The best ski resorts in Estonia, TOP-3

When planning a winter holiday, we recommend that you consider a trip to Estonia. Despite its relatively small size, this country has a developed tourist infrastructure. Estonian ski resorts are modern sports complexes with a choice of slopes of varying difficulty, there are active entertainments for young tourists and adult independent travelers.

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Features of winter holidays in Estonia

The advantage of the Baltic country is that it is located on the border with the western regions of Russia. Residents of St. Petersburg, the region do not need to plan long trips, you can get to any ski resort in Estonia in 3-4 hours by car, tourist bus or train. The alternative is air travel.

There are no natural mountains in the country, but underground oil shale mining has been developed in Ida-Viru County. Waste rock was stored, resulting in the formation of waste heaps. They became the foundation for the construction of ski lodges and holiday homes. The height is 180-200 m, while there is no lack of high mountains – the difficulty of climbing, lack of oxygen in the air.

Features of winter holidays in the country:

The season starts from mid-December and runs through March.
Currency – Euro.
International airports are located in the cities of Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu.
Customs checkpoints that border Russia – Ivangorod – Narva, Shumilkino – Luhamaa, Kunichina Gora – Koidula.
Developed network of roads and railways. Easy to plan solo trips.

Most ski resorts have ski equipment and equipment rentals. You can take the minimum necessary things with you, rent the rest on the spot. The environment in the country is good, there are no large enterprises here. Therefore, they are often sent here for treatment or for the prevention of the onset of diseases.

Tip: You can apply for a tourist Schengen visa yourself. To do this, you need to contact the consular missions of the country.

Popular ski resorts

The tracks of most sports bases are designed for beginner and intermediate skiers. For professional athletes, there are few difficult slopes, places for freeride. Exception – developed routes for freestyle with artificial obstacles. Detailed information about each is available on the official websites of Estonian ski resorts, where their lengths and degree of difficulty are indicated.

Many routes for cross-country skiing have been created. Most of it passes through nature reserves, forests. The trails are long and difficult. There are separate routes for children and beginner skiers.

GK Otepaa

The Otepää ski resort is located in the south of Estonia, in the Valgamaa county. This is the most popular and equipped sports complex in the country. World championships in skiing, World Cup stages are held here. It is located on the territory of the national park, surrounded by hills and coniferous forests. The temperature rarely drops below -7°C. Therefore, to maintain the tracks in good condition, snow cannons and snow groomers work.

Description of the sports complex Otepää:

Number of tracks – 7. 3 green, 3 blue and 1 red.
The length of the longest descent is 5.6 km.
The route for cross-country skiing is 14 km.
Ski lifts and chair lifts are in operation.
Prices for ski – pass – from 10 Euro. Weekly subscription – from 450 Euro.
Ski equipment rental – from 47 Euro.

For accommodation, you can book a hotel room or rent a cottage. The price for the first one is from 50 Euro. Guest house – from 270 Euro. When booking a hotel room, breakfast is included in the price, you can order complex meals. The resort has restaurants, bars and cafes serving national and European cuisine.

Kuutsemäe camp site

A feature of the Kuutsemäe ski resort in Estonia is the work all year round. In winter, there are trails for downhill and cross-country skiing. Created a park for snowboarders, BagJump. There is a school of instructors for skiing and snowboarding, there is a children’s group. It is possible to conduct group and individual lessons.

About Kuutsemäe ski resort:

Number of tracks – 7. 3 green, 2 blue and 2 red.
Tilt angles – 6-15 °.
4 rope tows and 1 chair lift.
Accommodation in a hotel or guest house.

The peculiarity of the camp site is a center for motorized luge. Here they teach the skills of riding snowmobiles and similar equipment. Conduct regular trips to the local national park. An alternative is to go cross-country skiing. Rental price – from 15 Euro.

Kiviõli Adventure Center

Kiviõli Ski Resort is a modern ski complex where freestyle and snowboarding competitions are often held. Feature – the slopes are located on the heaps, artificial mountains left after underground mining of shale. Thanks to this, it was possible to make tracks with varying difficulty, including through tunnels under the slopes.

Description of Kiviõli ski complex:

The number of descents is 4.
The maximum length is 700 m.
For children and beginners, a training slope with a length of 90 m has been made.
A hostel was built for accommodation, which can accommodate up to 30 guests.

There is little entertainment for children and adults besides skiing and snowboarding. The ski resort can be visited for 2-3 days. The exception is purposeful skiing.

Irina