Kiviõli Adventure Centre

The ash hills of Kiviõli are the waste from decades of oil shale processing, and the larger of them stands over a hundred metres above flat country - the highest artificial elevation in Estonia, and taller than any natural hill in the northern half of the country. Rather than fence it off, the town turned it into a sports centre.

What you actually see

• The slope - a steep grey-green hill with lifts running up it, a drop genuinely unusual for Estonia.
• Winter runs - ski and snowboard slopes, backed by artificial snow when the weather does not deliver.
• Summer tracks - downhill mountain-bike trails, tubing lanes and a toboggan run.
• The view from the top - the industrial landscape, the forests and, on a clear day, the sea.

When to go

December to March is the ski season, with artificial snow supporting it when the weather does not. June to September runs the bike park, tubing and the summer track. Thaws and heavy rain close the slopes, so it is worth checking before driving out.

Honest expectations

It is a spoil heap, and it looks like one. The setting is post-industrial rather than scenic, and visitors expecting an alpine resort will be brought up short.

The drop is respectable for Estonia but short by any international standard - a run lasts under a minute.

Nearby

The Kohtla mining museum is twenty minutes east. Alutaguse National Park and Lake Peipus are to the south.