Yesterday at 1600:10.30 a.m., only a journalist from "Vijesti" boarded the bus that leaves the city center twice a day for the "Kolašin XNUMX" ski resort. According to the driver, several people from Kolašin, mostly children, took advantage of the free ride to the mountain in the first morning. There is no crowd on the road, unlike last year, when the police had their hands full to enable convoys of vehicles to reach Bjelasica.
In the parking lot of the state ski resort, in which tens of millions of euros have been invested in recent years, there are about thirty cars and only two buses - one with Albanian, the other with domestic license plates. The very first look at the partially land slopes of Bjelasica confirmed that the weekend will be another one of those "lost" for skiing. There was hardly any snow for sledding and for those who are just learning their first steps on skis.
Half of the calendar winter has passed, and there is still no skiing and snowboarding due to the unprecedented lack of snow. According to meteorologists' forecasts, it won't be there for at least another 7 days.
Food, drink and back
Sunny weather, without strong wind, allowed fans of panoramic driving to take advantage of this type of offer of the ski center "Kolašin 1600" and head towards the almost 2.000 meter high peak of Troglav. The others were having fun reading, listening to music, taking photos... They stayed for a short time and went to their vehicles, so the terraces of catering facilities were empty until noon. Later, one part was filled by an organized group of visitors. That picture was also a reminder of how it should be at the foot of the slopes on Bjelasica if winter had not "betrayed" both the skiers and the employees of the ski center.
"The mountain is still magical and a good place to 'recharge your batteries'. We were hoping to get on skis. None of that, but we hiked, enjoyed the wonderful view from the cable car. We will have lunch, have a drink and come back. Perhaps, however, a suggestion to those who are responsible for this ski resort - to find some solution for the future. At least a small part of the tracks to be artificially snowed. But, regardless, it was a nice day...", says one of the group of Albanian tourists.
Enthusiasm, despite the fact that there is no skiing at the ski resort in the middle of the winter season, was shared by Danilo Kalezić from "Porto Montenegro". He is on Bjelasica with a team of about sixty superyacht captains and other crew members. It is said that they traditionally come to Kolašin once a year and organize winter games. Kalezić explains that for their planned program, which consists of eight different competitive games, the amount of snow is not important. However, he says that he will spend part of his stay in Bjelasica at a lower, private ski resort.
The more favorable location of the slopes of the private ski center "Kolašin 1450" and the artificial snowmaking enable part of the ski infrastructure to be more or less functional...
Along with the many times repeated statement that artificial snow is also necessary at the state ski resort, manager Bojan Medenica also shares his ideas for next year with journalists. As he told "Vijesta", until the planned large project of the snowmaking system is implemented, a temporary solution should be found for the next season. Of course, "if the state accepts them".
"I hope that the losses this winter and the fact that on February 3rd we have no skiers at the ski resort, will force us to take a more serious attitude towards the project of artificial snowmaking and that its implementation will begin already in the spring. If possible, until the project is realized, as planned, if only to find a temporary solution. First, let's examine whether there are sufficient amounts of water on the mountain itself to install several cannons already next season, which would provide artificial snow on the slopes with two ski-lifts, which will be completed next season. I believe that it is not a big investment for the state," says Medenica.
The state promised a system for artificial snow as early as the time of Government Duško Marković, when large investments in the state ski resort began, but his successors did nothing about it, so even today people look to the sky in anticipation of snow.
Big losses
Medenica claims that despite the lack of snow, it cannot yet be said that the season has failed, but that, as he explains, the losses are great. According to him, even the precipitation, announced around February 10, will not be able to bring the results of the tourist winter to last year's, when the season was also delayed due to the lack of snow...
"The entire Kolasin tourism industry is suffering losses due to the current situation. If what you see now on the ski resort is not proof that artificial snow is necessary, then I don't know what else to say. Despite the lack of rainfall, we are trying to satisfy the visitors with the rest of the offer, even though we know that the effort invested in the preparation of the season has already largely been devalued", explains Medenica.
It is clear to a more attentive observer that the lack of snow is the biggest, but not the only, problem of the state ski resort. Illegally built private buildings in the immediate vicinity of the ski slopes are still in the same place, as they were a few years ago when the state announced their demolition. Medenica says that she will discuss that topic another time.
The journalist's interest in finding out where the waste water ends up from the recently opened private hotel in the immediate vicinity of the state ski resort also remained without results.
Snow can only partially fix the balance
Private accommodation facilities in Kolašin are still empty, according to the local Tourist Organization (TO). Such a situation has been almost since the end of the New Year holidays. Then, after it became clear that January would be without precipitation, massive cancellations of reservations began.
There are few guests, explains TO director Zorica Milašinović, only on weekends. However, a significant number of Albanian tourists are currently staying at the "Bjanka" hotel.
"Unfortunately, the announced precipitation in mid-February will possibly only partially improve the balance of this tourist season. A large number of days without snow, in the period when the most tourists were expected, and massive cancellations of reservations, have taken their toll, so the results of the season will definitely be unsatisfactory," says Milašinović.
She announces that the announced events will be held. The director of TO hopes that there will be enough snow for the "Kolašin SkySnow race". That race, which will open the skyrunning league of Montenegro and Serbia, is scheduled for February 24 at the ski resort "Kolašin 1600" and represents, according to TO, "something completely new on the Montenegrin market".
Milašinović also reminds that free bus transportation from Kolašin to Bjelasica is organized. The bus will leave in front of the "Sheraton" hotel every day at 9 and 10.30:15 a.m., while the return from the ski resort is planned at 16.30 and XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.
If what you see now on the ski resort is not proof that artificial snow is necessary, then I don't know what else to say.
At Durmitor they have water, but no cannons
The ski season is not open at the "Savin kuk" ski resort, which is also owned by the state, due to the lack of snow, which Durmitor residents do not remember at this time of the year.
In contrast to the "Kolašin 1600" ski center, little has been invested in "Savin kuk" in recent decades. To make the irony complete, the ski resort has enough water for artificial snow (a reservoir was built a few years ago), but they don't have cannons, so the ski season isn't open yet, even though the cable car goes up to more than 2.000 meters above sea level.
"There is an ice sheet up there, few people would go down...", "Vijesti" was told on Wednesday, while several dozen guests enjoyed a beautiful day and games in the snow with children...
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