Bjelašnica
Bjelašnica: the back story
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © This Photo was taken by Miha Peče. Feel free to use my photos, but please mentio · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Bjelašnica: the back story
Sarajevans call Bjelašnica their home mountain, and with good reason: the slopes of Babin Do are just 25 km from the city. In 1984 the world’s best men raced here at the Winter Olympics; today the same mountain offers steep runs, weekend night skiing and, beyond the lifts, one of the wildest high plateaus in the Balkans.
The men’s mountain
At the Sarajevo Winter Olympics of 1984, the women raced on Jahorina and the men on Bjelašnica, on runs that drop from the high ridges into the forest above Babin Do. The pistes now reach from about 1,300 metres to 2,067 metres, and the Olympic spirit lives on in the company that runs them: Olympic Centres Bjelašnica–Igman, the successor of the 1984 organising committee.
Three places to ski
The resort is really three: Babin Do on Bjelašnica, the main base with its six-seat chairlift, hotels and restaurants, and Veliko Polje and Malo Polje on neighbouring wooded Igman, where the Olympic ski jumps still stand in the trees. The mountain counts more than 200 snow days a year, backed by snowmaking, and part of the pistes is lit for competition-standard night skiing at weekends.
Sarajevo’s home mountain, where the men raced for gold in 1984.
Beyond the lifts
Above the pistes lies the Bjelašnica plateau, a vast rolling upland of grass and limestone. In summer a mountain road crosses it to Lukomir, an old shepherd village at about 1,500 metres, the highest in the country.
Every budget
Bjelašnica is one of Europe’s great ski bargains. Season passes for 2026/27 were sold in the autumn presale from 590 KM for loyal skiers, the taxi from the airport is about 37 KM, and the choice of beds runs from a family guesthouse at the foot of the piste to a 65-room spa hotel on Igman.
Our advice: stay at Babin Do for the steeper runs and the evening atmosphere, take a day on Igman for the forest and the ski jumps, and on a Saturday stay out for the floodlit runs. In summer, drive across the plateau to Lukomir.
Why it's on our list
- The 1984 men’s Olympic pistes
- Igman’s Olympic ski jumps
- Night skiing at weekends
- The plateau and Lukomir in summer
- 25 km from Sarajevo
Bjelašnica in brief
From the Olympic Centres Bjelašnica–Igman official site and olympics.com (October 2026).
Timeline
- 1984men’s alpine events of the Sarajevo Winter Olympics
- 15 Apr 20272026/27 season passes valid until this date
The mountain · 5
Babin Do, Bjelašnica, Veliko Polje and Malo Polje, Igman, Pistes up to 2,067 m, More than 200 snow days a year, with snowmaking, Night skiing at weekends
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Bjelašnica: the back story before you go.