Nowa Osada

On the western slopes of Czupel, which rises above Nowa Osada, a district of Wisła, this ski area is one of the most popular in the whole Wisła valley. It owes its popularity with skiers, especially those who prefer relaxed skiing on blue pistes, to its location relatively close to the town centre, as well as to its modern infrastructure and a very clever piste layout which, even where the runs look similar, gives the impression of a much bigger resort than it really is. A popular T-bar operated here from the '70s and was known as Wróblonki (after a nearby hamlet), but as chairlifts were built at one Wisła resort after another, its popularity fell markedly towards the end of the last century. Only the construction of a modern chairlift gave the slopes here new momentum and breathed life back into them. Built in the 2009/10 season, it is a 4-seater Doppelmayr chairlift with a boarding conveyor, 960 metres long, with a vertical rise of 196 metres and a capacity of 1,800 people per hour. Besides the chairlift, in the lower part of the slope there are two button lifts (Krasnal and Maluch) for the youngest and for beginners, and near the Dom Wycieczkowy Beskidy hostel, which stands right by the slope, there is one more 250-metre lift above it. As many as six pistes have been laid out between these lifts, although of course some of them are just variants to the right or left of the chairlift. One piste, running down a slightly steeper slope to the left of the chairlift (looking downhill), is even marked red, but it really is an easy red. Piste 3 is also interesting, zigzagging through the forest, but unfortunately it has no snowmaking, so good natural snow cover is needed for a good run. All the pistes except the said "number three" are floodlit and have snowmaking. There is a bar at the valley station and a second one, with a nice view of the Stożek and Czantoria range, at the top station. You will also find a rental shop, a ski service, a ski school and a free car park. And if you stay at the nearby Dom Wycieczkowy Beskidy, you can get onto the slope straight from your room. Functionality and modern facilities are on the plus side. On the minus side, the slope is fairly crowded and faces west, which, especially in the second half of the season, means it quickly softens and gets churned up.