Genuine Valašský woodoo freeride
Pustevny – Okrouhlý 986 m.n.m.
Pustevny can be reached from two ways - by bus or by car along the road from Middle Bečvy or by double chair lift in Ráztoka. Thanks to this double chairlift the "voodoo" freeride is possible!. I must make a note that the lift goes to Pustevny about 20-25 minutes and when is a lot of people and they turn it on to "3 cosmic" speed you’ll getto top in about 15 to 17 minutes. The lifts problem in off-season is turning in on only every hour, which means that normal run takes about 25 minutes and then you have to wait as a "douche bag" at the bottom. We have many times tried to find out in advance if the chairlift will run all day, so we could buy single run or whole day ticket. Anyway this lift from the last century is operated by people who used to live in comunism so their answer to our call is always different then the answere from the ticket sales.I advice you to be aware and recommends you buying ony single ticket for 40 CZK. All day ticket is for 320 CZK however in one day you will give up to 7 runs and you’re done.
This hill is absolutely easy going with no big bumps so dont expect anything huge. There is a road going around the hill which you always come across, and if there is enough snow you’ll get something from it if you know what I mean. I recommend you in the first run to check it if the groomer had a good day and made a cross country skiing path on it. Nothing is better then a big drop landing on a pretty solid track causing early finished season.
Once you get to the upper station of the chairlift, take a small lift (map 3) which will take you to top (be careful if you have bought single run for chair lift you would not have be able to use it there so you got to hike to the top lift station - map No. (4). If you go from chairlift it's about 400 meters on the table land spot where the runs start (Map No. 4). If you take a ski lift, it's about 250 meters, but it is considerably higher, so you do not need to fight with crassfall (Map No. 5).
Table land has the altitude of about 1060 meters above sea level, and therefore higher than the peak called Okrouhly. To rich the top of Okrouhly you need to take a path made by ski (SNB) natural cross track between Smrcka (it's pretty fast when it gets going). Then you have to walk about 200 m to the peak.
Note:
Watch out for branches they are pretty close to that path and when you get speed they are merciless. Then watch out for those who likes to plant trees in the corner! Therefore applies to all - please do not sit in the corners behind the trees, what happen is that someone coud "jump on your back" which is not pleasant at all...
Downhill No. 8 is good for the end of the day, when you do not have energy hiking to the table land and then ride. This run goes through a lot of narrow beech wood to about 100 meters open space in the woods and then around the creek to the bottom. I recommend no to ride into the creek there are huge and large rocks and is fairly narrow and badly it goes, its much better to keep it along the way down.
Run No. 9 is from the forest glade, but you dont have to go on the path which goes further to the north. Just go straight to the road along the little pine forest and then traverse to beech trees until until you stop (when is joa lot of snow, I recommend to go in larger intervals, because it goes along the contour).Then you will go down accoring to your discretion.
Run No. 10 you will get thru "ski (SNB) track", but you dont struggling in the upper plain, but you will find a passage through the trees - a route for a really good skier, or SNB, because the trees are about 10-15-year-old, and thus having dense branches to the ground and often looking for the way. This passage is about 60 to 70 m long, followed by a beautiful tree nursery which is steap and has bumpy run to the chairlift. In my opinion, the most beautiful place on this mountain, but very taught to reach. NEVER SKI/SNB ALONE IN THIS AREA ! If something happens to you, you will never be found.
Runs No. 11 start in the begining is from the woods, but you need to hike a little bit on the table land which leads to Okrouhlému. The rest applies to the previous point.
Runs No. 12 are relatively easy, from the upper part there is broad beech forest, where trees are from each other about 7 to 10 meters. The inclination is nice and you can go quite fast.
Run No. 13 is a moment in the nursery school, then turn to oak tresss section where you can kill it. Avoid the lift’s pillars and continue on the road.
WARNING - DO NOT ENTER IN CABLEWAY AREA – lift ops. do not like it, and are terribly pissed off, it is better to avoid the lower station 50 to 80 meters from the nearest fence.
Runs No. 14 go all the way down thru the nursery trees to the road whcih you come to the lift, it is necessary to go back to the lift, but it's not to far (up to about 150 meters).
Pustevny are good option if dumps at least 70 to 80 cm of fresh powder. If there is less snow you will be propably scrubbing of everything lying on the ground. This year conditions were so cool so we could spend a couple of nice powder days. This resort is quite old-fashioned, but the freeride is quite nice, especially it's something other than riding the great plains, it's such a "game". I personally call it "woodoo playstation“, the faster you go, the more adrenalin you get ... but watch out for the speed and watch out for tress which will never dodge your way!
Klikoš