Popova Shapka Ski Center is characterized by many sunny days throughout the year and snow from November to April, this weather makes Shapka a very good destination for winter sports and activities.
Popova Shapka’s ski trails reach up to 2.500 meters above sea level. There are several ski lifts and cable cars available to skiers and tourists. The length of the trails is about 10 km with a capacity of 8.000 skiers per hour.
Popova Shapka is one of the few places where the ski trails were formed without a big human intervention, the nature made the biggest part for their formation.
In 1947 for the first time was organized the first Sharplaninski Cup in Alpine skiing with international participation. It was attended by representatives of all former Yugoslav republics, as well as skiers from Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, in men’s and women’s category. In 1954, the Sharplaninski Cup was put into the World Ski Federation calendar.
Here you can find ski trails for both: beginners and professionals. If you are new in the winter sports then we suggest you to start practice on the ski trail “Babin Izvor” or locally called “Aerodrom”. This slope is very wide and mild, so it will be a great start for the beginners.
For the more advanced skiers and snowboarders there are several “red” ski pistes, like “Potok” (Teteks), “Ajduchka Ramnina” (Ge) or “Sveti Ilija“. The interesting part is that most of the slopes here have different locally known names than the ones on the map, so listen to locals to get the best tips on when to ski that day.
And if you are more professional then definitely you should try the famous “Ceripashina” trail or “Sin Vrv” as you can find it on the map. People say: if you learn how to ski at Ceripashina then you can ski everywhere. There are people from all around the world that come to Popova Shapka especially for this slope, because it is very challenging and exciting at the same time. If you have adventurous spirit, you can easily find beautiful free-ride lines from Ceripashina and this is way this is the favorite part of the mountain for snowboarders and free-ride skiers. But, before you head for this kind of experience, make sure to carefully check the conditions first. And the most important of all – have fun! 🙂
