Ukraine Unveils One Of World's Largest Dry Slope Areas

One of the world’s biggest dry slope ski areas has opened in Western Ukraine …and then been closed again because of the war.

Work on the dry ski network at the Vynnyky ski resort was completed earlier this year, before the Russian invasion.

The dry slope supplier was the German-based company Skitrax, who say they installed a total of 19,000 m2 their mats, over four slopes with a combined length of 1,190m.

19,000 m2 is the fourth largest slope area in the world and the largest outside Asia.

1,190m of combined slope length is also one of the biggest combined lengths of slope in the world.

However Skitrax are perhaps more excited that the facility includes what they believe is a world first hybrid Alpine slope and tubing track.

“This area has a double function. It serves as an alpine ski slope for beginners and as a slopestyle park with obstacles – in summer and winter. Depending on demand, this entire area can also be used as a tubing track with six lanes in summer as well,” explained Wolfgang Schmidt of Skitrax, adding, “To do this, simply pull up the red marked mats and slide the specially made Tubtrax-M2.2 side modules underneath and fasten them to the ground – the summer tubing track is ready. It doesn’t get any more flexible than this. Just as quickly, the Tubtrax-M2.2 modules are removed and there is again a flat surface to ski on.”

In other cool features of the complex the path from the lift to the mountain restaurant is about 30m long and with the entire area in front of the restaurant is covered with mats it’s possible for the skier to strap on their skis and ski into the two slopes – winter and summer – direct from the restaurant.

Two of the three main runs at Vynnyky place sixth and seventh in the top ten longest in the world at 460m and 420m long, each run it at least 15-20m wide. This makes it the only centre in the world with two runs in the world top 10 for dry slope length. A third run is 250m x 30m wide.