Jahorina, Bosnia | Little Hills, Big Thrills

Mike Richards shows that good things do come in small packages as he explores Bosnian ski resort Jahorina with fresh snow and sun

We’re sitting on the sun-drenched terrace of Zlatna Zita (Golden Wheat) sipping Bosnian coffee so strong you could stand your spoon up in it, the bitterness sweetened with small cubes of rahat lokum (Turkish delight).

Skiers schuss past our table, forking left to return to the heart of the ski area, or right to glide their way down to the lowest lift station at 1,300m, for the six-seater Skočine. On the table beside us, a group of 60-something Serbians are already on the Sljivovica (a plum-based Rakija, the local fire water) with their leader, an animated Goran, regaling all assembled with his tallest tales, dressed head to toe in fur.

It really is like nowhere else on planet-ski, or certainly an echo of a simpler time on the slopes, especially when you add to the mix the soundtrack of ’80s electronica and the heavy fug of cigarette smoke.

But to dismiss Bosnia and Herzegovina as stuck in time, and therefore not worth a visit, is to miss the point. And miss one of the Europe’s most memorable ski experiences, in this land full of cultural and political history (plus full-strength Marlboros and Euro-pop mullets).

There’s also the Olympics angle – and before you all roll your eyes – remember only 21 cities have hosted the winter edition of the games in its 100-year history, with Jahorina, plus the neighbouring Bjelasnica resort and the city of Sarajevo (under the banner of the former Yugoslavia) being one of them.

This season marks the 40th anniversary of those historic 1984 Games (and, in fact, the centenary of the very first games in Chamonix), and as a lone skier speeds past us, with the physique of an aged acrobat and skin the colour of leather, stripped half-naked in the single-digit Celcius temperatures, it appears some are still intent on impressing the judges and crowds.

Let’s just say it’s different in the Dinaric Alps!

As to the skiing, it’s only mid-morning but we’ve already clocked half-a-dozen top-to-bottom 590-vertical-metre runs, thanks to no queues for the high-speed gondolas and covered chairlifts; while uncrowded, perfectly groomed pistes, plus an easy-to-understand trail map, all add to the experience.

Yes, it is a Monday morning in mid-March, but our experience through the following week is just the same, with only the weekends offering anything approaching a lift queue.

As to the detail, think 52km of piste (12km of which is floodlit for night skiing) possibly named by the resort’s accountant, labelled unimaginatively from 1-9 with some having a, b, & c variations. But exciting names aside, this feels like a ski area most definitely designed by skiers for skiers. You never know what to expect in these sorts of spots, but let’s just say it works, and will reward you. Happily, we got some great snow also, with something like two days of 15-20cm, both overnight and throughout the day, with tree-lined runs and turns among the pines providing clarity in the storm. Lovely untracked boot-top-to-knee-deep powder under blue skies after things calmed, too…

Crystal is marketing both Bosnian resorts as family ski destinations, but for those looking for challenges on and off-piste, Jahorina has to be the choice.

Best tick off the Women’s Olympic Downhill course first (to best view and appreciate everything on offer), then make the short traverse skier’s right off the Javor Chairlift (11) to open up an off-piste area ranging from gentle meadow-skipping to steep trees and cliff bands, all flowing down to the Skočine chairlift 500 vertical metres below.

Skier’s left off the Poljice gondola takes you to a wide-open off-piste area with grand views of the plains below, where you ski past a dilapidated lookout station for a reminder of the brutal Bosnian conflict which divided this area.

In fact, despite Jahorina’s relatively small size, it’s easy to put 20km of fall line skiing under your planks either side of lunch, making it comparable to a good day in one of the medium-sized ski circuits in the Alps. And at a fraction of the cost.

During our stay at the off-mountain (and excellent) Forest Hotel, Crystal was offering a ‘buy one lift pass, get one free’ deal, which brought the cost of a day on the mountain to just over a tenner. Oh yes, just £10! Get it while you can we say. Especially with coffees under £2, and wine by the glass and beers for £2.50…

Do it

Sarajevo International Airport is less than an hour from Jahorina. Crystal Ski Holidays offers seven nights’ half-board at Hotel Forest from £548. Make use of their excellent ‘Buy one lift pass, get one free’ offer.

• Visit the OC Jahorina website
• For more on Bosnia and Herzegovina click here