Sport and recreation

Sport and recreation in Silesia means ski slopes in Szczyrk, Wisła and Istebna, ski jumps, cross-country trails and cycle highways. See where to ski and train.

The Silesian Voivodeship has several dozen places for active leisure, and most of them are ski resorts in the Beskids. There are also small slopes in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland and in the cities, ski jumps, a stud farm, a wakeboard park and two velostrada cycle routes. The pages for individual towns narrow down the choice: Wisła, Szczyrk and Istebna.

Where can you ski in Silesia?

Most slopes lie in the Silesian Beskids, in the triangle of Szczyrk, Wisła and Istebna, but skiers will also find them in the Żywiec Beskids, the Little Beskids and the Upland. They differ in scale, from a single lift on a meadow to large complexes with a gondola and dozens of kilometres of runs. The resorts below are grouped by area.

Which resorts are there in Szczyrk?

Szczyrk has several large resorts and one small one, so it is easy to match a slope to your level. The biggest is Czyrna-Solisko: a gondola, three chairlifts and about twenty-five kilometres of runs on the slopes of Mały Skrzyczne. The harder descents are called Bieńkula and Golgota. The resort also caters to cyclists.

On the northern side of Skrzyczne, the resort run by the Central Sports Centre has three chairlifts and over a dozen kilometres of downhill and cross-country runs. In Szczyrk-Biła you will find Beskid Sport Arena, with a six-seat chairlift and four runs. Its website stresses that it is smaller than its neighbours, so queues tend to be shorter.

The gentlest option is Biały Krzyż near the Salmopol Pass: two drag lifts, a wide run, grooming, lighting and snowmaking. It is a slope for beginners and families with children.

What to choose in Wisła and nearby?

Wisła has the most resorts: seven slopes and cross-country trails at Kubalonka. The choice depends on whether you want a chairlift, lit runs or a spot close to the centre.

• Nowa Osada has a four-seat chairlift, two button lifts and six runs, plus a bike park outside winter.
• Stożek lies a few kilometres from the centre on the eastern slope of Stożek Wielki; five lit runs are served by a chairlift and two drag lifts.
• Stok in Jawornik has four runs, a chairlift and a winter playground for children.
• Cieńków in Malinka offers eight runs and six lifts.
• Soszów on the slope of Soszów Wielki has six runs, a chairlift and, in summer, a bike park.
• Klepki is a small resort in Malinka with a chairlift and two button lifts.
• Skolnity runs all year round in the very centre of town: a chairlift, a bike park and a wooden observation tower thirty-eight metres high.

On the Kubalonka pass you will find cross-country ski trails of 2.5, 3, 5 and 7.5 km, with a lit loop and a biathlon range.

Istebna, Ustroń and the Żywiec Beskids: which slopes to pick?

In Istebna, by the Olza river, two resorts sit side by side. Złoty Groń has a six-seat chairlift from 2012 and three runs from 850 to 1,500 metres long. Half a kilometre away is Zagroń, with five runs, a water park and a spa on the same grounds.

In Ustroń, Czantoria combines five runs, lifts, cross-country trails and a summer toboggan run, and the first chairlift has run here since 1967. The smaller Poniwiec below Mała Czantoria has a four-seat chairlift, a lit run and a children's practice area.

In the Żywiec Beskids, on the north-eastern slopes of Pilsko, lies Pilsko, said to be the highest ski resort in Poland outside the Tatras. It has a traditional mountain feel, and most runs are not lit. For calmer skiing there is Baba in Korbielów-Kamienna, with one easy, lit run. In Zwardoń, Zwardoń Ski has a four-seat chairlift, and in Rajcza Ski Park has a single lift on Cząpel hill.

In the Little Beskids the slope on Żar mountain is served by a funicular-type cable railway, and in Bielsko-Biała, in the Kamienica district, the municipal Dębowiec has a snowpark and a rope park. In Cisiec the small Za Groniem resort teaches skiing on a drag lift.

Where to ski in a city or in the Upland?

You do not have to go to the mountains. In Sosnowiec, in Środula Park, a slope was built on former mining spoil heaps: Środula has three runs, three drag lifts and lighting, and from the top you can see almost all of Sosnowiec. In Bytom, in the Sucha Góra district, Sport Dolina has a lift, equipment rental, a ski school and a sledding hill.

In the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland there are two small resorts: Cisowa with two lit runs, and Smoleń Ski, a family-run station half a kilometre from Smoleń castle. More demanding skiing is on offer at Jastrzębica SKI in Przyłęków: a black run with FIS homologation and two red ones.

Where to watch ski jumping and try cross-country skiing?

The Skalite complex in Szczyrk has three all-year ski jumps, K95, K70 and K40, with stands for over fourteen hundred spectators; since 2018 it has borne the name of the Beskid Olympians. In Bystra, near Bielsko-Biała, two plastic-matting jumps of the LKS Klimczok club, HS-31 and HS-19, can be used outside winter too.

In Katowice, in the Koszutka district, within the Spodek complex, the listed Satelita hall holds an ice rink with public sessions and ice hockey matches.

What else to do besides skiing?

Ochaby Stud Farm near Skoczów breeds Anglo-Arabian and Małopolska horses and has a horse boarding house and a sports section. The grounds are a former farmstead from the late eighteenth century. In Sosnowiec, Wake Zone Stawiki is a wakeboard park with cable tows, classes for children and a club.

Cyclists have two velostrada routes. Velostrada No. 6 is about nine kilometres of asphalt on a former narrow-gauge railway corridor, from Brynów in Katowice to Mysłowice, with lighting and service points. Velostrada in Jaworzno is shorter, about three kilometres, and is regarded as the first in Poland built to this standard.

If your plan also includes walks and views, see the categories Mountains, Viewpoints and For children.

Frequently asked questions

Where should a beginner ski in Silesia?

On gentle slopes in Szczyrk (Biały Krzyż), Cisiec (Za Groniem), Korbielów-Kamienna (Baba) or Rajcza. They have one or two lifts and simple runs, and some resorts run a ski school.

Are there slopes near the big cities?

Yes. Środula in Sosnowiec and Sport Dolina in Bytom lie in the conurbation, and Dębowiec is within Bielsko-Biała. Smaller slopes also operate in the Upland, in Cisowa and Smoleń.

What can you do at these places in summer?

Some resorts work all year: the ski jumps in Szczyrk and Bystra are all-season, Nowa Osada, Soszów and Skolnity have bike parks, and Czantoria has a summer toboggan run. There are also the velostrada routes and the wakeboard park.

Where are the cross-country trails?

On the Kubalonka pass above Wisła there are four loops with a lit section and a biathlon range. The Szczyrk resort on Skrzyczne and Czantoria in Ustroń also have cross-country trails.