Belgrade Après-Ski

It is not just the snow, which occurs only sporadically and periodically turns the streets (and footpaths) into a massive urban bumper-car arena. Belgrade gets its fair share of snow and we are quite used to it by now. What has marked this lovely winter season has been its schizophrenia.

A few weeks ago, in late December and January, we strolled about in shirt sleeves, sunglasses and (I saw this) shorts. Then, as though the cosmic forces of weather suddenly woke up and realised they were late, the temperatures plummeted far below zero. Belgraders, faced with the sudden change, sprung immediately into action.

We got sick.

As the arctic conditions persisted, the transformation from Belgrade to Belgrade-les-Alpes slowly began. At first it was just an influx of stomping moon boots. Soon after came the apparition of ski-jackets and ski-gloves. Later came the ski-pants, balaclavas and (I kid you not) goggles. Clearly we are ill-equipped to deal with severe cold in the city, so we pretend that we are at a ski resort. And we dress the part. The only thing that seems to be missing from the tableau is the spectacle of people awkwardly lurching about in rigid ski boots and shouldering skis or snowboards.  I expect this will be the final stage, weather permitting.

On the slopes (what used to be called the “streets”), drivers have reacted as well by alternatively slowing down to village speeds or bending into Olympic slalom strafing runs. While this is not unusual behaviour at any time of the year, the effect of doing it at -11C raises the stakes dramatically.

The typical kafana has become an atypical chalet, with patrons bursting through the doors, stamping their cold feet and ordering up Glühwein and hot spiced rakija as a remedy to the cold. The conversation, as you might also imagine, has become even more intensely about the weather. The standard conversational order consists of one person declaring that it is cold outside (Stating the Obvious), followed by another calling out the temperature (Weather Reporting) and then several voices overlapping, contesting the weather report and offering contradictory readings (Vying for Supremacy).

A group of old guys in the corner: “You think this is cold?”

Women’s ski fashions in Belgrade-les-Alpes this winter consist of faux-fur, tight ski-leggings and faux-fur topped boots. While the colour seems to be predominantly camouflage white, a number of variations may be spotted swishing through supermarkets and downtown streets. The men tend to ski in jeans and are most often calling attention to that fact by rubbing their legs against the cold.

The après-ski feel of the White City, however, has its benefits. One can maintain the illusion that the interminably New Year’s holidays have not yet terminated. We band a little more together against the force of nature. And we muse about the pleasures of the upcoming spring holidays… possibly as early as next week.

Christen Bradley Farmer, founder and president of MACH IV Consulting and co-founder of Farmer & Spaic, Business and Media Consulting, has been involved in numerous writing and publication projects since arriving in Serbia. Farmer regularly shares his observations on life in Belgrade in Politika and in his B92 English blog.