As first skiers have hit the slopes in Slovenia already, the country's highest resort, Kanin is set to remain closed for another winter, waiting for a credible investor to come forward.

The resort on the border with Italy, which affords superb views of the mountains and the sea, has been closed since autumn 2023 after failing to obtain an extension of the operating permit for its old cable car.

The cable car was built in 1973 and renovated at the turn of the century but the Bovec municipality as the owner has been unable to secure funds for a new one.

The state has indicated its willingness to invest in the cable car, on condition of ownership transfer, while the municipality should look for a private investor for the ski resort on the mountain.

The municipality has been in talks with two potential private partners, including former Slovenian ski champion Bojan Križaj in conjunction with Serbian businessman Dejan Ljevnaić, director of the Jahorina ski resort in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

However, the pair failed to come up with a concrete financing plan or say who will invest in the project despite repeated calls by the municipality to do so.

The Bovec authorities recently established that their project was not viable and decided to terminate talks with them.

Nevertheless, the municipality has initiated procedures to obtain a building permit for the construction of the Kanin ski centre and says it will continue talks with the relevant government departments and all potential investors to revive the resort.

After government officials expressed readiness in September for the state invest in the cable car, the municipal council asked for further clarifications but has not yet received any.

Another prospective investor, a consortium including the owner of two Bovec hotels and South Tyrolean cable car systems company Leitner, is also waiting for more detailed explanations about the state's expectations over the plots of land.

The resort's operator Sončni Kanin has been looking after the maintenance of the ski lifts on the mountain, which were renovated with the help of EU and state funds a decade ago. The slopes are connected to the Sella Nevea ski resort on the Italian side of Mount Kanin.

While the skiing season is yet to start in earnest in most ski resorts, Kope on the western slopes of the Pohorje Massif opened on 29 November after welcoming first skiers for free night skiing the evening before, having recently received natural snow.

Krvavec, the ski resort closest to Ljubljana, has launched its skiing season too and Golte in the north will do so on 6 December, with the others to follow later.