The beauty of Mount Vogel resembles something out of an Alpine fairytale. Located above Lake Bohinj, part of southern Julian Alps and Triglav National Park, it’s definitely a place to visit if you’re in Slovenia. The panoramic views from the 1922 m high mountain (yikes, that’s high!) are spectacular.

Getting to the top is roughly a 10 minute cable car ride, which takes you to a height of 1537 m. I’ll be honest, my courage was tested greatly as soon as I stepped out of the cable car. Sure, I’ve walked down half the Eiffel Tower but my legs are always a bit shaky whenever I see the drop below me.

Shaky legs aside, I was very excited to see the famous Vogel Ski Resort. Being a non-skier did not prevent me from enjoying the trip. Hiking in snow is hard work, you know!

Originally opened in 1964, the resort is very popular with Slovenians as well as Croatians and Italians. There are 22 km of ski slopes to keep skiers entertained and 8 km tracks for cross country skiing in addition to a snowboard park. You can rent chalets if you fancy spending more time on the mountain (and saving the cable car trip each day).

The wonderful, natural conditions on Mount Vogel mean a ski season can last from December to the beginning of May. Skiers of all levels can take part and there’s even a ski school if you need to be gently weened onto the slopes. I may have to enrol!

The first thing that struck me was how bright the sun was. It was blinding. Although I was well protected with thermal gloves, SPF and sunglasses, I cursed myself for not bringing stronger sunglasses with me. I dare say I spent a lot of time in the shade, adjusting to my surroundings.

Although there are many advantages of exercising in the snow, in the fresh air, we still have to consider the harmful effects of the sun, particularly at such a high altitude. I saw a family sunbathing outside their chalet and my first thought was ‘Are they wearing sun cream?’. I’m a dermatologist’s dream, aren’t I?

To avoid nasty consequences from harmful UV rays (which reflect off the surface of the snow) a strong sun cream is definitely recommended for a trip to Mount Vogel as well as sunglasses and a hat.

I thoroughly enjoyed walking in the very deep snow. Living near the coast, I’ve never seen snow quite like this. Slovene snow is PROPER snow, the kind that you can make decent snowmen out of. I’m a little ashamed to admit that I wasn’t wearing snow boots (I left them back in England) and my leather boots took a few days to dry out. Oh dear!

A return cable car journey costs 14€ per adult.

Tags:  bohinj culture julian alps mount vogel skiing slovenia travel triglav triglav national park vogel