Skiing Guide

Kraków

A Skiing Guide to Poland

TEXT: FILIP SADURSKI LAYOUT: OYKE DUROGLU

With winter upon us and Christmas break right around the corner, it is once again that time of year where we must consider how we will spend these cold days. What better way to spend these cold winter months than by skiing down a mountain and enjoying some hot cocoa in the lodge below. Whether you’re an expert on the slopes or a complete beginner who is looking to pick up a winter sport, this short guide will show you some highest-rated slopes you can ski down.

Although the Polish Tatra Mountains may not be a paradise for advanced skiers and snowboarders like the Swiss Alps, they are still great for practicing the sport. As the Tatra Mountains are in very close proximity to Kraków (about a two to three-hour drive), it would be a shame not to visit! Do keep in mind that Polands skiing season runs from December to March, meaning that there still isn’t much snow in early December. However, when it does snow later into the season, the Polish mountains are a convenient and accessible place to ski.

First off, we have a couple of places in Zakopane, a resort town at the base of Tatry popular for winter sports and summertime hiking. Zakopane has several small skiing areas; we will mention a couple of the more popular runs.

Kraków

Skigebiet Szklana Góra:

For those willing to drive a little further out of Kraków, we have Skigebiet Szklana Góra Ski, just 40 min out of town. This resort has 4 slopes, 2 of which are about 900 meters long. A 4-hour skiing pass at Szklana Góra will cost you 60 zł. This resort also offers ski rentals and lessons. For more information, please check out www.szklanagora.pl

Kasprowy Wierch:

Just three kilometers out from the town center Kasprowy Wierch is the highest place for skiing in all of Poland! This is a popular spot for skiers who also visit the Austrian and Swiss mountains. The cable car at Kasprowy Wierch takes you to the very top of the mountain in 10 minutes, that’s almost 2000 meters above sea level. Advanced snowboarders and skiers will find themselves at home on the two black diamond slopes – Gasienowicowa and Goryczkowa, where the latter takes you all the way to the starting point. All the snow at Kasprowy Wierch is natural. A day pass with no limit at Kasprowy Wierch will cost you 150 zł. For more information, please visit www. pkl.pl.

Nosal:

Unlike Kasprowy Wierch, Nosal has lots of beginner-friendly slopes as wide as 250 meters. Nosal also offers in-house skiing lessons and rentals. The mountain ski resort has 5 T-bar lifts and a single chairlift giving skiers access to two-thirds of the entire slope. Some of the slopes are also lit after dark, so nighttime skiing is possible. A day pass at Nosal costs 75 zł. For more information, please visit www.

nosal.pl.

Kraków

Pilsko:

If you’ve already been to Zakopane and want to change your destination in the Polish mountains, considering visiting Korbielów – Pilsko Baba. Pilsko is a ski resort in Korbielów, a little skiing town at the base of a mountain on the Polish-Slovakian border. The resort has six trails, the longest of which is 2680 meters. They have four different lifts which take you up to various heights of the mountain, whose peak reaches 1557 meters above sea level. A day pass here costs 100 zł. For more information, please visit www.pilsko.org.

Podstolice:

Only a short 30 min drive from Kraków, we have the most conveniently located ski slope on our list, Podstolice SKI. They have 3 lifts and 6 tracks of varying difficulty, ranging from 80-400 meters for a combined length of 1,3 km to ski down. There is also a ski rental and school on-site, making this a perfect place for beginners to start their skiing journey. A 3-hour pass for all the slopes costs 50 zł, ski rentals will cost you an additional 25 zł. For more information, please visit www.podstolice-ski.pl

Finally, I will add that those willing to travel outside of Poland and pay a little more for their trip should check the Swiss or French Mountains. Their ski runs can combine to a total of hundreds of kilometers and are the most popular and largest ski areas in the world. There are many wellknown ski resorts in Switzerland and France, visiting them is definitely a must for the experienced. Happy and safe skiing everyone!