Croatian Olympic Centre "Bjelolasica" at the mountain having the same name, located in Gorski kotar, is the largest Croatian skiing centre. 27 kilometers from Ogulin, it is located at the edge of spacious hollow next to village Jasenačko Vrelo. It takes approximately one hour and 15 minutes to get to "Bjeloasica" from Zagreb or Rijeka, mostly thanks to built highways.
Croatian Olympic Centre "Bjelolasica" is available to tourists throughout the year, since it has inner and outdoor playgrounds for sports and relaxation besides hotel and apartment accommodation and, it is also a starting point for mountaineering, alpinism, walking, mountain biking. Guests who spend their time there in winter may, besides indoor sports, also enjoy benefits of skiing, sliding and snowmobile drives. Ski slope had been opened in 1983 and since than more then ten thousand visitors of snow sport fans enjoy it during the season.
Despite moody winters during previous years, in general, there is enough snow for skiing on Bjelolasica slopes from December to March. Well, the mountain had been named after its snow ridge or "white weasel". However, ski slope snowing system is under construction at the moment, which shall prolong the skiing season and guarantee holding of FIS contests.
The starting station of two-seater ski-lift is next to the Centre, at 618 m a.m.s.l., from where it is pulled to the restaurant at 1070 m. Next to the cable railway there is the longest ski slope Vrelo, having approximately 10 kilometres of slopes in total. More difficult slopes are intended for advanced and experienced skiers and snowboarders, and less difficult for beginners and ski school attendants. Two of the best skiers worldwide, Janica and Ivica Kostelić, learnt how to ski here.
From the restaurant to the plateau at 1270 m there is the second two-seater ski-lift, and from there up to the Bjelolasica ridge, up to the highest point of the ski slope at 1392 m and the third cable railway. Skiers may also use three shorter drag lifts ("platters"). From the slopes, named after meadows they spread over (Gomirkovica, Livade, Hajdučica and Vilinska draga) there is a view to the areas of Velika Kapela, Klek, Vrelo and Croatian Olympic Centre "Bjelolasica" during sunny winter days.
