Polana Szymoszkowa

Polana Szymoszkowa was a popular place for ski lessons even before the war. But it never had lifts that could compete with Gubałówka or even Nosal. Only after the large hotel nearby, at the time the most modern in Zakopane, was built (the "Kasprowy", now Mercur) did the area attract interest, and T-bars appeared. In 1997 a 4-seater chairlift was built, 360 m long, with a vertical drop of 60 m and a capacity of 2,000 people per hour, serving easy, wide pistes on the clearing itself. Then in 2000 one of the first 6-seater chairlifts in Poland went in, running all the way up to the Gubałówka ridge. Built by Doppelmayr, it is 1,291 m long, with a vertical drop of 261 m and a capacity of 3,000 people per hour, and has bubbles that protect against snow and wind. Alongside the lift runs an interesting piste, fairly steep in places, wide and ideal for dynamic carving. A further plus is the superb panorama of the Polish Tatras from almost every point on it. On a sunny day, skiing at Szymoszkowa feels a little like skiing in an Alpine resort. Szymoszkowa has taken off not only thanks to its own strengths but also because the pistes on Gubałówka closed, which greatly increased interest in a resort with similar conditions and location. Polana Szymoszkowa, however, is not free of problems with ownership of the land under the pistes either. The landowners are still negotiating lease rates with the operator, which creates uncertainty around the resort. By the valley station there are free car parks along the street, a good inn, several smaller bars and plenty of rental shops and ski services. All in all it is a good place to ski, though very crowded in good weather. Its strength is its wonderful location; its weakness is the south-facing aspect, which lets the sun quickly soften the piste and turn it into an obstacle course of moguls and piles of pushed-up snow.