Mariborsko Pohorje - Maribor

The praise goes first to value: skiing here costs noticeably less than in France or Austria while the infrastructure still works. The gondola leaves from the edge of Maribor, about eight minutes and six euros. Runs cut through forest, so lifts rarely shut in wind and the trees help in flat light. Night skiing, a floodlit rink with music and a good stock of blue pistes for mixed groups all get credit.

Thin snow is the main complaint: the hills are low, natural falls are modest and everything rests on the guns, leaving light cover up top and a hard, icy surface below by the end of the day. The absence of a terrain park comes up repeatedly from riders. Many call the skiing itself unremarkable, with little to hold a strong skier, and there were complaints about the running of the place, with only a fraction of runs open at close to full pass price.