SF Freeride Cat Skiing Packages
Overview
SF Freeride Cat Skiing is a lively operation in the Pelister National Park of North Macedonia, 2½hr by road south of the capital Skopje. Cat skiing with SF Freeride combines classic Macedonian hospitality with fun, high alpine & tree powder riding. Several things make SF Freeride stand out, one of them is the people running it. Come here ready to laugh & enjoy some frenetic freeriding. Following the guides down through the trees is wonderful as they know every nook & cranny. As a bonus, every group has a professional photographer attached to capture your cat ski days, giving everyone one less thing to think about and concentrate on fully immersing yourself in the enjoyment of the mountains. To see how the tour program looks, click the Itinerary tab.
Lodging & Food
Unlike many Balkans cat ski operations, SF Freeride run their own superb quality hotel, bar & restaurant, so a tour package doesn't rely on any third parties. In addition to the Hotel Sumski Feneri, the operation also utilise the Shiroka Mountain Lodge (a solid hut) at 1,950m elevation as a central base for the cat ski day on the mountain. All meals are included in the package, and aside from voluminous breakfasts & dinners at the hotel, a fabulous lunch is served in the mountain hut, which has a ski-in ski-out position in the valley. For detailed information on accommodation & food, click the Lodging tab.
Snow & Terrain
The ski & snowboard terrain at SF is based around Mt Pelister (also known as the Baba Mountain). At just over 2,600m, the peak is accessible by cat & if conditions allow, a wonderful array of steep chutes can be ridden. The skiable vertical is around 1,200m but is effectively more like 700m in reality (assuming the summit is skiable), as the lower mountain is only utilised toward the end of the day. Runs are 1 to 4 kilometres long. There is an option to ride a long extreme descent off the southern side of Pelister if conditions allow & then getting picked up by the van.
Pelister stands alone along the border with Greece & can be lashed by huge winter storms. Terrain is predominantly northerly aspect & ranges across a huge bowl from the peak in the west along a ridge to easterly facing lightly wooded slopes that catch the morning sun. The high alpine gives way to light & then heavy trees, allowing SF Freeride to operate effectively in poor visibility.
Where is SF Freeride?
SF Freeride is in the Balkans, at the southern end of North Macedonia near the small ski area called Pelister. Close to the border with Greece, SF Freeride operates within the Pelister National Park. For detailed info on the best to get there, see the Travel to SF Freeride page.
Snowcats & Safety
SF Freeride have 2 modern, comfortable snowcats capable of seating 14 people. One snowcat is held in reserve to cover any unforeseen issues. A lengthy journey (1hr) is required to get up the mountain in the morning, but the wait is worth it as you get to know your guides & get pumped up with a few tunes. The guides are first aid & avalanche hazard trained, plus new, modern avalanche safety equipment is available for guests to use.
Booking
Inquire about coming to this cat ski location via our Booking Form.
