Winter Sports in Poland

Skiing is by far the most popular of the wide selection of winter sports in Poland. Almost every skiing ground is equipped with a ski-lift, and there are multiple winter resorts that cater exclusively to skiers.

Downhill skiing isn’t the only option, though. Ski slopes are open for snowboarding, and there’s also plenty of scenic, gentle hills best suited for cross-country skiing, while at the same time being accessible enough. And if skiing isn’t your thing after all – during winter, many of the lakes freeze, inviting to ice-skate in their enchanting scenery, and there are multiple walking tracks along some of the most charming places in Poland.

The ski slopes also vary in size and difficulty, making it easy to find one that’s best suited for your needs, whether you are a beginner or a professional. Indeed, the mountains have provided Poland with many talented and prized winter athletes. There’s Adam Malysz, the most successful ski jumper in history, whose career jumpstarted the popularity of that discipline; the ski jumping traditions are now continued by Kamil Stoch and Maciej Kot, the first of whom won the Polish Ski Jumping Cup six times. There’s Justyna Kowalczyk, worldwide famous cross-country skier, who won the World Cup three times in the past years. And there’s also Tomasz Sikora, Poland’s most famous biathlonist.

Their accomplishments are the reason why winter sports gained huge popularity in the last decade, resulting in development and evolution of many winter resorts. Skiing is now even possible around the northern part of the country, on its local hills. Most resorts, however, are in one of the several mountain ranges in Southern Poland. Among the best, there’s Zakopane in Tatra Mountains, with an almost century-long tradition of winter sports. The place is famous for its highlander folklore, and one of the best slopes, the Mt. Kasprowy Wierch, the summit reached by cable car or chairlifts. Another resort, Szczyrk in the Silesian Beskid, is a more versatile skiing ground, accommodating to every kind of skier. The Bienkula and Golgota trails are also well maintained, even with artificial snow if needed.