LOW TATRAS
Skiing in the Low Tatras will guarantee more comfort during the ski season of 2018/19. Nine new snowmaking machines are going to be added on ski piste no. 12a Jelení Grúň and thirteen machines on the piste of Zadné Dereše, which makes it 617 machines in total on Mt. Chopok. Skiers will enjoy more innovations on the northern side of the mountain this year. A new modern restaurant called Habarka with folklore-style Slovak specialities shall be opened there in winter. The ski-in/ski-out restaurant with 200 seats and a terrace with another 100 seats is going to be located at the upper station of the Lúčky B8 chairlift, next to the pistes of FIS and Turistická. In the area of Priehyba on the northern side of Mt. Chopok, Jasná Mountain Food – a new mountain version of the modern and very popular street food is going to offer hot dogs, warm soups and other fast snacks on the piste. And as for the locality of Otupné, 5 modern-design chalets for demanding clients are going to be finished. The professional Skiline arena located on piste no. 10 Vrbická (Grand – Brhliská) will be available for all skiing lovers free of charge this season again. The resort of Jasná Nízke Tatry plans to continue with ski bus transport, ski touring corridors, ski touring education and ski patrols. The professional SNOWsat slope and fleet management system with snow depth measurement and satellite-guided positioning of snow groomers is going to be used actively as well. In order to inform clients in Jasná about everything they need to know, the central resort radio at the chairlift of Záhradky – Rovná hoľa is being upgraded. New comfort improvements are being made in the entrance zone on the southern side of Mt. Chopok where only a specific number of clients will be allowed to enter based on the cable car capacity. This means that skiers will embark the cars without being pushed and shoved around, and can insert their skis comfortably into ski storage racks. The Srdiečko hotel has finished the 1st renovation phase of hotel rooms where furniture has been replaced (it will be opened from 7/12) and the 2nd phase of complete room, hall and bathroom renovation is scheduled for 1/5/2019. An automated defibrillator that is meant to help treat serious heart rhythm disorders shall be at disposal inside the Rotunda complex on Mt. Chopok before the winter season begins. The resort of Jasná is becoming “eco friendly” by replacing plastic tableware at gastronomy facilities on the pistes with ecological materials (paper, bamboo) or porcelain. As far as other key changes are concerned, municipal waste separation has been introduced at cableway lower stations and facilities in the resort and a waste press machine has been installed at the Grand Jasná hotel.
The project of the natural fridge above the area of Biela Púť where last season´s snow was stored has proved to be successful. The resort of Jasná is satisfied with the experiment results as there is about 65% of the snow left as of today.
The 100th anniversary of the Czechoslovak state will be celebrated in an original way on top of Mt. Chopok on 30th November 2018, when the winter season will be opened symbolically. The ski season at the biggest Slovak resort – Jasná begins with a great Winter Music Opening show on Saturday 1st December 2018. For more information, please visit www.jasna.sk.
HIGH TATRAS
The resort of Tatranská Lomnica is going to use two new snow groomers in winter. One of them will feature a special Leica Geosystems device of the Prinoth company with a satellite positioning system that enables to measure and visualise the snow cover. The software is adapted to snow and based on a 3D model of the countryside without snow, it is able to measure the snow cover and soil profile in real time and at the specific location of the machine. The snow cover data are analysed by using GPS coordinates and groomer angle motion sensors on a display which is installed inside the cabin. When grooming the pistes during the day, the resort operator will know how and where to deposit the snow evenly and where to use the remaining amounts. 7 static SUFAG snowmaking towers are going to be placed at critical spots under the area of Štart, next to the lower station of the 15-person cable car, in the localities of Čučoriedky Východ and Západ, Štart Východ and Buková hora. 2 new Technoalpin TR 8 snow guns have been purchased for the ski resort of Štrbské Pleso. The resort of Vysoké Tatry intends to continue with the successful project of ski patrols in winter. Special ski touring corridors are going to be designated in Tatranská Lomnica and Štrbské Pleso. Two brand new external defibrillators are at disposal on Mt. Lomnický štít and at the FIS hotel to help treat sudden cardiac arrest. The Panorama restaurant at Skalnaté Pleso is going to offer more space this winter and a new self-service restaurant should be opened in the area of the former Chamois Land on 20th December. The Pizza Pasta restaurant at the interchange-station of Štart has been redesigned and 40 new seats have been added. The second renovation phase of the restaurant at Hrebienok shall be completed before the winter season and a café with a cafeteria are going to be added. Grandhotel Starý Smokovec has been changed considerably. 79 rooms and suites have been modernised, the conference room and hotel halls have been refurbished. The new terrace extension of the FIS hotel at Štrbské Pleso is about to be opened to offer extra 44 seats inside and 26 seats outside around Christmas. The hotel is going to feature a new professional ski depot with ski boot heaters. With the so called Fresh Track product in Lomnické sedlo (saddle) and on Mt. Solisko, clients will have a chance to enjoy authentic skiing adventures on untouched pistes in the resorts of Tatranská Lomnica and Štrbské Pleso before the cableways officially begin to operate. The most popular winter attraction – Tatra Temple of Ice is going to be opened in the area of Hrebienok at the beginning of the winter season for the 6th time. This year inspired by St. Peter´s Basilica of Rome and Bernini´s colonnade and designed by Adam Bakoš. The Temple opening is scheduled for 23rd November. Well-known winter events such as Tatry Ice Master at Hrebienok, Snow Dogs in Tatranská Lomnica, Snow Camp and Dinner under the Stars at Skalnaté Pleso, Tatra Dinner of Emotions, 75 Secrets of a Cable Car and Hero Season Trophy – the international cup of the Smart Season Pass holders club are planned too.
The ski season in Tatranská Lomnica is being launched on a grand scale – with an original SKI Exclusive event on 15th December 2018. Please read more on www.vt.sk
Ski passes will be sold by using the same system that is applied at airlines
The winter season of 2018/19 is introducing a revolutionary innovation at the resorts in the Tatras – a modern pricing method and online sale of ski passes via a new functionality of the
GOPASS website. Ski pass rates will not be fixed anymore but flexible, depending on the number of sold passes and the number of clients in resorts on given dates. The purchasing process on www.gopass.sk will be “live”, with rates calculated automatically by the programme. The main aim is to spread skiers equally to individual resorts during the whole season. This is why ski passes will cost more in the busiest periods and less when there are not as many clients at resorts. The rates will depend not only on the numbers of skiers but also on weather and other external factors which will be reflected in several price levels. This can result in 0-30% discounts on maximum rates in specific moments. As the number of interested skiers can differ in various time periods, it is necessary to plan skiing in advance in order to get the best rates – based on the motto: “The earlier you buy, the less you pay for skiing”. This guarantees a good chance for clients who can make early plans to be rewarded with the best rates when compared to regular ski passes which are available at resort ticket offices. Skiers who are not afraid to buy ski passes online can “catch” attractive prices from 9 EUR in the first snow or spring skiing period, from 27 EUR during Christmas and from 38 EUR around New Year´s Eve. Ski passes for the busiest periods will cost less than last year if purchased online. For more details, please visit www.gopass.sk.
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Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. (TMR) is the leader in tourism in Central and Eastern Europe; it owns and operates attractive mountain resorts, amusement parks, restaurant facilities, sports services, shops and hotels. In the Low Tatras TMR owns and operates the resort Jasná Nízke Tatry and hotels Wellness hotel Grand Jasná, Boutique Hotel Tri Studničky, Chalets Jasná De Luxe, Hotel Srdiečko, and Hotel Rotunda. TMR is also the owner of Aquapark Tatralandia, the largest Slovak aquapark with year-round operation, which besides water entertainment includes Tropical Paradise, a special tropical indoor hall with sea water, as well as Fun Park, and accommodation in bungalows and apartments of Holiday Village Tatralandia. In the High Tatras TMR owns and operates the resort Vysoké Tatry with mountain areas of Tatranská Lomnica, Starý Smokovec, and Štrbské Pleso, which TMR co-manages. In the High Tatras TMR also owns hotels Grandhotel Praha Tatranská Lomnica, Grandhotel Starý Smokovec, Hotel FIS Štrbské Pleso and Mountain hotel Hrebienok. TMR also owns a 9.5 % share in Melida, a.s., which leases and operates the resort Špindlerův Mlýn in the Czech Republic. TMR also leases and operates the ski resort Ještěd. In Poland TMR owns a 97% share in the mountain resort Szczyrkowski Ośrodek Narciarski S.A. (SON), a 75% share in a company that owns and operates Silesian Amusement Park (Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko) and a 7.3% share in an amusement-educational project via the Polish company Korona Ziemi Sp. z.o.o. TMR also owns and leases hotels Slovakia, Kosodrevina, Liptov and Ski&Fun Záhradky a Bungalovy to third parties. By the end of 2017, more than EUR 300 mil. had been invested into development and modernisation of TMR’s resorts. TMR shares are traded on three European stock exchanges – in Bratislava, Prague, and Warsaw.