Ratiboř

In the past, there were dozens of ski lifts in Vsetín and its immediate surroundings, whose operation was terminated due to unfavorable circumstances. One of these is a ski lift just a few kilometers northeast of Vsetín in the village of Ratiboř. Its history was written for us in detail by Mr. PaedDr. Stanislav Haša, then secretary of MNV and the main initiator of the construction of the lift: The ski lift in Ratiboř was built with the intention of offering not only the local youth, but also the wider public the possibility of winter sports. The idea of secretary Stanislav Haš caught the attention of the leadership in Ratiboř, and the chairman Josef Zubíček expressed his support for it. Together, in 1983, they chose a place for a ski lift.

They went around the individual valleys, looking for a suitable slope. The conditions for choosing the location for the construction of the lift were the distance from the village, access road, terrain for skiing, sufficient snow conditions and the possibility of parking. The Kobelný valley offered everything from the selected locations. At the time, the MNV in Ratiboř was not able to financially cover the entire expensive investment, so it applied for a subsidy from the tourism department of the KNV in Ostrava. The subsidy was approved and METASPORT from Ostrava became the investor in the construction. The TLV-12 type ski lift was chosen, which suited us and was intended for the general skiing public.

High transport comfort was ensured by self-service operation, which was especially appreciated by more experienced skiers. Less skilled skiers, especially beginner skiers, welcomed the regulation of traffic speed when boarding. Due to its construction, the lift was ranked among the lifts of the so-called middle range. Construction began in the spring months of 1984 with concreting of footings under the columns and preparation for the arrival of METASPORT Ostrava, which carried out the assembly of the entire lift in the summer months. The lift itself was 480 m long, the elevation of the terrain was 100 m. The facility belonged to the management of DP MNV Ratiboř (DP MNV – Small-scale establishments of the Local National Committee in Ratiboř, led by Oldřich Matula). At the same time as the construction of the lift, the construction of the service hut and social facilities was also carried out. The construction involved many dedicated local part-timers who worked many hours for free, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. DP MNV kept records of hours worked and then rewarded part-timers in the form of ski lift passes.

Among those who worked the largest number of part-time hours at the beginning of construction, we can name Jiří Halmazňa, Jiří Uličník, Jaroslav Machálek Jr., Antonín Kulhánek, Jiří Slováček, Josef Maniš, Vladimír Valčík, Zdeňek Heryán, Jaroslav Sedlák, Josef Machala, Oldřich Matula, Jan Janíček. The first days of the season of operation showed a great interest of the skiing public, especially the youth, who were the first to find their way to Kobelné.

The winter was very favorable at that time with a lot of snow. The small frost that accompanied the winter caught the lift out of service and the malfunction was quickly removed by the staff of METASPORT Ostrava. The services at the lift were taken under the patronage of part-timers who spent their days off here and ensured the operation. The following took turns in the service: Stanislav Válek, Oldřich Bělíček, Jiří Uličník, Jan Rožnovják, Karel Vaněk, Jaroslav Machálek, Stanislav Haša, Oldřich Matula, Petr Chytil, Miloš Vala, Břetislav Bierza, Jiří Slováček, Miroslav Vaculík, Libor Mořkovský, Petr Kotrla, Petra Kovářová. Mr. Antonín Kulhánek was designated as the leader of the lift, while Josef Maniš also ensured the operation. ČSČK in Ratiboř took the initiative to provide health services on days off, and their members did a good job here.

The first season was not full of injuries, and that was one of the advantages of the facility. Many local and cross-country skiers found their way to Kobelné, and we even welcomed skiers from the former GDR here. Bus tours arrived from the wider area. We have heard praise for the lift area, but also for the beautiful surroundings of the Wallachian countryside. In 1985, the construction of the service hut of the ski lift, which served as a facility for skiers, was completed and approved. Hot meals and drinks were served in the cottage.

The cottage also offered accommodation for school ski courses. In the winter, not only ski courses from nearby schools were held here, but also snow carnivals and ski races for local youth. In the spring months, the cottage became the destination station of the opening march of 100 kilometers in spring, the march "In the footsteps of the liberators". In the summer, it served as accommodation for tourists. Prior to 1989, the snow conditions were deteriorating and since no snowmaking facilities were built, the skiing conditions also deteriorated.

After 1989, the lift together with the cottage was leased to Mr. Antonín Kulhánek. He provided accommodation in the cottage and operated the lift until 1998. After that year, the lift was dismantled based on the decision of the municipal authority and taken to Vsacký Cáb. Today, only memories remain of the ski lift. However, photographs have been preserved that document that many people learned to ski here and still fondly remember their skiing beginnings. Staňa Hasa photo by Olda Matula