Of all my BREG Slovenian t-shirt designs so far, Ski Mežica is possibly my favourite.
There are three reasons for this. Firstly, I love the retro artwork; although the motif is completely original, you could easily imagine it being a genuine logo for the ski area of Mežica during its heyday in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
The retro Yugoslav inspired ‘Ski Mežica’ shirt by BREG Design.
Secondly, Mežica – a small town, in the north of the Koroška region of Slovenia – which is unknown to non-Slovenes (and not exactly well-trodden even for Slovenians) – has a special place in my heart as its close to Breg house. Hence I have been visiting for over a decade and have a fondness for it.
And lastly, I like the fact that this design pays tribute to a place that no longer exists. Mežica’s once-popular ski area, is now a forgotten hill.
The former ski lifts overlooking the town of Mežica. Nowadays, little remains of this once-popular ski area. Though the ‘Ski Mežica’ logo is new, it could have happily adorned brochures and merchandise of the era.
By all accounts, when the ski area was operating, Mežica was quite the hotspot. It attracted skiers from all over Yugoslavia, it produced at least one Olympian and left a legacy of high-level competitive skiers in the region. It even had its own ski brand and factory – Šipek – that manufactured and sold skis.
But when you pass through Mežica on a winter’s day now, it’s hard to believe that it would have been teeming with skiers and apres-ski energy 40 years ago. These days it’s a calm and quiet place. Speaking to locals, there’s an air of sadness and loss for what once was. Both the ski area, and the lead mine – which in part supported it – were sources of employment and pride for Mežicans.
So the Ski Mežica design is an ode to all this and its little place in Slovenian ski history.
Last of the Mežicans: Oto Pustoslemšek – Olympic skier
Last year, I was fortunate to get the opportunity to interview local Mežican Oto Pustoslemšek who – despite all odds – made it to the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympics.
I met with Oto in a small café in Mežica, along with his son, (my friend and translator) Aleš. Over a Laško beer, I was able to dig a little into the remarkable story behind Oto’s Olympic appearance, and Mežica’s once-glorious ski area.
Oto Pustoslemšek - winter Olympian - competing in a Slovenian ski race in the 1970s
Like most people who grew up in the mountainous Meža valley in north Slovenia, Oto was born into a life of hiking and skiing. He developed an interest in slalom racing, and when he was 16, he began to compete at local races in the region. After winning almost all the races he entered Oto began to think: ‘Maybe I can do something in skiing?’
Amazingly, all of this was taking place in a town that at the time had no ski lift! To practice his skiing, Oto would climb up a slope after work, carrying his skis, so that he could practice racing downhill.
This makes Oto’s Olympic achievement all the more remarkable. Most skiers growing up in the French, Swiss or Austrian Alps, would have had access to ski lifts, meaning they could practice dozens of run a day. Oto had to walk up the mountain every single time. Every day, every winter he walked; mostly alone. And there were no mechanical piste packers at this time. Oto was the sole human pistenbully.
Former winter Olympian Oto Pustoslemšek with son Aleš
Mežica Ski Area is Born
In 1967, Mežica ski area officially opened its first lift. This turned the small mining town into somewhat of a ski hotspot. At this time, there was only one other lift-served ski area in Slovenia, so Mežica drew skiers from all over Yugoslavia.
The ski area brought pride and prosperity to the town. After a day on the slopes, the bars and restaurants were busy with people enjoying an après ski pivo - bringing tourism to a town which otherwise wouldn’t see many visitors.
There were even grand plans for the expansion of Mežica’s ski area, taking it higher up the flanks of Peca mountain, which at 2125m, straddles the border between Slovenia and Austria. Forging a connection between Mežica’s ski area and neighbouring Petzen/Peca ski area in Austria would have created a substantial ski resort but sadly, these plans were never realised.
The ski lifts are still marked on the tourist map in Mezica town centre - though almost nothing remains of them today.
By the time the Mežica ski area reached its prime in the mid-1970s, Oto’s own ski racing career was entering its twilight; although he had hoped for a second Olympic appearance, injuries meant he never got to compete at that level again.
However, he continued to work as a ski racing coach for many years, helping to raise the next generation of ski racers in Koroška. It’s in part thanks to Oto’s legacy, that the area produced many more big ski names, including Tina Maze, an Olympian double-gold medallist and the most successful skier in Slovenian history. It’s probably not a coincidence that Maze hails from Mežica’s neighbouring town, just up the valley.
Oto’s sporting legacy has also lived on through his two sons – Aleš and Primož. Aleš played in a professional football league in Austria and was a competitive skier, and Primož went on to compete as part of the Yugoslav ski team, racing in Korea, Japan and the US.
The Pustoslemšek brothers also played a big part in the Mežica cricket club which – just like it’s once-great ski area – punches well above its weight. Not to mention being probably the most picturesque cricket ground in the world.
Šipek: Mežica’s Very Own Ski Brand
Equally interestingly to me is that Mežica at that time had its own ski brand and factory: Šipek. From the 1950s to the mid-1970s, Šipek built skis, selling up to 500 pairs a year. The founders even had to sometimes smuggle materials into Yugoslavia from over the Austrian border (which is just minutes ways from Mežica) due to limits and tariffs on certain items they required.
You might think that a promising young ski racer from the same town would be an ideal candidate for sponsorship, but Oto told me that although Šipek promised to supply him with skis for his competitions, in the end, they didn’t make good on the agreement. He ended up turning to Elan – a Slovenian ski company that went on to become a world-leading sports brand – to get his skis.
The Šipek ski factory eventually went the same way as the ski area. Though their skis were popular, they were unable to scale up production to compete with bigger ski brands that were emerging. After around 25 years of operation, Šipek finally closed their doors. One of Slovenia’s most promising ski brands was relegated to ornamental status, their skis destined to become decoration for cabin walls rather than win Olympic medals.
Why did Mežica ski area close?
The reasons for the closure of Mežica ski area in the late 1990s remain somewhat murky. I have read and heard various explanations, but there seems to be no single definitive answer. The mystery is greater still considering that the two towns either side of Mežica – Črna na Koroškem (home of Tina Maze) and Ravne Na Koroškem – have retained their ski areas to this day, (even though both are at a lower altitude than Mežica’s, and both are tiny, with just a single lift servicing them).
Aleš and Oto explained that the ski lift operations themselves were not profitable. At that time, the lead and zinc mine in Mežica was still thriving, and apparently supplied the ski lifts with free electricity, vastly reducing the running costs of operation. When the mine finally became unviable and closed in 1994, the free-electricity supply also ceased.
The Relics of Mežica’s Bygone Ski Centre
Today, although the ski lifts are still marked on the tourist map that sits in Mežica town centre, there is little else left to remind us of Mežica’s ski legacy. The old pistes that cut through the forest remain, though the forest is rapidly reclaiming its lost ground. An old lift cable with rusting flywheels on the lower slopes is still present. And a small building, now overgrown and damp, containing old lift parts, quietly decays.
The former ski lift station is now a woodstore.
Will Mežica ever re-open its ski area?
Could we ever see the ski lifts return? It seems highly unlikely. In an age of global warming the altitude is too low to offer reliable snow cover. Perhaps during the next ice age, ski lifts would become economically viable again.
Until then, Mežicas ski area joins a growing list of ‘ghost’ ski resorts around the world; once-popular ski centres that now lie abandoned.
It’s a reminder to make the most of your surroundings now because nothing – especially snow - lasts forever.
Get the Ski Mezica design on t-shirts, hoodies and more here.
View from the top of the Mežica area