OFF-PISTE SKIING · DEÇAN, KOSOVO
Cat-Ski in real backcountry of Kosovo.
One snowcat, three zones, twelve guests maximum. Six days on the snow at a minimum of 3,000 vertical metres a day, based in the Deçan valley.
How it works
Three weeks. Twelve places each.
Each week runs Saturday to Saturday, all-inclusive from Pristina airport. A week is confirmed once ten places are booked.
LENGTH
7 days, 6 nights
Five cat-skiing days, with the arrival and departure days either side.
5 days on the snow
PRICE
€2,250 per person
Double or multi-bed room. Based on a group of twelve.
€2,250 / person
Pure cat skiing, graded moderate-plus. One group operates in the zone at a time
2026 / 27 Season
A single-cat operation in the Deçan valley.
Freeride Kosovo has run cat skiing above Deçan since 2022. One snowcat, one group at a time, and three zones we rotate through depending on conditions. There is no lift-served skiing and no other operator in this terrain.
You fly into Pristina. Transfers, accommodation, meals, guiding and six days on the cat are covered from there. Equipment hire and insurance are not.
01
Local guides
The guides are Kosovar Albanian, ski instructors, snowcat operators and a member of the national alpine search and rescue unit. They have worked this terrain since before the operation started.
02
One group at a time
Twelve guests is the maximum and we do not run two groups in the same week. Ten bookings are needed for a week to go ahead.
03
All-inclusive from the airport
Airport transfers, seven nights in Deçan, three meals a day and six days of guided cat skiing are covered by the week price.
The terrain
Three massifs, one week.
Three separate zones above the Deçan valley. Which one we use is decided on the day, on snow and wind. Base elevations are between 1,650 and 1,760 metres; the highest drop-off is 2,525 metres, on the Albanian border.
Days 2 – 3
Bjeshka e Gacaferrit
The zone we normally start in. Easy to intermediate slopes with several options for a first descent, and a view across the Deçan valley from the top. Some of the higher points need a short hike from the drop-off.
1,650 m
START
2,400 m
Top
Easy – Inter.
Grade
Days 4 – 5
Bjeshka e Junikut
Twenty minutes further by snowcat and steeper. Fewer trees, more rock, and small couloirs. The cat runs to 2,300 metres and a short skin adds another hundred, with Gjeravica and the Accursed range in view.
1,760 m
START
2,400 m
Top
Intermediate+
Grade
Days 6 – 7
Bjeshka e Dobrashit
The couloir zone. Snow-filled lines up to 1,000 metres long sit below the Ropa peak at 2,525 metres, on the Albanian border. North and east aspects here hold cold snow the longest.
1,700 m
START
2,525 m
Top
Advanced
Grade
Prices
The week, a day, or a single ride.
Prices in euro. A 30% deposit confirms a place; the balance is due 40 days before departure.
8 days / 7 nights
All-inclusive cat ski week
€2,200 per person
Six days on the snow across the three zones, airport to airport. Ten guests minimum for the week to run; twelve maximum.
- Airport transfers, Pristina return
- 7 nights at Hotel Belle Resort, Deçan
- Three meals a day plus a packed lunch on ski days
- 6 days of cat skiing, minimum 3,000 m vertical daily
- Local ski guide throughout
- Alternative programme in the valley if conditions stop skiing
Private hire · 1 day
Day of cat skiing
€2,200 per group
The snowcat and a guide for one day, 09:00 to 17:00, for up to twelve people. Laps in Bjeshka e Gacaferrit and Junikut.
- Up to 12 people
- Snowcat and guide for the day
- Terrain chosen on the day, on conditions
Half day
Single ride excursion
€1,000 per group
One ride up to the Gacaferri ridge and one descent, for up to twelve people. Additional rides can be arranged on the day.
- Up to 12 people
- Transfer from Hotel Belle included
- Additional rides charged separately
What's not included
- Flights to and from Pristina
- Travel and mountain rescue insurance (required)
- Ski and avalanche equipment hire
- Drinks outside of meals, and personal expenses
Before you book
- Confident off-piste skiing or riding in variable snow is required
- Transceiver, shovel and probe are compulsory; hire can be arranged
- Days lost to weather are used for touring or a valley programme; no refund applies
- Group rates are available from four people — ask when you enquire
Itinerary
Eight days, six on the snow.
Day 1 Arrival
Day 2 Bjeshka e Gacaferrit
Day 3 Northwest of the range
Day 4 Bjeshka e Junikut
Day 5 Bjeshka e Junikut — high
Day 6 Bjeshka e Dobroshit, then Pristina
Day 7 Departure
Guides & safety
Guiding and avalanche safety.
Each day starts with a conditions assessment and a transceiver check. Transceiver, shovel and probe are compulsory, and we run a search exercise on day one so that everyone has used their own equipment.
Terrain is chosen on the day by the guide, based on the snowpack. If a zone is not appropriate, we use another one.
Bardhosh Morina
Founder · Guide
Skier and paraglider pilot. Grew up in the valley and started the cat-ski operation above Deçan in 2022.
Deni Hameli
Guide · Mountain rescue
Ski instructor and guide, and a member of the Kosovo Security Force alpine search and rescue unit.
We work with
Where you stay
Hotel Belle Resort, Deçan.
The week is based at Hotel Belle Resort in Deçan, at 1,100 metres in the valley below the terrain. Three meals a day are included, with a packed lunch to take on the hill.
For private or larger groups we also work with Gacaferri Guest House in the same valley.
- Seven nights, included in the week price
- Three meals a day, plus a packed lunch on ski days
- Twenty minutes from the snowcat pick-up point