Backcountry skiing through a winter landscape

The Beskydy mountains have always been a favourite destination for skiers. Recently, the focus has mainly been on cross-country skiing for all levels of difficulty. The Beskydy have plenty of snow cover from the autumn to the late spring, so they are not classic cross-country terrain – and it is only recently that well-maintained cross-country trails have been created in the mountains.

For a long time local skiers have been used to moving off-trail, which nowadays is known as BC (backcountry) skiing. Just as the Beskydy’s height and slope difficulty levels offer a compromise between the Alps and the flatter terrain of Scandinavia, winter sports lovers tend to enjoy a compromise between Alpine and Nordic touring equipment, choosing robust and comfortable backcountry skis. These skis are designed for all snow conditions, for grooves, ice trails, powder snow on flat terrain, and forested sections. Backcountry lovers all agree that there is nothing better than blazing their own trail through a silent forest or across a vast white expanse (in other words, a field covered with snow). They may not be able to cover 50 kilometres in a single day, but their experience is all the richer. The Beskydy mountains offer ideal terrain for backcountry skiing, almost throughout the entire range. Backcountry skiing is the essence of why people love the great outdoors. In the summer they can enjoy wandering through unspoilt landscapes, while in the colder months they can be enchanted by a winter wonderland of snowdrifts, half-submerged trees, the tracks of wild animals, or even the animals themselves. Among the most wonderful winter experiences are the challenging climbs to the mountain summits and the long, exhilarating descents through deep powder snow.