Ski-area Eplény
Hungary has no Alps, but there are a few places where you can ski. For one, there is the Mátra Mountains where you can also find Hungary’s highest mountain, the Kékes (1014 m). We will definitely have to go to that Matra Mountains sometime, it seems to be particularly beautiful there. You also have a couple of ski resorts north of Budapest. But today we stayed closer to home. Barely a 30-minute drive away you will find the ski arena of Eplény.
From the above, you can already see that you should not expect Val Thorens or Saalbach-Hinterglemm here. The “mountain” is barely 500 m high, the height difference between valley station and mountain station a full 175 meters. Yet they managed to build about six slopes (even a black run). And with several elevators, a number of ski chalets and especially with a lot of snow cannons, they still managed to offer real skiing fun. The slopes are even lit, so you can keep going until 7 p.m. Of course, there is also ski and snowboard rental, as well as ski lessons.
Since it is so small, everything is also easy to find. From the parking lot you walk right into the ski rental, and 20 minutes after your car is parked you are already on the ski elevator. At the time we were there, we never had to wait longer than a minute at a ski elevator. I have known ski resorts where this was a bit different… Someone who can ski easily will be back down in a few minutes, but because you don’t have to wait at the elevators you are also back up quickly, so you have covered quite a distance in a few hours.
Gaby, who had been skiing for the very first time five years ago and hadn’t done it since, obviously took it a bit easier. Upon arrival she found the baby elevator exciting enough, but a few hours later she came down the blue slope calmly but surely, and enjoyed it.
Lovely to know that on a normal day in the morning you can say “the weather looks good today, let’s go skiing”. Or possibly even after a working day you can close the books at 4 and be on the slats at 5. For a real ski vacation it is too small, except perhaps for real beginners. But it does allow for some regular practice, and when you do leave on ski vacation you arrive there well prepared.
By the way, Eplény is also open in summer. Then mountain bikers can indulge themselves on the slopes.
