Ski Dolina

The Leśnica valley is one of the more important and larger valleys running south from the centre of Brenna. It separates the ridges of Orłowa and Trzy Kopce Wiślańskie, covered in many places by clearings and fields, from the almost straight ridge of Stary Groń, which is forested almost everywhere in its lower part. Where the ridge bounding the valley on the west comes closest to it rises the small top of Świniarka (690 m). Below it, on the flat valley floor, is the "Dolina Leśnicy" holiday centre, home to one of Brenna's three ski resorts. It occupies the east and north-east slopes of Świniarka, which drop fairly steeply towards the Leśnica: height differences here exceed 200 metres, and a favourable microclimate means the snow lies until early April, so conditions for running lifts and pistes are quite good. The backbone of the resort is two button lifts climbing to just below the summit of Świniarka (you have to change lifts halfway up the slope). At the bottom of the slope there is a short children's lift, while the fourth lift runs north from the summit of Świniarka, with an easy blue piste beside it. The upper part of the main slope is also relatively easy; only below the lifts' mid-station does the slope steepen, with a wide red piste running down it. In total the resort has four ski lifts, and the pistes add up to more than 2.5 km, a figure that also includes short variants of the main run. At the bottom there is also a short snow tubing slope for children. Right on the slopes, at the valley station and in the middle part of the slope, there are bars serving hot drinks and hot snacks. At the foot of the slopes there is a restaurant open both to guests of the holiday centre and to skiers using the resort. Considering how little known the place is, it offers surprisingly enjoyable skiing, both for beginners and for those who are a little more demanding.