Ski Season Opens on Bosnia's Snowless Peaks

Hundreds of visitors from all over Bosnia descended at the weekend on Mount Jahorina, one of the country's three 'Olympic mountains', to enjoy the early winter sunshine and mark the official opening of a new ski season.

Local officials and rock bands from Sarajevo and Belgrade also arrived for the opening ceremony, but the main ingredient was still missing - snow. 

Snow has only fallen a few times in the past month, so there was not enough to properly prepare the ski slopes even for most daring skiing and snowboarding aficionados.

Yet this did not seem to bother the visitors, who seemed content to be able to briefly escape from urban gloom and stroll around basking in the sunshine and fresh air.

"I come here almost every weekend because it is nice here. In Sarajevo during these foggy days, it is just impossible to have a normal life," said Vedrana Cosovic from East Sarajevo.

Alongside Mount Bjelasnica and Mount Igman, Jahorina earned worldwide recognition back in 1984 when all three were the venues for sporting events when Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984.

Mount Vlasic, some 100 kilometres to the north-west, also joined the family of 'Olympic mountains' as the reserve venue.

Today, they represent the backbone of Bosnia's winter tourist offer.

Following the official opening of the ski season on Mount Jahorina on Sunday, the ski season was also opened on Bjelasnica and the adjacent Igman on Monday while the season on Vlasic will officially open on Friday.

Jahorina stands out among them thanks to its more developed infrastructure and range of accommodation facilities, which attract visitors even when there is little or no snow.

Dragan Sokolovic from the Olympic Centre Jahorina told BIRN that last...