in france or switzerland but, depending on what you're after, they can be just as much fun, and they're a lot cheaper. there is no doubt the cost of skiing can put some people off. but in slovenia, the attitude is very different. many slovenians see the mountains as a place that should be accessible for everyone, from the champion skiers to the ones just starting out. go on, simona. you can do it. and from the people alone on a mountaintop... this is probably the highest bedroom in all of slovenia. ..to the teams of champion snow builders. one hour? i've arrived in the nick of time. i'm exploring to find out more about this slovenians and their snow. i've arrived in the nick of time. after weeks of mild weather, the slovenian mountains have just seen theirfirst big dump of snow this winter. it's brought families and school groups out in force, and i'm keen to get out there and join them. this is kranjska gora, the country's oldest — and, arguably, best—known — resort and today, the mountainside looks so inviting. hello. hi there. hi. 0k. let's get your boots. what's your shoe size? normally would be a 41 but i might go with a slightly bigger, 42, just for comfort. 0k. so, this is the wider one. this is the narrower one. you can try one on and see which one fits better. yeah, let's do it. i've been skiing for almost 30 years, which sounds like a really long time, but it's just something that we've always done together as a family. but it's my first time skiing here in slovenia and it's nice out here. the slopes look pretty gentle. there's a really chill vibe, you know? and one thing that i'm definitely noticing is that it's a lot cheaper than many of the other places i've skied in. 0k. your skis are all set. and that's no secret. in recent decades, cut—price resorts in countries like bulgaria and slovenia have been turning heads for people like me looking for a bargain... yeah, fits well. ..even if that means sacrificing the variety and epic scale that's made the traditional resorts so popular. a full—day adult ticket... ..45. wow. and that's still almost half the price of what you would pay in, like, the three valleys in france. yeah? yeah. half the price. yeah, but probably they have a lot more of ski slopes. here, it's like... here, it's13 different slopes. and who are the people that come in? are they slovenians? are they foreigners usually? hmm... it used to be most mostly slovenians but now, we get a lot of italians. 0k. people from uk coming as well. so, why would italians come here? they've got the dolomites, they've got the alps. yeah, that's true. because it's cheaper here. yes? yes. so, like thea said, a ticket here is 45 euros a day. that compares to 75 a day in the three valleys, france's biggest ski area. but it gets worse. in canada, a lift pass at whistler will cost you more than $180 a day — that's four times as much. and that's before accommodation, food and drink. can i please get one adult day pass? it can all leave you with the feeling that in some parts of the world, the sport is only for the rich. so, here's an interesting titbit. in slovenia, access to sport is actually seen as so important that the government says it's a fundamental right for every person. it's almost as if it was baked into the country's dna. as a result, the ski industry receives public money. the state's provided 55 million euros this season, refurbishing nine resorts, updating things like cable cars and chairlifts. hey, alenka. 0h, hi. hey. how are you? good. alenka dovzan grew up not far from here. she won bronze at the lillehammer winter olympics in 1994. it was slovenia's first olympic medal as an independent nation, following the break—up of yugoslavia three years before. what's the skiing like here in slovenia, generally? especially kranjska gora, i like really much because it slopes directly from the village. that's really good, especially for the families. from november till march, we have a lot of snow. and that was playground for kids, you know, and that's why so many kids, and now so many people, ski in slovenia. shall we go for a run? good luck. thanks. you, too. 0k. let's go. it's really pretty. you can have a lot of fun here. nice, huh? yeah. wow. look at her go. alenka was born into the authoritarian socialist regime of marshal tito, which held yugoslavia together following the end of the second world war — a system that prized sport and athleticism as a way of celebrating the country on the world stage. wow. i get to ski with an olympic skier... laughs ..and she's letting me go first. come on! i'm waiting foryou. woo! laughter in that time, it was really good because everybody do everything — if you want. because all these ski lifts, i think we have in yugoslavia a lot because factories, they do that for workers and families, for workers that was not being in programme like for tourism. and that now, it stay from that time. right. so, it used to be something that local workers were given access to... yes. ..rather than tourists. yes. that was privilege for workers. right. 0k. yes. and that spirit is still here. yes. yes, for sure. because you need to know all these competitors, which we've been. nobody come from rich families. we are from normal workers' family. and that's from coming from socialism. the season runs from december to march with the best of the snow usually in february. there are 11 other mountain resorts, all within a short drive of kranjska gora. try vogel to escape the crowds, or maribor if you're after restaurants and nightlife. planica is normally the home of slovenia's ski jumpers, but today, something a little more down—to—earth is under way. music plays this is world snow day. it's where families who can't normally afford things like ski rentals and lift passes get free access to all kinds of outdoor activities. and as you can probably hearfrom the europop, it's quite the party. hello. hi. nice to meet you. franz has six children and finds the cost of lessons for them all a bit of a stretch. in addition, his daughter simona has down syndrome and would need specialist coaching, so events like this allow them a taster without the expense. laughter go on, simona! you can do it! and does she enjoy skiing? yeah, enjoy. hey, simona, do you like it? yes. yes?! how difficult do you think it is to access these kinds of outdoor activities? 0k. ready for a bit of adrenaline? give a little push? all right, let's go! it was really great to see simona have so much fun today. and, you know, the outdoors belong to everyone. and to see that in action here in slovenia is really inspiring. the landscape here is beautiful and it attracts around a million hikers and climbers every year. but it's also remote and can be dangerous in the winter. huts like these can be a lifeline for people out in the mountains. hey. hello. how's it going? all good, yeah. wow. so nice in here. thank you. are you living here right now? i do, yes. really? full—time. do you spend the whole winter up here? we do. do you ever get snowed in? yeah. completely? we do, sometimes. 0k. we still have to, like, wait to get rescued out. what's the longest that you've been snowed in here for? probably a month. no way! yeah. how did that feel? i mean, it's a bit like cut—off, you know, but it's also... it's pretty nice in the end. yeah? yeah, it feels good. nice. there's about 170 huts, bivouacs and shelters scattered all across slovenia and, you know, they're pretty cheap. you can stay in one for about 20 to 30 euros. it's very simple — just a bed and maybe a bite to eat. most of these huts close for the winter, but some don't. and for those that don't have road access, bringing in supplies, anything from food to water and fuel, can be quite the challenge. which is where the military comes in. today, lieutenant zupancic is off on a mission to resupply one of the huts that are cut off and he's agreed to let me go with him. so, today, what we're bringing is basic supplies. and, i mean, it looks beautiful and sunny here today but what are the conditions like up in the mountains? so, do you think we're safe? we are safe. laughs the most problematic hut is called kredarica, which is used chiefly by climbers attempting slovenia's highest peak, mount triglav. this is slovenia's highest hut, 11.5 hours' walk from the closest road. in the winter, there aren't many visitors but it's staffed all year round by two hardy meteorologists. so, this is it. this is the famous hut. it is. now, you're very lucky because it's very, very hot. oh, it's nice. wonderful. wow. so, can you show me around here a little bit? this is your office? this is our office. this is our living room. yeah. ..and a little tv. do you get a lot of visitors up here? what would you say is the most difficult thing about being here? so, this is actually the highest bedroom in all of slovenia? yeah. so, you've got the luxury penthouse on top of the nation. yeah. and — and few centimetres above my head is outside, about sometimes 20 — —20 or —40 degrees. wow. i have to be... producer: we're going to get back in the chopper. we have to go? yeah. 0k. we've only got a little bit of time here but the weather seems to be changing, which means that this is our only guys, we really have to go! so, we had to really quickly get out of the mountain hut because the wind is changing, it's picking up, so, if we don't go now, we could be stuck. as well as resupplying huts like kredarica, the helicopter crew also finds itself getting involved with search and rescue missions. they say increasing numbers of people go missing in the hills every year. they're being called out much more regularly. you know, during a time like this in the winter, would you advise people not to go into the mountains at all? exactly, exactly. i wouldn't recommend, if you're not trained properly, to go in the mountains. what a day. you know, these mountains out here are a true hiker�*s paradise in the summer but in winter, it's a completely different story. so, today, ifeel like i got a little glimpse into what it actually takes to keep the mountain hut system here running and being out there, you know, seeing the resupply, seeing how the rescue teams work, it really feels like a special ops mission. we're back on the ground and heading east now into a part of the mountains less visited by tourists. we're in carpathia, an area rich in folktales and tradition. so, there's a legendary king here, king matjaz, who was said to be sleeping in a cave somewhere beneath these hills. according to local legend, once his beard grows so long that it encircles his chamber seven or nine times, depending on the version of the legend you believe, he will wake up. and with that, he will bring in a new era of prosperity for the people here. once a year, the little town of crna na koroskem comes alive with a competition in honour of king matjaz. teams from all over the region come here with one aim in mind — build the biggest and best snow castle in just one day. hey, guys! good morning! i've been invited tojoin the student work brigade from the nearby university of maribor. they've won awards three times in the past and are hoping for a repeat victory. they're led by artist vlado vucic. so, what's the plan? we will start with making castle in the centre and then go out, ok? how tall is the castle? 1.5m. this is 2.5m. i think that's — that start really low. oh, really? our firstjob is very simple — go and get as much snow as we can. you need sharp elbows and strong arms. are you ready? come here! help! we need help! don't want to cut off your fingers. ah, nice. with this tool, you can... ah. ..make a shape. 0k. let's see what people are building. wow! that looks amazing! but this... it's not yet there. it's a work in progress. this is work in progress. yes. you know, the details at the end, i would say it's quite hard to work with small details because it's very warm and the snow is like butter, so it's melting all the time. it looked better before but you see now, it looks somehow soft. wow. this one looks pretty good. i mean, they built, like, an entire mediaeval town with loads of towers and a whole castle. yeah, i reckon this — this one could win. oh, and it seems like this is an all—female team. and we are lace — bobbin lace makers. oh, lace makers. yeah, with bobbins. and are you hoping to win? we already win twice. you won twice already?! yes. last year and three years ago. 0h... yeah. so, you are the experts, really. yeah, we are! we are the champions! oh, my god. amazing. well, it looks beautiful. it looks massive. it's not finished yet, but...ok. amazing. i wish you luck. thank you. but i also hope that my team wins. it's beautiful also, yeah. but it's falling apart. yeah — because of sun. the sun is on everybody�*s minds. from about 10am, it appears above the valley and bathes the entire competition ground in light and heat. some coffee for you. thank you. we won. how's it going? sun is tricky. what's happened ? the sun... yeah. ..makes snow melt. yes, it does! speaks slovenian. oh, my god — it's just one hour left. one hour?! one hour, yes. we have to hurry up! so, the castle is looking pretty great. there's houses all around. it's beautiful and tall. i think, architecturally speaking, it is the most risky and courageous castle anyone's built. but this concerns me a lot — that tower. we're playing with fire on top of a very precarious snow structure. and we're done. all we have to do now is wait for thejudging. people get to cast their votes on which one they like the best. the results are about to come in. speaks slovenian 0h! not the first, not the second, not the third. it's ok. well, to me, you guys were the best team. oh, there you are! how do you feel? next time, we come again... yep. ..and we attack first place again. yes, that's the spirit! slovenian rap music plays well, we didn't win — not this time — but i have a feeling, like, that's not what today was actually all about. because as the day went on, ijust had a sense that people were here to really enjoyjust being outside, you know, loving the weather and playing in the snow. and, honestly, that's kind of been my general impression of slovenia — people being welcomed, in the outdoors, whoever they are. hello. it was quite a start to the day for some of us. a covering of snow here and there, a reminder that perhaps winter isn't quite over yet, although we are now technically into meteorological spring. rest of the day, widespread showers, often cloudy and the air over us is pretty chilly. but notice the winds coming in from different directions across the uk. so the showers swirling around, but big gaps between the clouds as well. so there will be some clear weather, clear skies i think into this evening across a number of areas. so here's the forecast then 11:00, you'll notice that most of the showers and the thick cloud will be across parts of central and northern england into southern parts of scotland. a chilly evening, some spots only around 2 to 4 degrees celsius. and clear skies developing in the south as well as across central and more western parts of scotland. so the showers all the more longer spells of rain. they move northwards across eastern scotland through the night. elsewhere, the skies will be clearing tonight. temperatures in many areas will be around freezing or below, certainly outside of town. coastal areas won't be quite so cold. certainly not in aberdeen, closer to five, say, in the morning. now, here's the forecast for sunday weather systems to the east and to the north of us. these weather fronts and i think actually sunday is going to be overall a brighter day for many of us. fewer showers around with these weather fronts to the north and to the east. so i think feeling a little bit less cold on sunday. now, the temperatures will be about the same, maybe a couple of degrees higher in some areas, but typically around 8 to 10 celsius. that takes us into monday's weather forecast. then and during the night, early hours, another weather system sweeps in off the atlantic. that spells thicker cloud and outbreaks of rain for south western parts of england. eventually wales, that rain will spread across ireland during the day. but notice that from eastern scotland along that north sea coast, all the way towards east anglia, monday should be dry and bright. so some sunshine for places like newcastle and hull, but rain for plymouth and the outlook for the week ahead. a bit of a mixed bag. there will certainly be some sunshine around. it might feel a little bit less cold with those temperatures up to 12 degrees, but certainly a real mixed bag on the way. live from london. this is bbc news the un says many of the people injured in an aid convoy rush in gaza on thursday were wounded by gun shots. rishi sunak says islamist and far—right extremists are "two "sides of the same coin" who loathe britain. and it's the killer whale versus the great white — as a solitary orca is seen making an astonishing attack off the coast of south africa. hello. a united nations team visiting gaza's biggest hospital has found that many palestinans who were injured as lorries were delivering aid on thursday, were wounded by gunshots, some to their upper bodies. there have been international calls for an investigation into the incident, in which more than a hundred palestinians were reported killed. israel says its forces did open fire but said most of the deaths happened in a crush. from jerusalem, our diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports. how were so many people injured? were they shot or crushed in a desperate stampede? gaza's shifa hospital treating just some of the survivors. and now for the first time since thursday, first—hand testimony from the un.

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