Liepkalnis Winter Sports Centre is an
alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
area in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. It has 10 lifts and 9 groomed ski runs. All the pistes are lit and equipped with artificial snow making equipment. The centre is based on the highest point in Vilnius,
Laimio kalnas, with a maximum altitude of above sea level. The maximum altitude difference on the hill is .
History
The hill has been used by the alpine skiing enthusiasts since at least 1982, and it has been continually raised by piling rubble until 2000, mostly by efforts of the skiing enthusiast Laimis Janutėnas.
Eventually people started calling the mountain by his name, and in 2004 the Vilnius City Municipality officially named the hill ''Laimio kalnas''.
The first ski lift was launched in 1984.
[
In 2013, the control of the ski area was given to the Lithuanian-Latvian JSC ''UAB "Trade State"'', which invested around 1 million euros into lighting, snowmaking, snow grooming equipment and built multiple new lifts. Along with the lifts and snow grooming infrastructure, the company operates a ski school and a ski and snowboard rental service.]
References
{{reflist
External links
* http://liepkalnis.lt/
Ski areas and resorts in Lithuania
Sports venues in Vilnius