The slopes of the Low Tatras around Chopok are inseparably tied to winter sports, especially downhill skiing. Today, Jasná is basically synonymous with skiing in Slovakia and the go-to destination for most enthusiasts. Do you know the history of skiing in this region? Do you know who brought the first skis to Liptov and when the first cable car was built under Chopok?
First skis in Liptov and a primitive cable lift
The first skis in the Liptov region were brought by Kornel Stodola around 1888. As described by writer and physician Ivan Stodola in a letter preserved in the archives of the Janko Kráľ Museum in Liptovský Mikuláš, his uncle encountered skiing during a business trip to Norway. There he saw people sliding down snow-covered slopes on special wooden boards, using a long bamboo pole—about three meters long—for balance. He brought the skis back to Liptovský Mikuláš, where they caused a great sensation due to their unusual size and form. These early skis were so long they barely fit into a train compartment.
The Stodola family later played an important role in promoting skiing in the region. On Nicovô hill above the town, they helped build a simple rope-based system using bundled animal hides pulled over a pulley—an early and primitive ski lift. It functioned as a basic uphill transport system for skiers. At the time, skis were not just for sport. They were also widely used in forestry and by postal workers in mountainous areas, where deep snow made winter travel otherwise impossible.
The First Cable Car After the War
Today, Jasná offers more than 50 kilometers of ski runs and connecting pistes linking the northern and southern slopes of the Low Tatras, along with 12 freeride zones. All of this is served by modern, high-speed cable cars with large transport capacity. The history of organized skiing in the area goes back to the post–World War II period. Just four years after the war ended, the first section of a cable car was built on the northern side of Chopok. It was a two-seater chairlift with a detachable grip system, and riders sat sideways to the direction of travel. The real breakthrough came at the end of the 1950s, when both sides of the second-highest peak in the Low Tatras were finally connected by cable car.
The Legendary “Egg”
The story of skiing in Jasná continued to evolve. In 1979, the first gondola lift in the Otupné–Brhliská area was built. This legendary four-person lift, nicknamed the “Egg” because of its shape, served skiers until 2009, when it was replaced by a modern gondola system. The new lift line was extended from its original 1,588 meters to 1,960 meters. Even today, it has a transport capacity of 2,400 people per hour—double that of the original “Egg.”
Connecting the North and South Sides
Over time, the original lifts were gradually replaced by more modern facilities that now weave through the resort like a web. The connection between the southern and northern sides was interrupted in the years 1998 and 2007, and for a time, Chopok was accessible only from the south.
In 2007, a ski lift was built again on the northern side, creating a temporary link between the two ski areas. However, a full connection wasn’t achieved until 2012, when the Funitel cable car was introduced. It symbolically marked a new era for the largest ski resort in Slovakia. The resort operator has continued to innovate, and in the 2022/2023 season a new 15-seat cable car between Biela Púť and Priehyba was launched, significantly improving access to Chopok from the northern side.
