Skiing & snowboard

DURMITOR: SKIING& SNOWBOARD

S K I I N G

HISTORY

The beginning of skiing in Montenegro is firmly connected to Friedrich Angel, a Norwegian, who in the very far away 1893 came to Montenegro, and learned young Montenegrins the art of skiing. From this very ancient times when skiing was considered to be a means of easier movement especially in wartime, to the present days, when this sport, not anymore a war-time occupation, is gathering more and more people, the Durmitor firmly establishing itself as a unique center for this sport. This mountain is now the dynamo of all ascents and descents, of all the chances for a better and more developed skiing sport, with a configuration of terrains like a dream for all the lovers of the queen of winter sports. The Durmitorians caught with the trend, nursing and cherishing it, and making the best of it.

SKI CLUB

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The real beginning of skiing in this parts was firmly connected to the founding of PSD “Durmitor”, a club gathering under its wings all the young talents of this sport, as well in Nordic as in the alpine disciplines. We must not forget the precursor of all success – the coaches from abroad but also domestic. They, establishing firm discipline, and carrying over all of their vast knowledge, created champions, and took this sport to till now unheard of heights. The club, in its glass-cases keeps all trophies imaginable from all great competitions in former Yugoslavia.

SKI SCHOOLS

What people from this parts want for the development of this sport speaks the fact that several skiing schools are now in business (Control, Vrh, Champion, Javorovaca) with a host of instructors ( all of them former champions), which by establishing firm discipline carry their considerable knowledge over to the younger generation.

SKI TRACKS

Durmitor has natural, very fine skiing tracks: Savin kuk – some 3 500 meters long, starting at the very feet of Durmitor, Javorovaca – a track on the very entrance of Zabljak the track being 400 meters long, and Stuoc, this track being 1780 long, placed on the peak carrying the same name.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER

Durmitor has something very special: even in mid-summer, the lovers of skiing may, in the middle of the mountain find a place called “Debeli namet” and there – surprise! – ski in the middle of the summer! So, for years, and traditionally, in the organization of the “SKI CENTER” a SUMMER COMPETITION in SKIING is held (middle of July – alpine disciplines).

NORDIC DISCIPLINES

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The great pride of Durmitor are its champions in the Nordic skiing events, carrying the glory of this parts all over the world, being invincible. They took part in all the great world’s events, and in the times, when this sport was in its baby shoes, without any possibility for real training, without coaches, they won, and that makes them real heroes. This results are verily obtained by enthusiasm of one of the lovers of Durmitor, Tadek, a Pole, which carried all of his vast knowledge to his friends on Durmitor. Thanks to him Durmitor has now a Nordic track, ready for every competition.

S N O W B O A R D

Milos Stanic

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HISTORY

Its kind of difficult to say who was the first to “invent” the snowboard. People always had some idea for a descent from the mountain in winter conditions – some frankly crazy – but it would be unfair to cite one, and one name only.

The very first ideas emerged in the twenties and thirties of the last century, but the first workable snowboard was made by Sherman Poppen in the now very far away 1965.

It is interesting to note that a leaf of our mountain, a certain Dimitrije Milovic, has a lot of merit in the development of snowboarding. In the seventies of the last century, together with the famous Jake Burton he founded the very first snowboard producing company “Winterstick”. After they split, a few years later, Burton alone founded the famous company carrying his own name.

SNOWBOARDING ON DURMITOR

The snowboard made its appearance on Durmitor relatively late, beginning of the nineties of the last century, but its development and affirmation starts with the entrance into the new millennium, with the founding of the snowboard club “Savin kuk” (the very first professional club in Montenegro) who gathered all the young talents from this parts. Beside this high strung club in Zabljak there is volunteer snowboarding club carrying the very poetic name “Zbrda zdola” (Up-the-mountain down-the-mountain). This very fact, that in such a short time, and let’s say it, in such a small community, two snowboarding clubs were founded gives you an idea how popular this sport is, and how fantastic the snowboarding tracks on Durmitor are.

DURMITOR ALL THE WAY FOR SNOWBOARDING

In the past few years, in which time some experience about snowboarding was gathered, Durmitor was amphytrion for a great number of domestic and foreign snowboarders, for beginners as well as for real champions of this very attractive sport (i.e. Serge Vitelli, Jerom Jacques) who came possibly with a few doubts in their minds, but left our mountain with the firmly established frame of mind that Durmitor is “THAT” and that Durmitor is “IN”.

The needs of snowboarders are legion: some like kept tracks finely tuned, some “like it hot” i.e. virgin snow and danger, far away from the first. Durmitor is ready for the first, but also for the second kind. Don’t forget that Durmitorians are quite ready to share experience, and to take you to these parts which mostly impel the feel of freedom and happiness.

THE DREAM ABOUT FREEDOM

People who have no “real” feeling of snowboarding, i.e. people who mostly watch it on TV, or even maybe live, no nothing about the “freedom” they experience first time on the board. Our Nobel prize for literature, Ivo Andric, for sure was born before snowboarding was even invented, but his words mark the track “Freedom, full freedom, that’s a dream, never meant to come true, but woe to those who didn’t even try” – don’t forget these words! You have a chance, on Durmitor for sure, on your snowboard to let this dream come true.

Come! Let’s enjoy freedom together, let’s fill our lungs with the pure air of Durmitor. Durmitor is more beautiful than ever, and his arms open for everyone….