Paprsek Webcam – Ski Slopes in the Czech Golden Mountains

The Paprsek Webcam looks down the chairlift at Paprsek, a small ski area above the village of Velke Vrbno in the Golden Mountains (Rychlebske hory) of the northeastern Czech Republic. From the top of the lift line, two-seat chairs run down a long mown slope toward the houses in the valley, with forest on both sides and wooded ridges rolling away to the horizon. A second camera turns through the hilltop around the Paprsek mountain hotel and zooms out to a stone lookout tower, and a third watches the chairs climb from lower on the hill. In mid October the slope is still green and the broadleaf trees in the valley go yellow and orange. Once snow arrives, the ground under the chairs becomes the main piste.

About Paprsek

Paprsek sits at the top of Velke Vrbno, a scattered mountain village that belongs to the town of Stare Mesto in the Sumperk district of the Olomouc Region. The ski area runs from 759 meters (2,490 feet) at the bottom to 1,007 meters (3,304 feet) at the top, a vertical drop of 248 meters (814 feet), which makes it the highest ski area in the Golden Mountains. One two-seat chairlift, rated at 1,000 people an hour, serves 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles) of runs on the Paprsek and Olsanka pistes: 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles) of easy slopes and 0.6 kilometers (0.4 miles) of intermediate ones.

At the top stands the Paprsek mountain hotel, a large timber chalet with a green roof and a panoramic terrace. The 360 camera passes it on every tour, along with a long timber building with solar panels on its roof and a children’s play area, the chairlift’s top station and a lined water reservoir beside it. The Czech Tourist Club’s marked trails meet here at the Paprsek junction, and the green trail drops from it toward Stare Mesto past the area’s newest landmark.

That landmark is the Dalimil Lookout Tower (Dalimilova rozhledna), which opened on 10 July 2021 on the summit of Vetrov. It stands 34 meters (112 feet) tall and copies a lookout tower that opened in 1899 on Kralicky Sneznik and was demolished in the 1970s. The investor, Dalimil Mika, wanted to bring that lost symbol back to the region. Designer Jiri Tomecek gave it five granite pillars joined by a stone vault in the lower hall. Granite steps and then a steel spiral staircase climb to its two viewing platforms. When the 360 camera zooms out to it, the tower rises above an open meadow with picnic tables and a small car park at its foot.

Weather and Climate in Paprsek

Paprsek has a cool mountain climate. Averages for 2016 to 2025 at the middle of the slope give January daytime highs near -2 C (28 F) and nights around -7 C (20 F), and highs stay close to freezing from December through February. March nights are still around -3 C (27 F), and April highs reach only about 9 C (48 F). On the Paprsek Webcam, winter turns the slope under the chairs white and loads the spruce along the ridges with snow.

Summer is mild rather than warm. July and August highs average about 20 C (68 F), with nights near 12 C (53 F), and these are also the wettest months, with about 110 to 120 millimeters (4.3 to 4.8 inches) of rain each. Autumn cools quickly, from highs of about 16 C (60 F) in September to 10 C (50 F) in October and 4 C (39 F) in November. The yearly total comes to about 1,120 millimeters (44 inches). In the camera’s October frames the broadleaf trees in the valley turn gold while the spruce stays dark, and low cloud or haze can soften the far ridges.

Things to Do Near Paprsek

The walk to the Dalimil Lookout Tower is the obvious outing. The green trail covers the 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the hotel to Vetrov, and from the platforms the view takes in the Stare Mesto area and the surrounding ranges: the Golden Mountains, the Hruby Jesenik and the Kralicky Sneznik massif. The same green trail carries on down to Stare Mesto for a longer day on foot. The chairlift also runs in summer, and the resort rents out e-bikes for its marked cycle routes and hiking trails across the ridges.

In winter, nearly four fifths of the downhill runs are graded easy, which makes Paprsek a gentle hill for beginners and families rather than a steep one. Beyond the two pistes, a network of cross-country ski trails is mapped across the plateau around the hotel and down over the Velke Vrbno meadows, for skiers who prefer long, quiet loops. The hotel terrace looks out over the surrounding mountains.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more Czech views and mountain slopes, try these cameras next.

• Mlade Buky Webcam
• Bad Kleinkirchheim Webcam
• Usti nad Orlici Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Paprsek located?

Paprsek is a mountain resort above the village of Velke Vrbno, part of the town of Stare Mesto in the Sumperk district of the Olomouc Region, in the northeastern Czech Republic. It lies in the Golden Mountains, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the center of Stare Mesto pod Sneznikem.

What can you see on the Paprsek Webcam?

The main view looks down the chairlift and the slope beneath it toward the houses of Velke Vrbno and the forested ridges beyond. The 360 camera tours the hilltop: the chairlift by the spruce forest, the green-roofed mountain hotel, a timber building with a play area, the top station and its reservoir, and the Dalimil Lookout Tower in the distance. A third camera looks up the lift line from lower on the hill.

What is the weather like in Paprsek?

Winters are cold, with January highs near -2 C (28 F) and nights around -7 C (20 F). Summers are mild, with July and August highs of about 20 C (68 F) and the most rain of the year.

How high is the Paprsek ski area?

The slopes run from 759 meters (2,490 feet) at the bottom to 1,007 meters (3,304 feet) at the top, a vertical drop of 248 meters (814 feet). That makes Paprsek the highest ski area in the Golden Mountains.

How many ski slopes does Paprsek have?

There are 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles) of runs on the Paprsek and Olsanka pistes, of which 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles) are easy and 0.6 kilometers (0.4 miles) intermediate. A single two-seat chairlift serves them.

How far is the Dalimil Lookout Tower from Paprsek?

About 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) on foot along the green trail toward Stare Mesto. The 34 meter (112 foot) stone tower on Vetrov opened in July 2021 as a copy of the 1899 lookout that once stood on Kralicky Sneznik.

Does the Paprsek chairlift run in summer?

Yes. The resort runs the chairlift in summer as well as in the ski season, and it rents out e-bikes for the cycle routes around the hill. Marked hiking trails start from the Paprsek junction beside the hotel.

Source: Horska chata Paprsek