Kouty nad Desnou

Praise starts with the fast six-seat detachable chair and the Jeseniky panorama. The lower part of the run is called sporty and, on a quiet day, nicely prepared. Ticket staff are remembered kindly, with student discounts offered before anyone asks. Midweek and early in the morning the picture flips: no queues, a half-empty car park, relaxed skiing.

Weekends are the problem. One report puts the density of skiers at three times that of neighbouring resorts and complains about collisions, with queues at both the ticket windows and the drag lifts. Cars back up at the car park entrance, and it is a long walk from there to the slope. Grooming is criticised even when cover is adequate, with moguls, ice patches and stones coming through. The express chair struck several visitors as not especially express, and the toilets and restaurant sit away from the piste, awkward with children.