Skitouring-Trip Macedonia
Ski-touring in the wild Balkans for adventurers.
Skitouring-trip and culture in the forgotten mountains of North Macedonia.
Date
January – April (first week)
1 week (individual dates on request)
Skitouring adventure in 5 National Parks
Skitouring North-Macedonia
Are there any insider tips for ski tours in Europe? Join us in the impressive mountain landscapes of Macedonia and find out for yourself.
On our one-week ski touring trip, you will experience tours in untouched, wild nature and make fresh tracks in the pristine snowy landscape.
Every day we explore a new tour and cover altitude differences of 800 to 1200 meters.
During our trip, we explore Skopje, Bitola and the picturesque Ohrid on the lake of the same name. Here we immerse ourselves in Macedonian culture and tradition and enjoy typical food and drink.
Our eight-day tour includes ski tours and descents on the most beautiful slopes in five national parks, passing along the borders with Albania, Kosovo and Greece.
Individual tour packages and single days ski tour guiding on request.
Hey,
I am Marius, founder of Mountain Moments, professional outdoor photographer and passionate mountain lover!
Together with our local mountain guides, we discover the wild mountain regions of the Balkans in winter and summer. Find out more about me.
Contact us for a personalized offer.
Gallery
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Itinerary and description ski touring trip Macedonia
A mixture of tradition, culture, pristine landscapes and solitary ski touring days awaits you on the Macedonia ski tour.
The mountains are not too high at a maximum of 2780m and are also relatively gentle for the most part. The entire alpine region is virtually deserted in winter (as in summer). A handful of lifts and two regions with cat skiing, that’s it – for the whole country. Here you can still feel the wild, untouched mountain world up close and authentically.
The ski touring trip to North Macedonia is still a real insider tip.
Itinerary
Both the weather and snow conditions determine our itinerary depending on the day. You can comfortably rely on our local guides and our experience.
The planned itinerary:
Day 1: Individual arrival in Skopje. Depending on the time of arrival, we explore the city center and the old town from the Ottoman era or we enjoy the view from Skopje’s local mountain. We then continue to the Popova Shapka ski resort, where we spend 2 nights in a typical local hotel.
Day 2 + 3: We explore what are probably the best ski mountains in the region in the Shar Planina (Sharr Mountains). At the end of the third day we drive to Mavrovo National Park, where Vlad awaits us in his family mountain hut.
Day 4: Untouched nature far away from any civilization, we try to climb the highest mountain in the Western Balkans, the 2764m high Korab. In the evening we head to the UNESCO cultural heritage site of Ohrid on the lake of the same name. Overnight stay in a hotel or, if we are lucky, we will find a place in the mountaineers’ hut, the ideal starting point for the next two ski tours.
Day 5: When do you ever have an undisturbed view of 2 or 3 lakes, completely alone? Today would be such a day. We climb the highest mountain in the Prespe-Ohrid National Park, Magaro. In the evening we continue our journey and spend the night in Bitola.
Day 6: Today we go on a ski tour in the Baba Mountains, which extend as far as the Macedonia region in Greece. The Pelister National Park guarantees sufficient and mostly good snow conditions. Alternatively: cat skiing! Then it’s off to Skopje for the last night.
Day 7: Another well-deserved rakija or (non-alcoholic) makiato and we take you to the airport for your journey home.
Start and end: Skopje airport (alternative: Tirana)
Note: The guide will decide the exact itinerary at short notice depending on the weather, so that you can get the most out of your days.
A view more pics of what awaits you
Impressions
Prices / Services
Group trip
7 days / 6 nights
6 days guided ski touring
From / to Skopje
All transfers on site
Overnight stay in double rooms (3***) and shared rooms (mountain hut)
3 meals per day (breakfast with cafe etc., lunch on the mountain, dinner in hotel/hut)
Private trip
We will be happy to put together an individual offer for you.
We can also arrange private cat skiing on request.
Included
Excluded
Request your adventure now
FAQs
What can I expect on the ski tours?
Our mountain guides will guide you safely through the mountains. The snow conditions are often homogeneous, which is conducive to skiing fun. However, the snow cover is often somewhat harder and you rarely find real powder snow.
You should therefore be a confident skier and be able to find your way off-piste.
We often use crampons on the ascent in order to have a good grip in the steeper passages.
Crampons and ice axes are not necessary for the standard routes, but can be used if desired. We only ski very steep and extremely steep slopes if the conditions and the group are suitable and according to the guide’s observations of your abilities.
How fit do I need to be?
Every day we go on ski tours with an altitude difference of 800 – 1200 meters. The slopes are usually not very steep, but can be steeper than 40° if conditions permit.
You should be in good physical condition.
I am a ski touring beginner, is the trip suitable for me?
For the ski touring trip you should have a basic level of fitness for the ascent with ski touring equipment. You should also be able to move confidently in open terrain (moderately steep) (uphill and downhill).
If you have sufficient freeride experience and basic fitness, this is not a problem.
This trip is not suitable for pure ski touring beginners. You’d better have a few days of training under your belt beforehand.
What special dangers await me on this trip?
In general, traveling to North Macedonia is much safer than the general opinion.
The main danger in the mountains is the wildness – there is no really functioning rescue system. Our guides are all trained guides and mountain rescuers and have equipment and knowledge of mountain rescue. However, a separate rescue net with heli rescue is only possible with luck.
We therefore recommend riding much more defensively here: The focus is on more enjoyment rather than sporting records!
I get sick or can’t join, what happens then?
No problem, just let us know as soon as possible.
However, if cancellation costs are incurred before you cancel, we will have to pass these on to you.
Insurance – what do I need?
We recommend that you take your typical safety precautions in advance that you would normally take on a mountain trip.
As standard, you should have mountain insurance for alpine accidents (e.g. through alpine clubs), and foreign health insurance is also a good idea (non-EU countries). Travel cancellation insurance is also worth considering.
Does the tour also take place in bad weather?
Bad weather or even storms are part of an outdoor winter tour.
Our guides adapt the daily program daily. You will be informed of any necessary changes to the program no later than the evening before. Our guides will discuss the deviations from the plan with you and together we will find an enjoyable program for the participants based on the guide’s suggestions.
Cultural “bad weather” alternatives are e.g. paragliding, MTB, lake tour, sailing, snowshoe hiking, cat skiing, wine tasting, historical guided city tour etc.
Do you have any tips on travel/air luggage?
Skopje Airport is easily accessible from most domestic airports, even with low-cost airlines (Ryanair, Wizzair…).
Tips for packing your flight baggage:
1.) Hand luggage (touring backpack 25-40 liters):
This is where you pack your ski touring clothing including underwear, ski socks, gloves and hat. In addition, the avalanche transceiver, sunglasses and ski goggles as well as all electronic devices. You pack your ski touring boots as additional hand luggage in a boot bag or loose in the plane.
2) Checked baggage skis: The touring skis plus poles in a ski bag, or a large ski bag including other personal equipment (bulky baggage).
3) Checked baggage: All remaining personal equipment including casual clothing for the evening in the ski bag or checked baggage. Please only a maximum of one external pannier or semi-soft suitcase (no hard-shell suitcase).
Is rental equipment available on site?
We can organize rental equipment for you (for a fee), but we recommend that you bring your own equipment.
Available rental equipment: touring skis (alpine binding or tech binding), ski touring skins, avalanche emergency equipment incl. airbag backpack.
Please bring your own ski touring boots in particular – preferably in your hand luggage on the outward journey (normally not a problem).
What does “upscale typical local accommodation” mean?
The accommodation in the region is of a lower standard. A hotel that claims to be 4 stars is similar to 2-3* accommodation in Germany/Austria/Switzerland. We spend half of the nights in such upscale local hotels (4* local = 2-3* “at home”).
In particular, the quality of doors, showers, toilets etc. is sometimes questionable. We do our best to select the best accommodations with motivated owners – unfortunately it is not possible for us to change this quality. Think of it as a special Balkan experience – improvisation is part of the culture.
The mountain huts have only dormitory or shared rooms as accommodation and are similar to mountain huts in the Alps. Bonus: Hosts are extremely friendly and the food quality (if you like meat) is very good.
