If it could be said of any nation that they were natural-born skiers, it would probably be the Slovenes. With a whopping fifteen resorts in a country no bigger than a China man’s thumbnail on the map, the folk here are usually learning to ski at the same time they’re learning to walk. Indeed a closer study of evolution may prove that their feet are in fact getting longer. So if you want to join them this season but have never set foot on a pair of skis, or maybe you fancy yourself as a bit of a Davo Karničar (the first to ski down Mt. Everest, and a Slovene, of course) and want to know where you can go to show off your ‘smučing’ skills, then read on…

I remember quite clearly the first time I ever saw James Bond skiing off the edge of an Austrian precipice and falling helplessly thousands of feet towards what would surely be a final, icy Alpine grave. The year was 1977 and I, like every other six-year old child in the cinema, held my breath, eyes transfixed and waiting in disbelief that even he could escape this. The tension was unbearable for six full seconds as ‘Roger Moore’ plummeted like a brick into the abyss until finally the parachute of red, white and blue opened, the band struck up and three hundred now purple-faced children in the audience breathed once more in helpless relief. "Mummy…" I said, calmly turning and pointing towards the screen,

"…I wanna do that!"

Unfortunately my debut into the skiing arena last year, after the ski-lift had rather rudely left me behind, began with a slip, followed by a loud yelp, an impromptu cartwheel and a chorus of rapturous laughter from three passing teenage girls as my arms, legs, skis and poles all shot in different directions. "Not quite what I had in mind in 1977," I thought to myself as a feeling of dampness quickly ensued.

If it’s your first attempt at this much-favoured winter pastime you will, of course, be needing the right gear. Everybody knows that looks are everything and that black is always a winner, so the cheapest way is to nip down to the local supermarket, get yourself some waterproofs and put them on over jogging bottoms, (preferably borrowed from a friend as you'll undoubtedly soil yourself the first time down the slope). Top half you can choose between a nice new ski jacket if you're serious, or an old black jumper with egg stains on if you're not. Shades of course and a nice thick pair of gloves, (not wool), are essential - hat and fluorescent sun block optional. (You'll be soaked to the skin within minutes anyway).

So then now you’ve got the trousers, you’ll be needing the other stuff. And the most important part of your skiing equipment is your boots. An ill-fitting boot can not only prove very painful but can also seriously impede the way you walk, causing fits of giggles from the teenage snowboarding community. If buying then it’s advisable to try on a few pairs in various sizes and walk around the shop for an hour, if hiring - then prayer is useful. Skis and poles of the correct length are also vital, with skis standing at least your own height and preferably two or three inches taller than you, and poles touching the ground when you hold them out with arms at right angles in front.

Out of the fifteen resorts, Krvavec, Rogla and Pohorje consecutively were voted the best in the country by an expert team of judges from the Slovenian ‘Golden Snowflake’ organisation, who every year travel the globe weighing up the pro’s and con’s of ski resorts based on five categories. (These are: organisation / ease of entrance, the slopes, the order and safety of the slopes, school, and the attractiveness of each resort to users - including services / restaurants etc.) All the Slovenian resorts were voted as being very safe, although most were criticised for not offering enough services such as bars and restaurants to cater for the crowds.

The ideal first choice for any first-time, Ljubljana-based skier is the award-winning Krvavec. Located a mere cat’s whisker away from Ljubljana, this resort has a well-equipped hire centre, a snowboard centre, brand-new flying eggs to get you there and good beginner slopes where you can practice with the six-year olds to whom it all comes so frustratingly naturally. One down side if you’re planning on hiring though is there are no lockers in the hire centre, so you have to be of a trusting nature when leaving your shoes. Krvavec is relatively small so be prepared to queue for the lifts with the rest of Ljubljana, especially at the weekend and, like anywhere, the adolescent snowboarders who adorn the baby slopes can be a little manner-less. Day tickets cost SIT 4300, and four-hour passes SIT 3800. A seasonal bus service to Krvavec leaves from Ljubljana central station, but car parking at the resort is good and regular buses run you up to the entrance. Overall the well-organised Krvavec possesses tough enough slopes for the seasoned skier, enough amenities for the day-tripper and plenty of room at the bottom for the novice to practise walking.

In the past the town-resort of Kranjska Gora was a popular European holiday destination due in no small part to the local casino. Nowadays it’s still popular with families wishing to ski with it’s hourly tickets, excellent instructional facilities, well organised ticket office and new electronic ticket machines. One of the oldest resorts on Slovenia, Kranjska Gora although has a reputation of not possessing the finest slopes nor enough bars and restaurants, with only fast food on offer. Plenty to do for the family over a weekend though.

Pohorje, near Maribor, is a modern, well-organised resort that is home to one of the best ski-schools in the country and the ‘zlatalisica’ women’s competition which has been held here for the past thirty-five years. It claims to be able to cater for 5000 people without the need for queuing, has pensions and apartments to rent, a new shop and self-service bar and a brand-new ticket control system. Hourly tickets are also available for the ‘impulse’ skier.

Although having no hire centre, Stari Vrh is ideal for the beginner because of it’s free baby slopes and very practical separate space for snowboarders. This resort boasts fifty hectares of ski-slopes with a new advanced slope at the top of the mountain. Indeed it’s slopes have a reputation as being great for the advanced skier and although having no ski-school or servicing facilities, Stari Vrh, near the beautiful little village of Skofia Loka, is home to a good food and drinks service.

The new advanced slope at Cerkno opened last year, and since the new six-seater ski lifts have been installed the resort claims to be able to handle 2000 skiers per hour! There are also both beginner and running ski-slopes here and Cerkno is the only resort in Slovenia that has lockers for your equipment. On the other hand there is no hire centre and only cash is taken at the ticket office. One important bonus though is that this resort has a new heated toilet block.

Another couple of the major resorts worth mentioning are Vogel and Kobla, both situated by Lake Bohinj. Kobla scores well for home-made food in the lodge, but the parking is messy and badly organised, as is the ski-school which has to share the slopes with everyone else. The main slopes however are organised well and Kobla has new lifts, uniformed operators, running tracks, and is accessible by the ‘white train’ which runs from Ljubljana station during the season. The safest and best-organised resort was voted as being Vogel. The ski-school is highly regarded as is the lodge with it’s home cooking and nice alpine atmosphere and although, (at the time of writing), the ski-lifts are by no means modern, hourly tickets aren’t available and they offer no night skiing, Vogel is a professionally run operation with special mention going to the trouble free entrance area.

So there you have it. Skiing doesn’t have to be an expensive sport and if you’ve got a reasonable sense of balance and rhythm should pick it all up pretty quickly, (by my third outing I was making it to the bottom of the baby slopes vertically!). It is certainly advisable to consider having some instruction after two or three goes as bad habits are hard to rid once acquired, and to take heed of the seasonal weather bulletins broadcast on the radio throughout the season - if you hear the words ‘fog’ or ‘strong winds’, then you’re better advised to go and climb Triglav. Good luck, and see you on the slopes!!!