Hut-to-Hut Ski Touring in Kosovo and Albania: The Accursed Mountains Guide

Somewhere between Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro there is a mountain range with a name straight out of a fantasy novel: the Accursed Mountains. Prokletije to the Slavs, Bjeshkët e Namuna to the Albanians. No lift system. No lift queues. No one in a onesie filming a reel. Just big, quiet mountains, shepherd huts and snow that stays untracked for days after a storm because there is nobody around to track it.

It is one of the last proper wilderness ranges in Europe, and a hut-to-hut traverse on skis or a splitboard is the best way to see it. Here is what that actually involves.

What is hut-to-hut ski touring?

A point-to-point journey. Instead of returning to the same base every night, you travel through the range with your pack, climbing on skins, riding down the other side and sleeping somewhere new. You carry what you need for the day and the mountains provide the rest. It is touring with a storyline.

Why the Accursed Mountains?

• Empty terrain. Almost no Western skiers come here. You ride lines that see a handful of people a season.
• Variety. Open alpine bowls, gladed forest, steep couloirs and rolling high meadows, often in the same day.
• A real border crossing. The traverse runs from Kosovo into Albania through high alpine terrain. On skis. Try that in the Alps without meeting 400 people.
• Balkan hospitality. Family-run guesthouses, traditional shepherd huts, food that was grown or raised down the road.
• Value. World-class backcountry at a fraction of Western European prices.

What a day looks like

On our six-day traverse you climb 800 to 1,200 vertical metres a day on skins, then ride down through whatever the mountain is offering: bowls, trees, the occasional couloir. This is freeride touring, not a march. The uphill is there to earn the descent, and the guides pick the lines for the snow, the weather and the legs in the group.

The huts: rustic in the good way

Forget the Alpine hut with a wine list and a card machine. These are traditional shepherd huts and family-run mountain shelters, with the Gacaferi Guest House as the comfortable anchor of the trip. They are basic, warm and exactly what you want after a long day:

• Sleeping quarters prepared before you arrive
• Wood stoves stacked with kindling and logs. Your job is to supply the match.
• Food stocked at each hut in advance: local ingredients, cooking gear and suggested recipes
• Group cooking, which is where the best stories of the trip get told

If you need a spa, this is the wrong trip. If you like the idea of a stove, a pot of something hearty and a room full of tired, happy people, read on.

How fit and how good do you need to be?

Honest answer: this is not a first tour. You should be a solid intermediate to advanced skier or snowboarder who is comfortable in varied off-piste snow, with some previous freeride and touring experience and the fitness to climb around 1,000 m a day, several days in a row. You should also genuinely prefer basic, authentic mountain accommodation to luxury.

Not sure where you stand? Check our levels guide. Never toured before? Start with the Intro to Ski Touring & Splitboarding camp and come to the Balkans next season.

What to pack

• Freeride or touring skis with touring bindings, or a splitboard
• Touring boots, climbing skins and adjustable poles
• Avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel
• A 30 to 40 litre backcountry pack
• Helmet, goggles and more than one pair of gloves
• Layered technical clothing for very variable weather
• Headlamp and spare batteries

Need help choosing? See our freeride touring gear guide. The trip also carries the DOWN ski demo, so you can try a proper freeride touring ski where it belongs.

Getting there

Fly to Pristina International Airport (PRN), which has connections from major European cities. From there it is a scenic drive of about two and a half hours to the mountains. On our trip the shared airport transfers, all ground transport, guiding, coaching, accommodation and food are included. You book the flight and bring the legs.

Prefer a snowcat to do the climbing?

Same mountains, more vertical, one comfortable base. The Accursed Cat-Ski Expedition combines snowcat laps with short tours from the Gacaferi Guest House. And over in North Macedonia, The Shar Mountain Shift does cat-ski and freeride touring in the Shar Mountains.

Come ride it

Dates, price and the full programme are on the trip page: The Accursed Powder Traverse: HUT to HUT. Questions about level or kit? Talk to us.

Quick answers

Can you ski tour in Kosovo and Albania?

Yes. The Accursed Mountains on the Kosovo-Albania-Montenegro border offer extensive, uncrowded ski touring and splitboarding terrain, with traditional huts and guesthouses as bases.

How hard is hut-to-hut ski touring in the Accursed Mountains?

Expect 800 to 1,200 m of ascent per day for six days in remote terrain. It suits intermediate to advanced off-piste riders with previous touring experience and good fitness.

Which airport do you fly to?

Pristina International Airport (PRN) in Kosovo, about two and a half hours by road from the mountains.