Ski Albania

Winter can be hard in Albania. A few inches of snow and ice in Korca makes the roads treacherous and one has to be careful not to slip and fall on the icy sidewalks. In villages in the mountains around Korca, deep snow can make roads, which are not great under the best of circumstances, impassible. I may complain about the lack of heat in my apartment, but people in villages may have not electricity and live in houses that are literally crumbling. Emigration to Tirana and abroad has depopulated many villages leaving the few old people left amid the ruins to fend for themselves. My counterparts at the NGO that provides home services to disabled people around Korca talk of making long treks through the snow to visit patients in villages like this only to find that the cold has taken its toll.

I left early one Saturday morning with Isufi, Maca, Kristof, Fredi and Comisari in Maca’s ancient Mercedes diesel van for Bigell, their homemade ski area, near the village of Dardhe. We were loaded with supplies; food, beer, wine and gasoline. I was surprised and pleased to find the road up the mountain was both plowed and sanded. Other than the coughing and sputtering of the diesel engine the trip was uneventful.

We ascended out of the fog that lay in the Korca valley into the clear mountain air, amid pine trees encrusted with snow and ice, under a cloudless, deep blue sky. Maca carefully parked the van on the side of the road, pointing down the hill, anticipating a cold start after everyone else went home. We unlocked the gate and ported the supplies up to the day lodge.

It looked good. The black double eagle on a red background that is the Albanian flag flew proudly above the entrance. The lodge was set up as a lokal with several tables and chairs in front of the bar. There were two wood stoves among the tables and a large fireplace in the corner. The kitchen we had built in the summer had two grills, a fryer and a sink, as well as another wood stove. There were large stereo speakers inside and out and a big mixer board behind the bar. Assorted ski boots were on the floor under the windows and skis and poles and sleds and a few other items were stacked in an annex, also built during the summer. There was yet another small wood stove in there.

We unpacked and set up. The water from the spring up the mountain was only a trickle, so Isufi and I set off through the snow drifts to the source to clear the ice from the opening to the pipe leading to the lodge. As we got back to the lodge customers were arriving.

I helped fit people with boots and Maca adjusted the skis. Fredi passed out skis and poles. Kristof ran the bar and Isufi the kitchen. Comisari kept the fires stoked. One lady was so fussy with the fit of her boots that I thought I was selling her a pair of shoes. She looked down at me. “Jeni ju shqiptar? (Are you Albanian)”, she asked. She had to be kidding. Most people can spot an American from a kilometer (about ½ mile) away.

It costs only 300 lek (about $3) to ski for an hour. This includes rental of skis, boots and poles and, if needed, a snow suit. They don’t keep close track of your time, but an hour or two on the two hills of the area will more than let you explore the terrain. In any event, I wouldn’t recommend being too adventurous since the skis and bindings are not the newest or best maintained. Even so, after the first group was set up, I got myself skis, boots and poles and set to see if skiing in Albania was up to the standards of an old, Idaho skier who has had season passes for so long he can’t remember what they charge for a day pass on Brundage Mountain. It turned out to be really enjoyable, and certainly not something I expected to be doing in the Peace Corps. Maybe they should add it to their recruitment materials.

The rope went up a pretty steep incline and was a good upper body work out. I was pretty careful as I didn’t trust my gear and, like in much of Albania, no one is looking out for you. You are responsible for your own safety- whether walking on a sidewalk that may suddenly open to an unmarked 3 foot deep pit or crossing an intersection with traffic coming at you from 6 directions. No ski patrol here. But that only makes it more of a challenge, like when back home I would make a day when conditions limited me to the lower, groomed slopes more interesting by telemarking in my old, cross country skis. Of course, the younger skiers were…well, young skiers. They went to the top, lined ‘em parallel and went for it. One teen flew past the people outside the lodge, through the gate, and across the road where the snow covered trees caught him, preventing him from going off the cliff. He smiled broadly as he clambered back to the rope tow to do it again. No one had to ask him if he was shqiptar.

After an hour or so of skiing, people headed to the lokal to warm up and drink and eat, this being Albania, after all. Prices were about the same as they would be at a lokal in Korca (in fact, prices never seem to vary all that much in Korca- something that always amazes me). Wine was about $1 a glass, raki (homemade brandy) only 50 cents, a huge plate of french fries about $1 and a plate of 12 meatballs or 8 hot dog size sausages with sliced onions and toasted rolls about $1.50. Salad and fruit and sodas were also available.

After eating, those who could still walk headed out for another round on the slopes. I went up with one of Maca’s kids who had come up later. She is a pretty good skier. It looks like she may have skied elsewhere because she has quite a few pins on her ski cap. There are more developed areas not far away in Macedonia and Greece.

Not everyone skied. Some used the sleds. One group of dental laboratory technicians from Turkey took a long canvas banner and used it as an improvised toboggan. Many sat around the stoves and chatted until long after sunset. Korcan serenades played on the stereo, although at times the young people would put on rap music, some of which is even in Albanian. Some English was spoken for my benefit, but I am sure there were Greek and Italian speakers as well. There was a retired German pharmacist who lives part time in Dardhe and had hiked on snow shoes from the village. I was surprised at how many Albanians had skied around Europe; in Innsbrook, Austria, or the Dolomites in northern Italy. Years ago, when I was in the Air Force, I skied there too, but I don’t remember having as much fun or such a novel experience as I did at Bigell.

This is obviously not a destination ski resort; although I think it would develop quite a bit if there were available public transit either by bus or by furgon. For now, one needs a private car or to hire a taxi. I suppose you could hitch a ride in Maca’s van. Still, a few days at a nice hotel or bed and breakfast in Korca, visits to the icon museum (with arguably the best collection in the world), the quirky Bratko museum or the interesting archeology museum, maybe attendance at a musical recital at the theater or cultural center, or the many disco bars around the university if that is more “your thing”, visits to interesting old churches in villages around Korca, sight-seeing at the nearby mountain lakes, shopping in the large bazaar, and sampling some of the great local restaurants could be combined with a couple of days skiing at Bigell to make for a pretty unique and reasonably priced vacation. You should consider this soon before the prices go up. I even know an old tour guide who, for at least the next year and a half, might be persuaded to show you around.