Peculiarities of Skiing in the Carpathians

This is a mid-2000s travel note on what skiing in the Carpathians looked like then, not a guide to today's resorts. Separate ski tows often belonged to separate owners. These tows were run by locals who didn't announce their work schedules. Sometimes they shut down for inexplicable reasons - schedules were hard to find even online then.
Most of these ski areas were next to villages and weren't actually in the places with the best possible skiing conditions (i.e. considerable elevation above sea level, good topography, etc.). Most ski runs were hay fields during the rest of the year.
Horse-drawn sleds were a normal means of transport throughout the Carpathians. You could hop on for a ride up to the slopes!
Skiers lost their balance and fell on the tow lifts all the time. You had to be prepared for frequent stops.
The level of skiing mastery in Ukraine was fairly low because people had only recently discovered downhill skiing. The majority of skiers on the slopes were beginners and lower intermediates.
Local villagers came up to the slopes and stood out in the cold all day selling tea and coffee from thermoses and home-made snacks. www.skiukraine.info