Brezovica ski resort or Brezovica ski center (, ) is a mountain resort and the largest center of winter tourism in Kosovo. Located on the slopes of the Sharr Mountains, it is mainly a destination for skiing and snowboarding. In the summer, eco-tourism opportunities include hiking, mountain biking, golf, and other outdoor recreational activities. Hiking paths can lead the visitors to the nearby Livadh Lake.
Brezovica ski resort was established in 1954. The ski resort area is ideally situated on the north and northwest-facing slopes of the Sharr Mountains National Park. The first of five chairlifts to the resort was installed in 1979. The resort features 16 kilometers of ski slopes located on the north and northeast facing slopes of the Sharr Mountains.
Although Brezovica served as an alternative site for downhill skiing events of the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games and hosted a number of International Ski Federation events in the 1980s and 1990s, the resort has not received significant infrastructure investments for more than two decades.
The legal status of Brezovica ski resort was disputed since the 1999 Kosovo War, as both the Government of Serbia and Government of Kosovo claim that they have property rights over it. This resulted in lack of investments for more than two decades.
In November 2014, the government of Kosovo signed a 410 million euros contract with French consortium led by Compagnie des Alpes, to develop Brezovica ski resort over next two decades. However, in June 2016, the contract was cancelled as the French consortium could not provide bank guaranties for the investments.
As of 2018, most of the tourists are coming from Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia.
In 2021, a corruption scandal involving the resort emerged, whereby municipal officials received large bribes in exchange for turning a blind eye to the construction of hotels and villas within an officially protected zone of the resort. In April 2023, a trial of 11 defendants began. One was subsequently granted a plea agreement and declared a cooperating witness.
The ridge line spans 39,000 hectares of high alpine mountain terrain and forests, with a highly diverse and abundant flora and fauna. Located within 90 minutes of two international airports (Pristina International Airport Adem Jashari and Skopje International Airport), the Brezovica resort area represents one of the last remaining under-developed ski resort areas in Southeast Europe. Inside of this area are ski slopes with maximum length of 3,5 km and an average incline of 38%, with the lowest lift station at 1718 meters above se level. The upper station highest chairlift is at a height of 2522 meters above sea level. Ski center Brezovica is open for skiing during the seasons, where in summer its surface is covered with snow, with a low exploitation possibility. Wide ski terrains of the Ski Centre Brezovica are made of a system that includes: five chair lifts and 5 ski lifts, connected with of ski slopes of the average length 3,000 meters. Three new lifts opened in 2008. On Brezovica FIS slopes for slalom, giant slalom, downhill race and Super G simultaneously could ski 50,000 skiers.
A number of successful national and international competitions are held at the resort, including the Belgrade-owned "Inex ski center Brezovica", among others. A number of Kosovo winter sport teams train at the resort. A major investment from MDP Consulting Compagnie des Alpes is expected to have a significant impact in the area concerning environmental issues.
Wide ski terrains of the Brezovica ski resort are made of a system that includes: 5 chair lifts and 5 ski lifts, connected with 16 km of ski slopes of the average length 3,000 meters. On Brezovica, there are FIS approved slopes for slalom, giant slalom, downhill race and Super G and simultaneously could ski 50,000 skiers.
The ski slopes have an average length of 4 kilometers and an average of 128 skiable days per year.
The ski centre has around 700 beds in four hotels, while additional accommodation possibilities exist in independent hotels and private facilities. However, these hotels are either operating minimally or are closed due to legal disputes between Government of Serbia and Government of Kosovo. Hotel clients have free transportation and free access to ski lifts. The construction of private houses is booming in the area despite it being a national park.
The following is a list of the resort's chairlifts and ski lifts:
1. âÂÂKaraulaâ - type: single seater chairlift - altitude of bottom station: 1732 m - altitude of top station: 2191 m - vertical rise: 459 m - length: 1186 m - total incline: 40% (21,8ð) - speed: 3 m/s - transit time: 10 min. - capacity: 900 persons/hour - manufacturer: Graffer - currently out of service
2. âÂÂPiri Bregâ - type: double seater chairlift - altitude of bottom station: 2266 m - altitude of top station: 2522 m - vertical rise: 236 m - length: 521 m - total incline: 53% (27,92ð) - speed: 2,5 m/s - transit time: 4 min. - capacity: 1200 persons/hour - manufacturer: Gimar Montaz Mautino - currently out of service
3. âÂÂLavlja Vrataâ - type: double seater chairlift - altitude of bottom station: 1718 m - altitude of top station: 2147 m - vertical rise: 429 m - length: 1428 m - total incline: 32% (17,74ð) - speed: 2,5 m/s - transit time: 10 min. - capacity: 1200 persons/hour
4. âÂÂCrvena Karpaâ - type: double seater chairlift - altitude of bottom station: 1891 m - altitude of top station: 2264 m - vertical rise: 373 m - length: 1269 m - total incline: 31% (17,22ð) - speed: 2,5 m/s - transit time: 8 min. - capacity: 1200 persons/hour - currently out of service
5. âÂÂVelike Livadeâ - year of construction: 1993 - type: double seater chairlift - altitude of bottom station: 1720 m - altitude of top station: 2202 m - vertical rise: 482 m - length: 1258 m - total incline: 42% (22,78ð) - speed: 2,5 m/s - capacity: 1500 persons/hour - transit time: 9 min. - Manufacturer: Girak
1. âÂÂBaÃÂilaâ - type: T bar, surface ski-lift - altitude of bottom station: 1730 m - altitude of top station: 1803 m - vertical rise: 73 m - length: 301 m - total incline: 25% (14,04ð) - speed: 3 m/s - capacity: 650 persons/hour - transit time: 1,5 min.
2. âÂÂMunikaâ - type: Detachable platter, surface ski-lift - altitude of bottom station: 1730 m - altitude of top station: 1830 m - vertical rise: 95 m - length: 454 m - total incline: 22% (12,41ð) - speed: 2,5 m/s - capacity: 750 persons/hour - transit time: 2,75 min. - currently out of service
3. âÂÂGrÃÂke Livadeâ - type: Detachable platter, surface ski-lift - altitude of bottom station: 2050 m - altitude of top station: 2165 m - vertical rise: 113 m - length: 429 m - total incline: 29% (16,17ð) - speed: 3 m/s - capacity: 750 persons/hour - transit time: 1,5 min. - currently out of service
4. âÂÂBerevaÃÂke Rupeâ - type: T-bar, surface ski-lift - altitude of bottom station: 2100 m - altitude of top station: 2286 m - vertical rise: 186 m - length: 731 m - total incline: 26% (14,57ð) - speed: 3 m/s - capacity: 850 persons/hour - transit time: 3 min. - currently out of service
5. âÂÂTrà ¡enjaâ - type: surface ski-lift - altitude of bottom station: 1005 m - altitude of top station: 1171 m - vertical rise: 166 m - length: 556 m - total incline: 30% (16,70ð) - speed: 2,5 m/s - capacity: 900 persons/hour - transit time: 2,5 min. - currently out of service
1. âÂÂPiribregâ (served by the âÂÂPiri Bregâ chairlift) - type: downhill ski course (FIS homologation expired in year 2010) - start: 2522 m - finish 1722 m - vertical drop: 800 m - length: 3500 m - difficulty: black (advanced or expert)
2. âÂÂVelika Livadaâ (served by the âÂÂVelika Livadaâ chairlift) - type: slalom, giant slalom and super giant slalom course (FIS homologation expired in year 2010) - start: 2147 m - vertical drop: 550 m - difficulty: black and red (advanced or intermediate)
3. âÂÂLavlja Vrataâ (served by the âÂÂLavlja Vrataâ chairlift) - type: slalom, giant slalom and super giant slalom course (FIS homologation expired) - start: 2202 m - vertical drop: 429 m - difficulty: black and red (advanced or intermediate)
4. âÂÂCrvena Karpaâ (served by the âÂÂCrvena Karpaâ chairlift) - type: giant slalom and super giant slalom course (FIS homologation expired) - start: 2264 m - vertical drop: 570 m - difficulty: black and red (advanced or intermediate)
5. âÂÂBerevaÃÂke Rupeâ (served by the âÂÂBerevaÃÂke Rupeâ ski-lift) - type: easy ski slope - difficulty: easy (blue) - start: 2286 m - finish: 2100 m - vertical drop: 186 m - length: 800 m
6. âÂÂMolikaâ (served by the âÂÂMunikaâ ski-lift) - type: easy ski slope - difficulty: easy (green) - altitude of top station: 1830 m - altitude of bottom station: 1730 m - vertical rise: 95 m - length: 454 m
7. âÂÂGrÃÂka Livadaâ (served by the âÂÂGrÃÂka Livadaâ ski-lift) - type: easy ski slope - difficulty: easy (blue) - altitude of top station: 2165 m - altitude of bottom station: 2050 m - vertical rise: 113 m - length: 500 m
8. âÂÂBaÃÂiloâ (served by the âÂÂBaÃÂilaâ ski-lift) - type: easy ski slope - difficulty: easy (blue) - altitude of top station: 1803 m - altitude of bottom station: 1730 m - vertical rise: 73 m - length: 301 m