Brezovica Ski Resort Kosovo

Brezovica is Kosovo's main ski resort & despite having suffered badly since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, still provides an intriguing ski experience for any intrepid. Powderhound. What Brezovicë lacks in charm, lift capacity & groomed trails, it makes up for in freeride terrain, hospitality & cultural experience.

What lifts do turn are generally old & unreliable. Whilst still popular, it is now a shadow of its former self but is trying to re-invent itself. The resort has been trying to get 'back in the game' in the last few years - grooming some slopes, running more of the ancient chairlifts & even cranking up the most questionable funicular we have ever seen (albeit on a wholly unreliable schedule). New hotels have even sprung up down the road from the resort.

The demise of the lifts at Brezovicë led one local to start up a cat ski operation, Dane Freeride - a boon for powder hounds. Putting aside the unreliable nature of the ski lifts; the snow & terrain is still world class & Brezovica is worth visiting when conditions are good. And who knows what the future holds. All it will take is someone that's got a few dollars laying about doing nothing to invest in the future of this once glorious ski resort.

Pros & Cons for Brezovica Ski Resort

Pros

• Quality snow & reliable snowpack;
• Superb alpine terrain providing great freeride & tree skiing opportunities;
• Easy access to uncrowded backcountry powder skiing & snowboarding;
• Some good, groomed trails & freeride tree skiing from the lifts (when they run!);
• The freeride terrain is devoid of any other people;
• Cat-skiing available;
• High adventure in an intriguing part of the Balkans;
• A genuine cultural experience;
• Delicious food & warm hospitality.;
• Easy to get to if using a transfer organised by a local tour operator;
• Excellent value - in fact its positively cheap!

Cons

• Ski lifts are old & relatively unreliable (but getting better!).
• Limited piste trails for international visitors (but that's not why you are here.... is it?).
• Resort facilities have a general 'run-down' feel (but its slowly improving).
• High alpine terrain can quite wind affected.
• The access road & resort car parking are an adventure in & of themselves when snow covered!
• Independent travel is difficult.
• The best hotels are not in the resort and are further down the road!

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Not a 'family friendly' ski destination.
• The unreliable lifts do provide excellent opportunities for cat skiing & ski touring on powder days.
• The resort village is compact & quiet, with only a few hotels & bars.
• Travel in Kosovo still has a bit of an 'edge' to it, with a visible military presence (K-For) that may or may not appeal to visitors.

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain

The Brezovica skiing & snowboarding terrain is as good as any ski resort in the world. A broad north aspect alpine bowl leads into light trees & skiable terrain over 1,600m to the valley floor. Lift served terrain has diminished since its glory days currently sitting at around 570m vertical if the lifts actually turn. Groomed piste trails are limited. The grooming standard is average at best, but apparently, is on the improve. Below the resort lifts are long tree runs & an open ridge that works its way down into Štrpce. Your own transport needs to be arranged for these runs. (Dane Freeride can do this).

The ski lifts at Brezovica are its single biggest let down. If the lifts opened at an identifiable time, went all the way to the summit ridge & were managed more professionally, Brezovicë could be a fantastic place to ski. Sadly, of the 7 ‘active’ lifts, we only saw 4 going at any one time. (There are more allegedly running in the years since we visited.) Some of the resorts best advanced terrain is no longer lift-accessible due ‘inactive’ lifts rotting away in the extreme weather. The lift system used to reach 2,522m elevation, but unfortunately no longer. Then again, if the lifts were modern & fully functioning there may not be a cat-ski operation here, so maybe for the spoilt minority, it’s a good thing! Regardless, for the princely lift price sum of €18 (20/21 price), we suppose it doesn’t really matter how well the lifts run, as long as they get one up the hill safely, which they sort of do.

The Brezovicë lift lines (short as they are) have a comfortable food & drink feature that few ski resorts enjoy. Local vendors set up stalls selling drinks ( incl. beer & rakija shots) & snacks, meaning you never have to leave the queue if feeling a bit peckish.

See the most recent ski trail map for Brezovica below. Note that some of the upper ski lifts are not currently functioning (damn shame!). Skinning up that terrain costs nothing except a bit of sweat; which is probably worth the price on a powder day!

Brezovica Ski Trail Map

Where is Brezovica Kosovo?

The Brezovica ski centre is in the south of the Republic of Kosovo, 12km by potholed road from the town of Štrpce. The Kosovo capital of Pristina is 80km to the north of the ski area & the North Macedonian capital of Skopje is only 71km (2hr in winter) by road to the south. Flights to either Pristina (PRN) or Skopje (SKP) international airports are readily available from within Europe.

Note though that crossing borders by land into Kosovo can be 'interesting' to say the least, so we recommend travelling with a local guide, host or transport company, rather than driving yourself. If looking to travel independently within Kosovo, a rental car can be a handy way of getting around, with the Pristina airport being the best place to rent.

Brezovica Accommodation

Brezovicë ski resort has a compact village with 3 main accommodation options. If booked in for cat skiing, Dane Freeride has some basic 'in-house' lodging for groups of up to 10 people located at the entrance to the resort. The attached David's bar & restaurant is fabulous. Aside from the cozy warmth plus fine food & drink, David's Restaurant Pub is the perfect viewing location to watch the morning carnage of vehicles slipping & sliding their way up the treacherous single lane into the resort (you have got to admire the determination or sheer bloody mindedness of the drivers). Would make a great location for a segment in a Warren Miller movie. Pedestrians beware! Further up the hill are two ski-in ski-out hotels.

The huge concrete monolith that is Hotel Molika is the main 'resort' hotel. It provides superb value half board lodgings (20/21 prices - €26 per person, twin share with breakfast & dinner), but has definitely seen better days & may not be everyone's cup of tea. Leave your Alps or Dolomites accommodation expectations behind & it could suffice. A high-priced alternative is the nearby Woodland Hotel. A quality establishment but woefully overpriced in the local scheme of things. Both hotels are accessible by foot or snowmobile from the lower car park.

Down the road below the resort, several very good hotels have more recently opened. The Rock Hotel Brezovica & Brezovica Hotel & SPA are the best of them, but it is uncertain how you would get up to the resort. Presumably there would a local shuttle, but we cannot conform it!

Search & book here for all Brezovica ski accommodation.

Review

The Powderhounds skied Brezovica in 2019 & found it to be a fascinating ski & snow travel experience. See our review via the link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile).

See how Brezovica compares to the rest of the European ski resorts on the Europe ski resort ratings page.

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