Žarski
State ski centre under construction on Bjelasica in the municipality of Mojkovac; no opening date published.
Under construction · Mojkovac
Photo: Emil Joanović · CC BY-SA 3.0
Under constructionNo opening date published.
Lifts
| Lift | Status |
|---|---|
| Z-4Chairlift · Leitner | Under construction |
Žarski is a state ski centre under construction in the municipality of Mojkovac, on the Bjelasica massif above the right bank of the Tara. Nothing operates: the Z-4 chairlift, the pistes and the base buildings are still being built, no ski pass is sold and no opening date has been published. The nearest operating centres are Kolašin 1600 and Kolašin 1450; Kolašin is 36.2 km by road from Katun Žarski.
What is being built
Žarski is the second of the new state ski centres under the Special Purpose Spatial Plan for Bjelasica and Komovi, built by the state company Skijališta Crne Gore. Under construction are a Leitner Z-4 chairlift, the ski slopes and the base facilities with a restaurant, café, rental and first aid. The slopes are grass, so about 15 cm of snow is enough to ski on. Plans include 14 hotels and 11 apartment buildings at Žarski and, for Žarski and Cmiljača together, which are to be linked, 14 lifts and 60 km of pistes. The spatial plan of 2014 set aside a zone of 1,550 ha across Mojkovac and Bijelo Polje, with the base settlement at 1,650 m. Lift and piste elevations and the piste lengths have not been published.
Why it is not open
The project has been running for years. In December 2022 the lifts at Žarski and Cmiljača had been installed for about three years but were unable to run, for lack of electricity, water and road access, and parts of the lifts and other equipment had been stolen; a storm had all but destroyed the access road to Žarski, and the planned cost of the centre was close to €30 million. State spending on it stood at over €15 million in 2026, over €1.6 million of that in the two preceding years. An opening year has not been published.
Getting there
By car to Katun Žarski, the summer pasture settlement at the site; the times are driving times without traffic or snow.
| From | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mojkovac | 15.3 km | about 37 min |
| Bijelo Polje | 24.1 km | about 51 min |
| Kolašin | 36.2 km | about 1 h 10 min |
| Podgorica | 93.5 km | about 2 h |
Bjelasica and the other centres
Bjelasica rises to 2,137 m at Crna glava; Biogradska Gora National Park covers part of the massif, and the Tara runs below it. Cmiljača, the sister centre, is 14 km from Bijelo Polje. The operating centres are Kolašin 1600 (12 km from Kolašin) and Kolašin 1450 (9 km). The ski resorts hub lists every centre in the country with its status, and the skiing hub the ones that operate.
Questions
Is Žarski ski centre open?
No. It is under construction, with no lift running and no opening date published.
Where is the nearest skiing?
Kolašin 1600 and Kolašin 1450. Kolašin is 36.2 km by road from Katun Žarski; the centres are 12 and 9 km from the town.
How big will Žarski be?
Plans give 14 hotels and 11 apartment buildings at the base and, with Cmiljača, 14 lifts and 60 km of pistes.
Sources
Skijališta Crne Gore, Žarski · Ministry of Tourism, answer to an MP question on state ski areas (2026) · Government of Montenegro, Information on ski areas (Oct 2014) · Monitor, "Čekajući skijališta Žarski i Cmiljača: nerealni optimizam" (16 December 2022) · Routes computed with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data (ODbL), car, to the site · MONSTAT, Statistical Yearbook 2025, table 1-8 Peaks over 1,800 m (Crna glava) · National Tourism Organisation, Skiing (Kolašin 1600 and 1450 distances) · National Tourism Organisation, Biogradska Gora National Park (on Bjelasica)
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