Why Loko

We do not want to be a club that wins childhood and loses a child’s relationship with sport. Results matter. Even more important is that children keep moving, have good friends around them, and still want to ski in ten or twenty years.

01. We do it out of love for sport, not as a business

Loko is not how we make our living. We run the club alongside our own jobs because we love skiing, the mountains, and working with children. We do not want to squeeze as much money as possible out of children’s sport. We want the whole thing to make sense to the children, parents, and coaches alike.

02. We raise athletes, not just skiers

Over the decades, many children have passed through the club and gone on to succeed beyond alpine skiing. Petra and Renáta Solovičová became European champions in rafting in the U23 category and also took part in kayaking. Among our former children you will find athletes, basketball players, volleyball players, paddlers, handball players, hockey players, and other sportspeople. For us, it is also a great result when someone stays active for life.

03. Fair price

We believe quality children’s sport should not be a luxury product. We try to keep membership fees at a reasonable level and communicate costs clearly so parents know what they are paying for. We do not pretend to be the cheapest club at any cost. We want to be fair in what we offer and what it costs.

04. Skiing should not come at the expense of school

Bratislava does not have high mountains around the corner, and commuting to Austrian resorts is demanding. That is one reason we design the season so children miss as little school as possible. Sport should help a child grow, not force them to choose between training and education.

05. Dry training is the foundation for us, not filler between winters

We believe we have one of the most developed dry-training systems among clubs in our area. Gym, inline skating, running, cycling, gymnastics, climbing, coordination, balance, strength, games, and outdoor movement all share one goal: to build a good, well-rounded athlete. That way, when we get on snow, we are not starting from zero.

06. Peak ski racing is still close to us

Loko also includes Petra Hromcová, a former Slovak national team member and Olympic alpine skier. Today she works on Rebeka Jančová’s top performance support team, and when her time allows, she also joins the conditioning training of our children. For a young athlete, sometimes the greatest motivation is meeting someone who has already been where they are only looking toward.

07. We do not want to take the joy out of skiing for children

In children’s sport, it is very easy to chase days on snow, gates, results, and standings too early. We want performance, but not at the cost of a child saying at fifteen that they never want to see skis again. The best result is when our former members still love skiing and mountains years later.

08. More than 50 years of experience

Loko is not a project of the last few seasons. The club’s history goes back to Kamzík, Bratislava skiing, and several generations of children, parents, and coaches. Tradition alone guarantees nothing, but five decades bring a lot of experience with what works with children and what is better left undone.

09. Our former athletes come back to us

Several of our coaches once stood on the other side — as children in the club team. Today they pass on their experience to the next generation. For us, that is a stronger sign of a working community than any slogan: people return where it made sense to them.

10. Skiing is not just gates

Technique and racing belong to Loko. But so do free skiing, different snow and terrain, trips to the Alps, mountains, ski touring, freeride, training camps, adventure, and a group of friends. We want to raise a person who can put on skis almost anywhere — and is happy to go outside.