Snowmaking began in Štrbské Pleso on 21st November. After various complications caused by temperature inversion, due to which it was impossible to make snow at higher altitudes, a warmer period followed and this made the whole preparation process even more difficult. “Today we can say that if nothing changes and it is possible, we want to open the first pistes for our skiers on Saturday – Interski, Turistická and Junior. Once the weather is on our side again, we will continue with the snowmaking so that we could open the pistes of Solisko, Esíčko and Furkotka as well,“ said Peter Tomko, the general manager of the Štrbské Pleso resort.
“There is 40 cm of artificial snow on the pistes that we want to open on Saturday. The chairlift of Mostíky and the ski lifts on the Interski and Junior pistes will be available for skiers, the Solisko Express chairlift will be at disposal only for walking tourists,” explained Lukáš Brodanský, the manager of the Vysoké Tatry resort. “We would like to ask everybody who comes to our resort to follow all precautions. Nose and mouth covering, distances in arranged waiting lines, disinfection, refreshment sold only through take-out windows are only the basic examples of what people should be prepared to. Skiing will be a safe winter sport from this point of view,” added Lukáš Brodanský.
The FAST PASS is a brand new product of this season and can be added to ski passes to skip the lines at cableways. As for Štrbské Pleso, the Fast Pass service can be used only at chairlifts. Among other things, there has been an important change in the parking system – cars can be parked only at the central car park next to the railway and bus station, from where ski buses will be operating regularly. Their capacity and operation frequency will be regulated by the staff as needed.
In addition to the ski buses between the central car park and the ski resort, other ski buses will link towns and villages at the foot of the High Tatras with settlements in the mountain range, i.e. Poprad with Starý Smokovec and Tatranská Lomnica, Tatranská Lomnica with Tatranské Zruby. The ski bus operation is arranged by the Vysoké Tatry resort in cooperation with OO CR Región Vysoké Tatry (regional tourism association).
As far as Tatranská Lomnica is concerned, the cable cars in Tatranská Lomnica which operate to Skalnaté pleso and Mt Lomnický štít are going to be opened again after regular maintenance from Thursday 10th December. The ski pistes are being prepared in the resort currently and will be opened once the conditions are good enough.
The funicular between Starý Smokovec and Hrebienok, where the biggest winter attraction in the Tatras – the Tatra Temple of Ice is available since 20th November, operates again. This year, the Temple design has been inspired by the Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in St. Petersburg.
