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Skier dropping into untracked snow above the Deçan valley

Off-piste skiing · Deçan, Kosovo

Cat-Ski in real backcountry of Kosovo.

One snowcat, three zones, twelve guests. Five days on the snow, a minimum of 2,500 vertical metres a day under normal conditions, based in the Deçan valley.

2026 / 27 Season

One group. Twelve places.

The Kosovan Backcountry week is all-inclusive from Pristina airport, priced on a group of twelve. Dates for the 2027 season are set with each group.

Length 7 days, 6 nights
5 days on the snow Five cat-skiing days, with the arrival and departure days either side.
Saturday to Saturday
Price All-inclusive
€2,250 per person Double or multi-bed room. Based on a group of twelve.
€2,250 / person Reserve
Dates 2027
Set with each group Tell us roughly when you want to come and we will confirm what is open.
12 in the group Ask

Pure cat skiing, graded moderate-plus. One group operates in the zone at a time — get in touch.

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, all meals, guiding, avalanche equipment and five days on the cat are covered from there. Flights and insurance are not.

What’s included
Rider laying out a turn in deep snow above Deçan
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, six nights, all meals and five 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.

Wide open slopes in Bjeshka e Gacaferrit 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 mStart
2,400 mTop
Easy – Inter.Grade
Steeper rocky terrain in Bjeshka e Junikut 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 mStart
2,400 mTop
Intermediate+Grade
Couloirs below the Ropa peak in Bjeshka e Dobrashit Day 6

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 mStart
2,525 mTop
AdvancedGrade

Prices

The week, a day, or a single ride.

Prices in euro. A 30% deposit confirms a place; the balance is due at least 60 days before the start date.

Kosovan Backcountry · 7 days / 6 nights

All-inclusive cat ski week

€2,250 per person

Five days on the snow across the three zones, airport to airport. Double or multi-bed room, priced on a group of twelve.

  • Airport transfers, Pristina return
  • One night at Belle Resort, four at Gacaferi Guest House, one in Pristina
  • All meals during the tour, plus a packed lunch on ski days
  • 5 days of cat skiing, target 2,500 m vertical daily
  • English-speaking lead guide and tail guide
  • Avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe and airbag backpack
Reserve a place

Private hire · 1 day

Day of cat skiing

€2,000 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
Enquire

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
Enquire

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 an alternative programme; no refund applies
  • The week is priced on a group of twelve — ask us about smaller groups

Itinerary

Seven days, five on the snow.

Day 1 Arrival

We meet you at Pristina airport and drive west towards Peja, the town at the gateway to the Accursed Mountains, for a coffee and a walk through the centre. From there we continue to Belle Resort in the Deçan valley — around an hour and a half in total — for a briefing and a traditional dinner. Night at Belle Resort, 1,100 m.

Day 2 Bjeshka e Gacaferrit

The day opens with an avalanche equipment check and a safety refresher. Then the first zone: wide, easy to intermediate slopes starting at 1,850 metres, with five different downhill points between 2,200 and 2,400 metres. Some peaks take a short hike. The ridge here is 1.6 kilometres long and marks the Albanian border, looking down on the Doberdol valley. Skiing 1,800–2,400 m. Night at Gacaferi Guest House, 1,860 m.

Day 3 Northwest of the range

A remote spot in the northwest of the range, picked for its variety: steep chutes, open bowls, dense glades, and natural jumping pillars scattered across the slope. Skiing 1,500–2,400 m. Night at Gacaferi Guest House.

Day 4 Bjeshka e Junikut

The difficulty steps up. Twenty minutes by snowcat to a valley at 1,760 metres, with steeper slopes, fewer trees and more rock, and a view across to Mount Gjeravica and the Deçan valley. East and northeast facing, cut by small couloirs and gullies, and only thirty minutes back to the guest house. Skiing 1,500–2,450 m.

Day 5 Bjeshka e Junikut — high

The same zone taken higher: expansive bowls, steep chutes and hidden glades, with lunch on a snow-covered ridge. Skiing 1,500–2,550 m, the highest of the tour. Last night at Gacaferi Guest House.

Day 6 Bjeshka e Dobroshit, then Pristina

Thirty minutes by snowcat to the peak where Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania meet, then a ten-minute walk to 2,400 metres. From there it is eight kilometres of descent without stopping, with the couloirs below the Rupa peak at 2,525 metres alongside, plus gentler runs and tree skiing. Afterwards we come off the mountain by 4×4, then drive on to Pristina — around two and a half hours — for a traditional dinner. Night in Pristina.

Day 7 Departure

Breakfast and coffee in the city, then a thirty-minute transfer to Pristina International Airport.

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.

Where you stay

Belle Resort, then the lodge at 1,860 m.

The first night is at Belle Resort in the Deçan valley at 1,100 metres — a family business with its own farm, its own electricity and a well-regarded kitchen. The four skiing nights are at Gacaferi Guest House at 1,860 metres, the only building operating in the area through the winter. The last night is in Pristina.

The guest house has central heating, private showers, a drying room, a fireplace and Starlink internet. Meals are cooked by the lady of the house, served buffet style, with vegetarian and other dietary requirements covered when we know in advance.

  • Six nights, all included in the week price
  • All meals during the tour, plus a packed lunch on ski days
  • Rooms shared between group members, three to four per room
Hotel Belle Resort in the Deçan valley

Enquiries

Book now or get in touch with our team

Dates for the 2027 season are set with each group. We reply to every enquiry within twelve hours. No deposit is taken at this stage.

Confident off-piste skiing or riding in variable snow is required. Your avalanche kit is provided.
Or email info@catskikosovo.com · call +383 49 833 322