Dragobrat

Dragobrat - the name means a clearing where forest was felled - spreads from 1,300 to 1,700 metres on the Svydovets massif below Mount Stih, seven kilometres from Yasinia, the highest ski station in the Ukrainian Carpathians, and it holds snow longer than anywhere else in Ukraine, sometimes into May, which is its whole reason for existing. The runs are short and the lifts old, but the terrain above them is open and the off-piste is why experienced skiers come. The last stretch of track from Yasinia is severe enough that ordinary cars do not attempt it; transfers run in modified vehicles.

The main sights

• The long season - snow holding into April and sometimes May.
• The Svydovets terrain - open slopes and off-piste above the marked runs.
• The access track - a rough climb from Yasinia done in modified vehicles.
• The altitude - the highest ski station in the Ukrainian Carpathians, at 1,300 to 1,700 metres.

When to go

December to April is the season, and March and April are when the altitude tells. Summer walking is possible on the massif above. Access is worst in thaw conditions.

Things to know

Lifts are old and queues are slow. Accommodation is basic and scattered. The access track is genuinely rough and transfers are an unavoidable extra cost.

Nearby

Yasinia is below in the Tisza valley, and Rakhiv is southeast.

Key facts