Slovakia is a country of sports and recreation.Slovak mountain ranges are dissected by thousands of kilometres of tourist paths and tracks. They belong among the best designated ones in Europe. They are seen in map sets which are permanently updated. Maps of tracks running along the Danube River and partly over mountain ranges are available for cyclotourist as well. In Slovakia the tourists can perform sports of any kind, including golf, yachting, mountaineering, rafting, skiing, paragliding and many others. Slovak collective sports teams are well known all over Europe. Dog cart races are also taking place here, althoungh their tradition is not so long as that of horse racing. Horse riding in the nature is attractive as well.

SKIING : In spite of its small area, which is mostly hilly, Slovakia is densely interwoven by a net of ski-tows and ski-lifts. More than 1000 ski-tows and 30 ski-lifts are in operation and their number is growing. From the top the terminal stations there are hundreds of down-hill pistes, from the very gentle – for beginners, to the most demanding, which comply with the international criteria for master competitions.

SKI-ALPINISM
Ski-alpinism is a combination of cross-country skiing, mountaineering and alpine skiing. Its fans seek new opportunities for testing own stamina and strength in the extreme conditions of winter alpine nature. The Slovak mountains provide very good conditions for pursuing this sport, and ski-alpinism fans recommend Jasenska valley in Velka Fatra, the area of Chopok and Dumbier in the Low Tatras, Mala and Velka Studena valley and Skalnata valley in the High Tatras, Rohace and Ziarska valley in the West Tatras, and the well known Vratna valley in Mala Fatra.

PARAGLIDING : Paragliding is the youngest aeronautical sport and it fulfils our desire for what we are not able to do - fly! The feeling of „soaring free“ and touching the sky is an intense and totally incomparable feeling, and having tried it once you will never forget it. Slovakia, with its many mountainous regions, offers very many opportunities to practice the art of paragliding. There are perfect conditions for flights of several kilometres, especially in the region of Liptov, Kysuce, Orava, and also close to the town of Banska Bystrica. For those cautious souls who do not wish to fly solo, there are many schools of paragliding open all year round, where you can fly under instruction with a qualified pilot. If you find that you develop the paragliding „bug“, and wish to take

lessons, there are a wide range of courses held from April till October, catering for the beginner right up to those wishing to take their pilot’s certificate. The courses include basic information about the glider, the theory and technique of flying (level flight, climbing, landing and take-off), safety and meteorology.

SNOWBOARDING
Snowboarding is the most dynamically developing winter sport, which acquires fans by, so to speak, geometric series in the whole world. Slovakia is no exception - the number of fans has been increasing every year also thanks to finished terrain in individual ski resorts. A new opportunity for excellent surfing on snowboard is offered by SKI Jasna skiing centre in the Low Tatras, where a brand new U-ramp has been built this winter season.

SPELUNKING
Slovakia gives nature lovers interested in stalagmites and stalactites an ample opportunity for their subterranean wanderlust. Breath-taking caves full of glittering malachite crystals and exotic ores of all colours and shapes abound in the Slovak underground world. "Caving" more or less means underground search, while "spelunking" is the description of the physically demanding activity, offered to people who like underground adventure. The guided tours are provided in the Slovak Paradise, Slovak Karst and the Liptov region.