Pushing my skis forward in tracks carved deep into the snow and a swirling wind and thick fog, I finally reach a vast plateau where Alb Berisha, our guide, greets me with a high-five. “Welcome to Kosovo,” he says, beaming. I put on more layers to fight the chill, and nibble on a pita (a Balkan cream cheese-stuffed pastry) left over from breakfast, before swinging my arms around to keep warm.
Hold on … Weren’t we in Albania a moment ago?
It’s tricky to know exactly which country you are in when you’re high up in the Accursed Mountains. Also known as the Albanian Alps, this rugged mountain range extends from northern Albania to western Kosovo and north-eastern Montenegro.
I’m on a ski touring trip to explore the area, which sees just 200 to 300 visitors in winter. This region doesn’t have the lifts and other infrastructure of a major ski resort, just a couple of cat skiing (a form of backcountry skiing) operations, and even they don’t venture where we tourers are going. We’ve come for the untracked snow and the chance to cross three countries in a day, surrounded by a glistening white wilderness with just a few secluded hamlets. It demands good off-piste skiing skills and a good level of fitness for the ascents, but it promises an adventure far from the crowded slopes of Europe’s usual ski destinations.
Over the week, I cover between four and eight miles a day with ascents of around 800 metres, and stay in guesthouses that are opening their doors in winter for the first time. We are using skis with skins – fabric strips that enable us to grip and climb up the slopes, and then ski down them. It’s a rewarding combination of effort, isolation and discovery.
We press on towards the Albanian summit of Maja e Bard (White Peak) at 2,392 metres, driven on by the promise of pristine snow awaiting us on its south-western slope in Kosovo. Ascending steadily along the Ali Peja Pass (2,275 metres), which crosses the two countries, I get into a metronomic rhythm, steadily sliding my touring skis forward.
As we reach the summit, the surrounding peaks put on a tantalising show, revealing a glimpse of a ridge here and a snowy summit there, before retreating once more behind a thick curtain of cloud. Quickly clipping our skis into downhill ski mode, we escape the lingering mists of Albania and descend into the sun-drenched landscape of Kosovo, carving through the powdery snow. There is still plenty of time for another lap in this pristine winter landscape before we have to ski down through the fir-lined Kosovan valley of Zalli Rupes and end our ski tour around the Accursed Mountains.
Climbing alongside Arb, I am struck by how fast the clouds are moving above us. “That’s one of the reasons they are called the Accursed Mountains,” Arb tells me. But there are several reasons. One traces the origins of the name to Serbian soldiers’ harrowing journey through these mountains during the first world war in a bid to take their king, Peter I, to safety in Corfu. Another says they were created by the devil.
Our journey had started a week earlier in Peja, at the base of the eastern end of the mountain range. Having arrived in the Kosovan city at night, we only saw the impressive towering limestone peaks protruding above the wooded landscape the following morning.
As well as buildings dating from its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past, such as the nearby thermo-mineral spa that has been enjoyed since antiquity, the city also has a lively cafe scene, and a popular brewery. We are shown around by Virtyt Gacaferri, who jokes that he has lived in six countries without ever physically relocating, a reference to the region’s tumultuous past, particularly the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo conflict in the 1990s.
Inspired by the success of an established, 119-mile (192km) circular hiking trail (the Peaks of the Balkans launched in 2013 to promote peace and provide employment in Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo), Virtyt wanted to see if the mountains could draw visitors during the winter months too. So he persuaded three guesthouses to open up for the season and started Balkans Natural Adventure. We spend the nights in these guesthouses on our tour.
The following morning we set off from Hotel Kulla e Zenel Beut towards the Accursed Mountains national park by road. With our skis and luggage strapped on the top of the van, we navigate steep forest tracks and rocky streams, ascending towards snow-dusted peaks on the horizon. Eventually, we pull up at the Gacaferi guesthouse in a snowy valley in Deçan province in western Kosovo.
From there, our luggage goes up on skidoos, while we ascend the Ali Peja Pass, revealing a panorama of jagged mountains and pristine valleys. After a two-hour climb we reach the summit of two rounded 2,300-metre peaks, which, like many around the region, haven’t been named yet. These offer views of the Dobërdol and Valbona valleys on the Albanian border, while Kosovo’s Gjeravica, the second-highest Accursed peak at 2,656 metres, towers behind us.
On our return to the guesthouse after skiing for 30 minutes through soft snow, Safete Gacaferi welcomes us with cups of Turkish coffee in front of a blazing fire.
After a long day, we relax in comfy sofas around the stove, watching the hard work going on in the kitchen. Safete prepares pita by rolling out pieces of dough into thin circles and spreading them with a creamy milk concoction known as halta, before winding them into spirals and baking them. We eat them with homemade meatballs and peppers in cream, before retiring to our shared rooms with their comfy, single beds.
The following morning we set off on skis into a crisp monochrome landscape, with the aim of visiting three countries in a few seconds. Reaching the top of Trekufiri (2,366 metres), where the three borders meet, we link hands and call out each country’s name – Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo – as we circle the summit cairn. We then descend towards an empty hamlet, Bogićevica, where we are welcomed by a jovial border patrol officer, his curiosity piqued by the novelty of winter guests. A former army truck, fitted out with a trailer for our skis, takes us on a bumpy ride to Babino Polje in Montenegro, the vehicle lurching into action after several attempts.
At the Eko Katun Hrid guesthouse we are greeted by Enes “Enko” Dreskovic’s children, who offer us homemade blueberry juice and warm slippers. The guesthouse is remote enough to lack a phone signal but has hot showers in the newly built apartments, which have double and single beds spread out over two floors. We drift off to sleep to the sound of the river below.
The main building is a traditional family house with a large, warm living room and kitchen. Enko is a towering figure who is also the director of Montenegro’s Prokletije national park. Over a dinner of lamb chops, fried fish, chicken and potatoes, he shares stories about his 20 years of involvement in creating national parks in the three countries. His vision is to unite the parks and break down boundaries. “People here are the same, regardless of nationality,” he says. “Your neighbour can be closer than your brother.”
Over the next two days, we visit remote hamlets such as Dobërdol in Albania, staying at guesthouse Leonardi, one of the most secluded spots yet. From here, we ski tour to Shpati Peak (2,203 metres), following the breathtaking ridge line leading to Kershi Kocit before returning to the warmth of the guesthouse, where Arb unveils a bottle of raki.
“It’s time for a toast,” he declares, raising a glass to the untamed beauty of the Accursed Mountains, where borders blur and you can’t always be sure of which country you are in.
The trip was provided by Balkans Natural Adventure; its seven-day holiday costs about €1,500, including local guides, transfers and some meals
