The girls from peaks&rosycheeks went on an adventure to East Europe and are now sharing their thoughts about their journey.
“It is a journey of first times, which we all won’t forget quite soon. Astonishing landscapes and impressive adventures formed our skiing adventure through the Balkan states. In the first part we’ll tell you about our heliskiing experience.
The journey of ‘first times’ begins
We are heading from the airport of Munich to Pristina by plane, where we are welcomed hearty by our taxi driver Nadi. As we recognized that we simply got too much luggage for a VW van we decided to tie our skies on the roof. Not a problem for us, as we are used to this from our previous trip to Georgia already.
In the middle of the night we are brought to the Valbona valley in Albania by Nadi, where we are already expected by Seba and Hamda from LYNX Freeride. They are welcoming us cordially at 2:30 a.m. in the hotel right at the end of the Valbona valley.
Heli skiing in the “Accursed Mountains” in Albania
The following days were all about heliskiing with our guide Mose from Heliski Albania. It was the very first time flying in a helicopter to top of a mountain for all of us and therefore made it even more exciting. The indigenous people are calling the Albanian Alps ‘Bjeshket e Nemuna” which means accursed mountains.
As the helicopter was rising up in the air a completely new world opened up for us. Untouched faces, terrain that has not been skied before and perfect weather – that’s what skiers dreams are made of. As our guide Mose told us that some of the faces have never skied before, there are now runs called ‘peaks&rosycheeks’ or ‘Burning legs’ and many more on the map. With steep terrain and couloirs, we were getting quite close to our personal constraints but mastered it successfully with a big smile on our faces.
The best moment for us has been getting of the helicopter, collecting our skies and watching it lift off again. Right at the point when you can’t hear rotor blades anymore you find yourself in an astonishing environment and complete silence.
Ski touring right off the front door in complete remoteness
On the third day of our journey we were exploring the terrain behind our hotel with our touring skies and noticed quickly that going up by helicopter actually was pretty luxury. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the tour at perfect weather conditions.
Unfortunately, the time passed by way too quick as we were constantly exploring new things. So, we were heading back to Kosovo from our adventurous journey. Right in advance: Bear tracks and roads that make you feel dizzy were just the beginning.”
We’ll keep you posted – stay tuned!
HARD FACTS:
Flight: by Adria from Munich to Pristina, duration: approx. 1:50 h
Accommodation: Hotel Margjeka, Valbona valley
Heliskiing: Heliski Albania (90 min split apart on 2 days)
Currency: Albanian Lek (partially you’re able to pay in Euros)
Times of travelling: 2:50 h from the airport Pristina to Valbona valley
Visa: No need as you’re from Austria or Italy