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The topic of my posts usually revolves around alpine skiing but today, I can’t help but mention football as well. You see, there is a country in the heart of Europe, on the sunny side of the Alps, that defies all expectations when it comes to sports. As part of Yugoslavia, Slovenia was considered as being successful mostly in winter sports, and Slovenes were seed as avid ski lovers. Yugoslavia itself was very successful in various fields, winning medals at major events regularly in basketball, handball, football and other prominent sports. Slovenia mostly added to the achievements in individual sports. Miro Cerar was very successful in gymnastics, the Petrič brothers in swimming, and then there are winter sports, which can mostly be regarded as being individual. Ski jumps and alpine skiing are two branches of sport which were considered as exclusively Slovene in the ex-Yugoslavia. Primož Ulaga, Bojan Križaj, Jure Franko and the list could go on and on… In alpine skiing alone, Slovenia played a prominent role on the international scene with Mateja Svet, Bojan Križaj, Rok Petrovič and other excellent skiers.

After gaining independence, Slovenia’s sports orientation was not completely clear. Football, which is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world, was labelled as the «sport for the Southerners», meaning those from other republics of ex-Yugoslavia or their descendants living in Slovenia. But it took less than ten years for people’s attitude towards football to change. The credit goes to the Slovenian national team when it was lead by the selector Srečko Katanec. Slovenia qualified for two important competitions at the time: the European championship in 2000 and the World Cup in 2002. Realists were of the opinion that it’s impossible to repeat such an amazing feat, because a country with just two million inhabitants can’t possibly compete with those who invest huge amounts of money in football. One of these countries is Russia, which recently lost in the World cup qualifications to Slovenia. Russia’s participation was in everyone’s best interest, and above all, the FIFA’s, because this organisation runs on money, like all others. Despite all odds, Slovenia eliminated Russia. It would be pointless to enumerate differences between the countries but in sport, David sometimes ends up beating Goliath. There are prerequisites for this but most often, the key to victory is hidden in the drive and courage of the players.

In less then twenty years of independence, Slovenia managed to get through qualifications for a major competition for the third time, played in the semi-finals of the European championship in basketball and won gold in the European Handball Championship. And let’s not forget the Olympic gold medals in rowing, rifle shooting and hammer throw!

I would like to conclude this post with a reminder: Slovenia’s achievements in sports are in complete defiance with logics or rules that define success in sports. There are enough Slovenes to perhaps fill up a suburb of Munich, and they achieve things that people don’t even dare dream of. Added to the fact that working and training conditions are, compared to other countries, very difficult, you’ll understand the full extent of Slovenia’s miraculous success. If you ever visit this beautiful country on the sunny side of the Alps, you’ll find a proud nation of sports enthusiasts that supports its athletes to the fullest and don’t pick favourites. And if you don’t know this by now: There is a God and he’s cheering for Slovenia!

After surfing, staying at home and do nothing (well, not nothing, but just feeling that something is happening out there and I am missing it) wasn’t really all that cool. That’s why I called my friends Nejc and David, from Bled, to go to the Soriška Planina ski resort to check what were the conditions like out there.

Thirty centimeters of snow are always better than ten, so we managed to get some pipes and rails and had a cool jib session.

My Skullcandy team mate Nejc was just killing it on his snowboard. Threw down so many tricks I was impressed, maybe because I haven’t seen him for a while now. But as a rebel I always try to find something else to hit. I found a sick sculpture of a bear in the middle of the ski resort and I decided to handplant it over. Got some cool shots with my 4frnt manager David after just 3 hits. Great work for a Sunday’s afternoon!

On the other hand, that kind of skiing wasn’t quite the one I wanted at the moment so I decided to check the weather forecast and drive to the nearest glacier: Dachstein, in Austria. It has to offer one of the best snowparks at the moment. It is definitely not THE best one but it is always cool to meet riders from all over Europe who come here to practice at the beginning of the season. The crew of snowboarder buddies and me, as a skier, filled up two cars and we cruised to ‘Jodl land’. Bluebird, a few riders and us did laps for four hours on Tuesday.

People often go to work on weekdays… but we did a good job as well.

After presenting Andorra as a summer destination, Slovenia is also worth the introduction. Of course you’ve heard about all the great winter activities in Slovenia. From cross-country to downhill skiing, ice-skating, tobogganing and natural hot springs, winter resorting in Slovenia is a shoe-in for a great time.

What I love about  Slovenia in summer is the taste of “real” rural life one can get. I mean, I can stay on a farm, experience real farm living, help with farm chores and, get this, eat real farm-fresh foods. This sort of Slovenia farm vacation is getting more and more popular these days. It’s nice to know where your food comes from, anyway.

To put it eloquently, a summer mountain vacation in the Slovene Alps renders an organic biosphere of freshness and great outdoors. When I go to in the mountains, I generally stay for a few nights near Kranjska Gora. Kranjska Gora is where I can get my trekking and horseback riding skills on. Once I’ve done my daily farm chores, I head out with buddies (and family) to experience this infinite outdoor country. The Kranjska Gora area in the Slovene Alps is known for not only it’s natural snow, but has visitors going wild over it’s organic cheeses, veggies, fruits and free-range meats. After a long hike, it’s nice to eat foods that are unprocessed and mountain crisp. You don’t even want to get me started on the wines.

If farm work doesn’t fit in your idea of real vacation, Bohinjska Bistrica is a great place to have some family summer fun in the Slovene Alps. Bohinjska Bistrica is a real kayak and canoeing Mecca and it gets visitors by the truck loads. But, don’t worry, I don’t think it’s ever felt too crowded or over-packed. The winter resorts turn into summer retreats for most of the tourists who come to the area anyway. The best package deals, though, will be found online, from what I have gathered.

Once when I stayed and worked as a farm hand near Bohinjska Bistrica here in the Slovene (Julian) Alps, I got to draw milk from my first cow. You can do the same, though the taste will be quite a bit sourer than from the carton. (Is pasteurized such a bad thing anyway? I don’t really think so.) Plus, you can help make your own butter, which you can take home, and see how other products are made, packaged and sold. It’s really neat to learn where all that “packaged” food comes from.

If you’re a hiking fool like me, then you’ll want to at least once trek up Mount Triglav in the Triglav National Park, also part of the Slovene Alps. If you don’t like mountain hiking, then the Sava, Kolpa or Soca Rivers are all close enough to take a kayak, canoe or raft down. Often, Lake Bled has some great swimming areas. To tell you the truth, I just can’t get over the fantastic fishing, either from a boat or off the bank here. I could spend a thousand endless summers in this area in general, and in Slovenia particularly. Staying in one of the Slovene Alps resorts is a great way to have comfy living standards on your vacation.

To enjoy the countryside and all the organic goodness that comes from the earth without doing any farm work, it is possible to take a mountain vacation staying on the periphery of the farm. There are some great small towns to drive through, where markets and food stands wait with cheeses, wines, veggies, fruits and everything between. You can buy directly from the farmers themselves. It’s a great system, almost like a fair trade expo.

What I like the best about Slovenia is, yes the outdoors, yes the food and heck, if you’ve never seen a sheep traffic jam, it’s worth everything to experience this in Slovenia! The Kranjska Gora and Bohinjska Bistrica are two of many of my favorite Alps places. It’s wise to pre-book a farm or resort stay ahead of time, as it can get busy. It is, as I said, getting more popular as people wish to escape the cities that hold us in the rest of the year.

When the long ski holiday is over by spring, the first thing we want to do is head to the beach. This generally means packing up the car and heading to the crowded coast for some sand-in-the-fanny-fun. What if you could, however, leave the SPF 900 sunblock, the sandcastle mold, the beach toys, umbrella and oversized  towels at home and head to a more temperate location?

When all head to the beach, I know it’s time for me to head to the peaks. I mean, we head to the mountains in the summer rather than the beach during our vacation for several good reasons. Not only can we do some great outdoor activities, but we can also swim and sail without the throngs of Speedo-sporting visitors. You’ll always find “less” in the mountains during the summer, in a good way.

1. Less Crowds

If you’ve ever done much European beach-hopping, then you know how chockablock and unruly the beaches can become. Yes, I’ve been lucky enough in the past to find the quiet cove, but to tell you the truth, I want some amenities with my holiday. This means I’m stuck going to the crowded beaches. Rather than deal with this, I like to get out in nature. I head to Kranjska Gora and hike with my gal in the Zgornjesavska Valley. The trails are signposted and the treks start in the valleys and head over the alpines. Plus, there’s plenty of activities on and off the pure (not salt) water: canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding, cycling, fishing, golf and wellness spas. The summer in the Three Valleys near Meribel-Mottaret proffers more than winter skiing, rated one of the top destinations within the Trois Vallees. Meribel-Mottaret includes mountain biking, golf, Tour de France and other race competitions.

2. Less Scorching

There’s one thing I always keep in mind when I choose a destination for a summer recess—the higher you go, the cooler the temps become. Yes, a mountain vacation is preferable to a seaside one due to the burning sun. If you’ve ever gone home burnt or blistered, you can catch my drift. Maribor Pohorje in Slovenia, for example, offers loads of summer fun. You can play paintball by day, trek up primeval forest trails by noon and take a horseback ride by sunset. Being alone in the cool, quiet woods sure beats the sweltering heat of a huge bar of sand. Alta Badia in Italy becomes the same type of outdoor haven in the summer. Steadfast in the Dolomites, it’s always possible to get outdoors without all the beach-side heat.

3. Less Salty Water

OK, I know I’ve mentioned the water a couple times, but I just need to reiterate it. I don’t know how anyone can even compare the ocean’s salty and windswept waters against a fresh mountain lake. If you had the choice to swim in brine or crisp water, which would you choose? I know which one I’d head to. The mountain lakes, streams and reservoirs provides a less salty swim. That reason is one alone that keeps me coming back for more each year.

4. Less Sailors

Let me clarify, there are less sailors in the way of wind. You can sail over these waters at twice the speed of the ocean. I’ve even seen it windy enough for kiteboarders and windboarders to have a rocketing time on mountain lakes. In the Vanoise National Park near Champagny in France, for example, I’ve rafted, canoed, swam in the rivers and fished along the banks. I can get to the water, have plenty of water sports minus the multitudes.

5. Less Imitation

Often when I go to the beach, I see the same chain food restaurants, the same hotels, and the same scenery. This is not the case when I head to the mountains for a summer vacation. Places like Marilleva, Passo Tonale, Rogla, Livigno, Courchevel, La Plagne and Chamonix were founded before tourist even came to ski. These were once (and some still are) real working villages not pre-built to draw crowds with duplicated beauty like you see along the coast. A mountain retreat will surely have less imitation and, by all means, more culture than any seaside tourist trap.

To do something different with your summer vacation time, remember that less can be better, forget the beach and head up!