Kopaonikski resort or Kopaonik ski center, is a mountain resort and the largest center of winter tourism in Serbia. Located on the slopes of Kopaonik Mountain, it is mainly a destination for skiing and snowboarding, but also offers various other activities like tennis. In the area, there are several hotels and hostels, cafes, bars and night clubs.
History
Kopaonik ski resort was established in 1964, when the first chairlift was opened. In 1981, Kopaonik Mountain was proclaimed a national park of Serbia. In the same year, the International Ski Federation recognized ski resort as an international ski center. In 1999, it was bombed several times as the Serbian Armed Forces military base is located nearby.
Features
As of 2018, Kopaonik ski resort has 28 ski lifts, with of ski slopes for all categories. With around of alpine ski runs and of cross country runs, it is the largest ski resort in Serbia. Among other features, it has night skiing run and artificial snow system covering most of the resort. Kopaonik has mild winters with high levels of snowfall, and on average about 200 sunny days annually with 160 days covered with snow. Kopanik ski resort is being considered as one of the best ski resorts in Eastern Europe, with outstanding beginner and lower-intermediate terrain for skiers.
Festivals
There is an annual music festival "Big Snow" held from 23 to 29 March in the area of ski resort. The festival gathers international reggae, jazz and electronic music performers. The ski resort has a "Snow Park" for extreme skiers and snowboarders. The park has expanses of grassland, forests composed of a variety of tree species, beauty spots, and river gorges. The snow blanket lasts a long time on this mountain and there are favorable conditions for the expansion of winter tourism there.
Transportation
Kopaonik ski resort is well-connected with the main transport routes in Serbia. It is linked with the Ibar highway, It is located from the international airport Niš Constantine the Great Airport and from the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The recently open Morava Airport near Kraljevo is much closer to this ski resort. However, it is only in its early development phase, although it is expected that this aerodrome will serve as the main hub for Kopaonik in the future. Also, a public heliport is located in a military base north of the resort.
