 13, 2025
Days: 8
Price: USD 2,067
Availability: Enquire
Fixed Date(s): Apr 06 - Apr 10, 2025
Days: 5
Price: USD 1,181
Availability: Enquire
Future rates & dates are currently not yet available for this operator. Click here to enquire.
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Nord Freeride Cat Skiing Package

Overview

Nord Freeride is a new cat skiing operation which ran its first season for winter 22/23. With a newly renovated lodge and a mass of untouched terrain in the snow-sure, north-aspect slopes of the Shar Mountains in Kosovo, the experience will be the best combination of exploration, comfort & adventure, but with an affordable price & a small number of guests per tour. The cat ski terrain has loads of features, with runs up to 7km long and total daily skiable verticals of 3,500m+. The Skarpa Lodge provides the accommodation & base in a ski-in location at 1,550m altitude. Catski days start directly from the lodge.

The packages are 4 or 8-days at a time, all starting on a Sunday. An 8-day package runs from Sunday to Sunday throughout winter and includes return airport transfers from Pristina, 7-nights accommodation, full board (all meals and drink), 6 days cat skiing, safety gear and other activities. A 4-day package runs from Sunday to Thursday and has all the same inclusions as the 8-day tour, but only has 3 days cat skiing and 4 nights full board accommodation. See a full program on the Itinerary page.

Make a Booking Enquiry ->

Nord Freeride Cat Ski Packages
Nord Freeride Catski Tour
Nord Freeride Cat Skiing Package

Snow & Terrain

The ski & snowboard terrain at Nord Freeride looks tasty and is well suited to skiers & snowboarders looking for their first experience of cat skiing. The Sharr Mountains in this region usually receives generous storms through winter, granting reliable coverage usually from mid-December to late April. The Sharr Mountains terrain here is predominantly northerly aspect providing mostly excellent snow conditions, & ranges across a massive rolling plateau of peaks & valleys to the North Macedonia border from 2,600m+ elevation down to 1,550m.

The cat-skiing terrain is gigantic and covers more than 3,500 hectares, with over 40+ named descends at last count. Freeride skiing & boarding options are nearly unlimited here, with every day bringing a new and untouched slope. From large open bowls & cruisy descents to steep powder lines & tasty couloirs, the runs are up to 7km+. Maximum skiable vertical per run is usually between 500 & 700m at altitudes of between 1,800 to 2,500m. Each day has at least seven or more runs on a new and untouched slope (weather permitting of course!). Daily skiable vertical is usually 3,500m, but can be more depending on the group's ability & the snow/weather conditions.

The high alpine is largely treeless, but some lower slopes, particularly near the lodge, have light trees, allowing Nord Freeride to operate in some poor visibility conditions. Close to the lodge, Nord’s Ride run provides 550m of skiable vertical in all but the absolute worst conditions, plus there are the 'Forest Runs' for those misty mountain days with no visibility. Whilst it is possible that conditions during your ski trip will disappoint you, on a backcountry cat ski trip you must accept the fact that the operator has no control over the weather! The Nord Freeride policy is to ski every day and make a big effort to have fun - even if the conditions are not terrific. A notion of “you win some, and you lose some” when it comes to weather is a realistic attitude to adopt on any ski trip! A nice addition is the T-bar surface tow next to Skarpa Lodge that serves around 100m of vertical in the trees above the lodge.

Lodging & Dining

All week-long cat ski packages include 7-nights accommodation at the Skarpa Lodge located at around 1,550m altitude at the base of the main skiing terrain, not too far from the village of Zaplluxhe. The lodge was built in 2020 and is reachable with standard vehicles (as it has a brand-new asphalt road) and has a modern architecture along traditional mountainous lines. Accommodation spaces have stunning views of the surrounding nature. The restaurant is on the first floor, with the second floor having 8 bedrooms, all with private bathrooms & showers (6 rooms with 2 single beds 2 family rooms with 4 beds). Additionally there are brand new Villas just 50m from the Lodge) that can provide more private lodgings at an additional price.

Transfers from/to Pristina airport & the lodge are included in the package. Cat skiing starts directly at the lodge, and some runs even finish there!

Full board with drinks is included in the tariff. All the food is organic (meet, dairy, fruits, vegetables etc.) source from the surrounding mountain regions. One dinner will include to roasting of an entire lamb, and the last night will be spent dining in the best restaurant & bars of the nearby city of Prizren, where the first drink is on Nord Freeride and then you are up for the rest! Drinks with dinner at the lodge include great local wine and awesome local Balkan’s Rakia (strong alcohol!). The restaurant at the lodge is the centre of the lodge's social activities.

Nord Freeride Cat Ski Packages
Nord Freeride Catski Tour
Nord Freeride Cat Skiing Package

Location

Nord Freeride is located in the far southwest of Kosovo close to the mountain town of Zaplluxhe. The closest major airport in the Kosovan capital of Pristina. The Pristina (PRN) International Airport is around 101km from the lodge, or about 1½hr drive depending on conditions. Cat ski packages with Nord Freeride include return transfers from the airport to the lodge. For more information on the location see the Nord Freeride Location page.

Groups & Ski Ability

Cat ski packages will run every week and require a minimum of seven guests, in private or mixed groups. A maximum of 12 guests can be catered for in the lodge. The terrain is all untracked backcountry off-piste so strong intermediates & above can enjoy the variety of options. Experience in variable snow off-piste snow conditions, including deep powder is essential to enjoy a trip to Nord Freeride. If you are not confident that your skiing & snowboarding ability or your fitness is at the required level, please let them know in advance before booking your trip. If you are unable to keep up with your snowcat group, your guide may ask that you sit out for one or multiple runs. A snowcat can only move as fast as the slowest participant in the group. While the booking team always attempts to put skiers of like ability together when booking participants into a mixed snowcat, the only way to guarantee the speed and ability of your group is to book the entire snowcat with like-minded friends

Make a Booking Enquiry ->

Typical 8-Day Cat Skiing Package Itinerary

All 8-day tours run from Sunday to Sunday, and 4-day tours run from Sunday to Thursday. Whilst the itinerary shown below is for an 8-day tour, the program for the 4-day tour is the same except departure will on the the Thursday morning.

Day 1 Sunday: Arrival & Transfer to Nord Freeride Skarpa Lodge

After your arrival at Prishtina International Airport “Adem Jashari” (PRN), you will be greeted by the Nord Freeride driver at either 12pm or 5pm, and be transferred to the mountain lodge at 1,550m. Transfer will be less than 1½hr. Get settled into the lodge. Meet your guide and spend some time talking about safety plus familiarize yourself with your avalanche transceiver. Dinner is served at around 6pm. Each meal includes organic local food (meet, dairy, fruits, vegetables etc), and dinners include great local wine and awesome Balkan’s Rakia (strong alcohol).

Day 2 Monday: Catski Day

Breakfast at 8am. Cat-skiing “Nord’s Ride” (2,409m), from 9am to 3.30 pm. 4pm Lunch Served. 7pm Dinner served.

Day 3 Tuesday: Catski Day

Breakfast at 8am. Cat-skiing “2 Lake” (2,409m), from 9am to 3.30 pm. 4pm Lunch Served. 7pm Dinner served.

Day 4 Wednesday: Catski Day (& Lamb Day!)

Breakfast at 8am. Day of cat skiing & snowboarding on “Skarpa” (2,474m), from 9am to 3.30 pm. At 4pm, you can help cook a whole local lamb with an 'old school' grill in the Lodge’s garden. The lamb will be a local, mountain bred & raised & all organic. It will be a very delicious one indeed!

Day 5 Thursday: Catski day

Breakfast at 8am. Day of cat skiing & snowboarding on “Lake Peak” (2,604m), from 9am to 3.30 pm. 4pm Lunch served. 7pm Dinner served.

Note - Anyone on a 4-day tour will depart for the airport after breakfast on this day

Day 6 Friday: Catski Day

Breakfast at 8am. Day of skiing & snowboarding in the “Forest Runs”, from 9am to 3.30 pm. The 'Forest Runs' are utilised on day's of poor visibilty too! 4pm Lunch served. 7pm Dinner served.

Day 7 Saturday: Catski Day & Night Out in Prizren City

Breakfast at 8am. Day of skiing & snowboarding on “Black Rock” (2,474m) , usually from 9am to 3.30 pm. 4pm Lunch served. At 6pm, head for a night out to Prizren city to dinner in one of the best local restaurants, plus some great bars (1st drink drink is on Nord Freeride!).

Day 8 Sunday: Last Day & Farewell

Breakfast at 8am. The driver will pick you up in the morning and transfer you back to the Pristina International Airport .

NOTE: This itinerary is a guide. The days will be dictated by weather & snow conditions

Nord Freeride Cat Ski Packages
Nord Freeride Catski Tour
Nord Freeride Cat Skiing Package

Rates & Inclusions

Rates

8-Day Package (7 nights, 6 cat ski days): from €1,883
4-Day Package (4 nights, 3 cat ski days): from €1,076

Inclusions
  • CAT SKIING: 6 full days of guided cat skiing
  • ACCOMMODATION: 7 nights accommodation at Skarpa Lodge
  • MEALS: Full board - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, soft drinks
  • TRANSPORT: All ground transport during the tour, incl return airport transfers Prishtina <--> Skarpa Lodge
  • AVALANCHE SAFETY GEAR: Including BCA airbag backpack, shovel, probe & transceiver
  • GUIDING: 2 guides per snowcat (max guide to guest ratio 1:6)
  • SKI LIFT: Use of T-bar ski lift near lodge
  • OTHER: Sightseeing & restaurant nights in nearby town of Prizren
  • SMALL GROUP: Maximum 12 guests
Add-ons
  • ROOM UPGRADE: Private villa at Skarpa Lodge - price on request
  • EXTRA DAYS: Price on request
Not Included
  • FLIGHTS: To Pristina (PRN) - Search for cheapest flights here
  • INSURANCE: Ski travel Insurance
  • OTHER: Alcoholic drinks & any other personal expenses not listed as inclusions
  • SKI & SNOWBOARD GEAR

General Terms & Conditions

As per agreed terms & conditions with the tour operator, Nord Freeride, at the time of booking, and including, but not limited to, any T&Cs listed below. Any contractual arrangements as a result of a booking enquiry are directly with the tour operator and is subject to their terms and conditions.

Specific Terms and Conditions

Reservation & Payment

Most activities require pre-booking, and some activities require a minimum number of guests to run. Minimum of 7 riders per one Snowcat are needed per week in order for Nord Freeride to start operating, therefore we initially book accordingly through our booking system before we move on to the reservation stage.

To confirm your reservation, a 25% non‐refundable deposit is required on booking. To fully reserve your space, the final payment of the remaining 75% is required 60 days prior to commencement of your package. If booking less than 60 days prior to start of the ski package, full payment is due to confirm and secure the space. There is also a possibility to fully book the reservation by paying the full amount with one bank transfer, the full amount for 4 or 8-days package as described on the website.

For full group bookings, we will accept either a group deposit & final payment, or an individual deposit and final payment from each group member. All our rates are quoted in Euro and include all applicable levies and taxes. Payments are made by bank transfer, only payable to: Beneficiary ’Nord Freeride’.

Anyone with food concerns or a medical condition we should be made aware of, should let us know prior to their arrival.

Cancellation Policy

By booking and paying for your trip, you are accepting cancellation terms and policies as set out below:
All cancellations must be made by email, and it is affective only when this email is received at Nord Freeride office and when our office will have confirmed the email.
If you cancel your reservation and we are able to sell your spot to another person at full price then payment will be refunded to the guest once the seat has been filled and payment has been received.
If you are unable to come at the last minute due to injury, travel complications, inability to enter the country, etc... there will be no refunds or ski credits given.
If cancelations are made 60 days prior (or less) to the start date of the package then there would be no refunds of the package.

Cancellation from Nord Freeride

If a tour is cancelled prior to the start (full 8 days package) from Nord Freeride due to extreme weather conditions, lack of snow, mechanical or safety reasons, we will issue a credit forward towards your tour in the following weeks or in the following year equal to 100% of the value of payments received. The guests reserves the right to ask for a full refund back upon this case, in this case Nord Freeride will issue a full refund.

If a tour is partially cancelled after the start of the tour, due to the Snowcat mechanical failure, we will issue a prorated credit equal to the cancelled days, however there would be no refund for the accommodation part (Lodge, food).

The daily refund to the guest’s for the Snowcat failure part would be 150 Eur.

There would be no refunds after the tour has started if there might be high level of fog, however in such occurrence we will try to Catski close to our lodge (4. Nord’s Ride 1550m to 2100m) or even find some spots close by to jump etc.

Please keep in mind that although the Sharr mountains are an excellent location, especially at Nord Freeride 90%+ runs are faced north side, for over 90% of the time we have good or excellent powder snow conditions, it is possible that conditions during your ski trip will disappoint you. Please accept the fact that we have no control over the weather and will not give refunds due to poor conditions. Unlike day operations, our policy is to ski every day and make a big effort to have fun – even if the conditions are not terrific. Guests must accept that “you win some, and you lose some” when it comes to weather.

Trip Insurance

We recommend purchasing trip insurance for guest-initiated trip cancellations or delays, and for sickness or injury. You will not receive a refund from Nord Freeride if you do not attend or complete your trip for these reasons. Guests should also carry adequate medical insurance to cover unforeseen costs in the event of injury.

Required Level of Skill

Guests should have a good fitness level and an intermediate or advanced ability to powder ski or board. If you are not confident that your skiing & snowboarding ability or your fitness is at the required level, please let us know in advance before booking your trip. If you are unable to keep up with your snowcat group, your guide may ask that you sit out for one or multiple runs.

Guests will not be reimbursed for any missed time that arises due to a lack of basic fitness or powder skiing ability.

A snowcat can only move as fast as the slowest participant in the group. While our booking team always attempts to put skiers of like ability together when booking participants into a mixed snowcat, the only way to guarantee the speed and ability of your group is to book the entire snowcat with like minded friends.

Lodge (Accommodation) & Safety

Nord Freeride Lodge is a small 2 floor private lodge with a huge garden, please refer to a first pic of our website. First floor is our Restaurant and on the second floor there are a total of 5 rooms which each private bathrooms with shower. Two of the rooms are much bigger and can take 3 guests (3 private beds) and the rest of the 3 rooms are lodge rooms with double private beds.

On the the first day of your trip the guide will spend some time with talking about safety. It will also be an opportunity to familiarize yourself with your transceiver.

Avalanche Air Bag Guest Packs & Radios

Each guest at Nord Freeride will be provided with an Air Bag and a transceiver.

Liability

All guests must read, understand, and sign the Nord Freeride Catskiing participant waiver (sent over by email) together with a final booking, note that you cannot participate on our tour without Waiver signature.

Nord Freeride reserves the right to require a guest to sit out from skiing/snowboarding for one or multiple runs if they deem that the guest’s ability or fitness does not meet the basic required level and/or poses a safety risk to themselves or the snowcat group.

Nord Freeride reserves the right to terminate a guest’s stay without refund should the behaviour of a guest compromise the general safety of staff or other lodge guests, and/or constitute sexual harassment of a staff member or lodge guest.

Waiver (A must sign Document)

Prior to your trip you will be asked to accept these risks in writing by signing the “Release of Liability, Waiver of Claims, Assumption of Risks and Indemnity Agreement“. A properly and fully completed waiver is required from each guest prior to your trip.