Explore the Venues of the 1984 Winter Olympics in Pale

Do you remember the 1984 Winter Olympics that was held in Sarajevo? Well, if you do – are you aware that most of venues used for the skiing competitions were located in and around Pale?

Even if you didn’t know that – you do now!

For ages, Pale has boasted easy access to some of the best ski slopes in the region, and as such it made sense to take advantage of them for the 1984 Winter Olympics. Add to that the fact that these venues are ever so close to Sarajevo itself and you have a no brainer.

Till today, the leftovers from that amazing competition can still be seen and in some cases you might even be able to use them!

Overall, there were three venues in particular around Pale that were used for the 1984 Winter Olympics and they were:

• Jahorina

This 1,913 meter tall mountain was used for the women’s alpine skiing events, and to this very day remains popular for skiing, sledding and even hiking. In fact, the facilities at Jahorina have been upgraded over time making it one of the world’s premier skiing destinations that books out months in advance!

With over 8 lifts and 20 kilometers of ski trails that include its renowned Olympic-style professional trails – this is a venue that no skiing enthusiast can afford to pass up!

• Igman

While it may be the shortest mountain nearby Pale, measuring only 1,502 meters – it has two separate areas for skiing!

In the 1984 Winter Olympics, the Veliko Polje area was used for the cross country skiing competitions, the Nordic combined (cross country) competitions, and also the biathlon.

On the other hand the Malo Polje area hosted the Nordic combined (ski jumping), and ski jumping competitions.

Till today some of the structures from those events remain, though the Bosnian War took its toll on them and left them in disrepair. Still, Igman remains a popular skiing and hiking venue.

• Trebevic

Unlike the other mountains, the 1,627 meter tall Trebevic mountain wasn’t used for skiing, but rather it was where bobsledding and luge competitions were held!

Back during the Olympics, it drew huge crowds, but unfortunately today people steer clear of it due to the fact that the Bosnian War extracted a huge price from the area and for some time there were even fears of land mines.

Although you might want to steer clear of the Trebevic mountain, Jahorina and Igman are great destinations to visit if you happen to be staying in Pale – especially if you happen to like skiing!

With breathtaking sights and unsurpassed ski trails, there isn’t much more that you could ask for!

Related posts:

Short URL: http://pale.com/?p=15

Posted by on May 21 2011. Filed under About Pale, Pale History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry