Mariborsko Pohorje, Slovenia: A First-minute Alpine Adventure

By Author: Boštjan Hozjan
Total Articles: 3698
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The Maribor part of Mariborsko speaks of Slovenia's sizable Maribor city with a populace of 110,000. However, recent census suggests that with the opening of the EU, the residents have slowly dwindled. The population, in turn, has literally gotten smaller. The surroundings include the Drava Plains and Drava Valley at the base of the Pohorje mountain range. Maribor is less than 150 km from Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital city. You'll have plenty of solidified history as told through the surrounding walls, historic town center and vintage architecture.

Mariborsko Pohorje, Slovenia, as the long name suggest, is rightfully Slovenia's largest winter ski area. Starting at just 325 meters and rising to over 1300 meters above sea level, Mariborsko Pohorje guarantees up to a hundred days of white powdery snow covering mountainous slopes. Additionally, the ski area offers 36 km of scenic cross-country trails and snowshoeing routes, which can be best explored with a local guide.

Because the altitude is lower than other "Alp" skiing areas, you'll have plenty of greenery, including forest and firs, to keep any skiing or trekking ...
... excursion picturesque and bewitching. To be exact, there are 21.5 km of beginner trails, over 8 km of intermediate trails and nearly 4 km of advanced trails. The cross-country opportunities open up to over 20 km of trails with a half-kilometer sledding trail. It's easy to make a first-minute or last minute decision as the airport is less than a two-hour drive away. Flying into Graz, Austria makes the drive to Mariborsko Pohorje easier.

The skiing at Mariborsko Pohorje, Slovenia is truly second to none. The slope break down is quite impartial as nearly 25% of the slopes are reserved for experts, 35-45% for intermediate and 35-40% for beginners. There's always a way to the top with three chairlifts, just over 15 lifts and one large gondola, reachable by the city bus. This slope access can hoist over 20,000 skiers per hour.

You'll have approach to the whole Mariborsko Pohorje ski resort and its piste one lift at a time. Moreover, you'll have straightforward admission to over 60 km of downhill skiing with one run covering over 7 km (doable at night, too) of skiing holiday pleasure from November to March. With the multi-day skiing pass at Mariborsko Pohorje, you'll also have limitless admittance to Kope and Ribnisko Pohorje ski areas. Plus, the Pohorje snow park is near the Habakuk ski slope as is best for intermediate snowboarders. First minute snowboarders will be glad to know that the King, Box, Curved and other rails are groomed and maintained daily.

The Mariborsko Pohorje hosts the Golden Fox (Zlata Lisica) World Cup in Alpine Skiing, slalom and giant slalom races for women. With some 30,000 spectators and growing each year, Mariborsko Pohorje's reputation is on the rise. If you're not into spectator sports, then there are a number of other activities-apres ski-to take part in.

You can take a guide with you into the city and listen to the areas amazing history. A sit at the opera or theatre or spin in the casino keeps Maribor jumping all night long. Plus, in the city you'll find a cinema, numerous ethnic restaurants, discos, stores, cafes and an ice-skating rink. After you've rested, you can join a spa, take lessons at the local ski or snowboarding school, go to the sauna, and play tennis or squash.

If you take a guide on a first minute tour through Maribor proper, you'll not want to miss the cathedral-dating back to the gothic 12th century-nor the town hall-fashioned after the Renaissance era. The fortified castle dates back hundreds of years to the 15th century. Additionally, the University of Maribor opened its doors in 1961. In Maribor, too, you'll find an interesting relic and claim to fame-a 400-year-old grapevine-the Stara trta, the world's oldest of its kind. In 2000, Maribor was named the Alpine City and chosen as a European Capital of Culture 2012. Though Maribor is no international secret today, you'll fine plenty of first minute and guided skiing through the surrounding mountains and hills.