Szelment

North of Suwałki, on the eastern shore of Lake Szelment, lies one of the largest ski resorts in lowland Poland. The natural conditions for skiing are very good: the terrain is very varied and height differences reach 70 metres. The climate helps too: the Suwałki area is Poland's cold pole, and it usually gets much more snow than other lowland regions of the country. The resort lies on the western and northern slopes of a high moraine hill called Jasionowa Góra (251 m). Its slopes carry as many as eight lifts, the longest of which is 370 metres. The pistes are varied though short (the longest is 500 metres), and a curiosity is the piste marked black, certainly the steepest in the Polish lowlands, although its steep section is only a few dozen metres long. The pistes total more than 3 km, a really respectable figure given the area the resort is in. Besides the downhill pistes there are cross-country trails and a natural ice rink. For the youngest skiers there is a magic carpet and a ski kindergarten. All the pistes are covered by snowmaking, groomed and floodlit after dark. The resort has a ski school as well as a well-equipped rental shop and ski service. There is a restaurant and a pizzeria, and parking at the lifts is free. Another curiosity is the winter sports exhibition "Od Marusarza do Małysza i Kowalczyk" (From Marusarz to Małysz and Kowalczyk), which gathers many exhibits, including Wojciech Fortuna's Olympic skis and a replica of his 1972 Olympic gold medal, Adam Małysz's race suit, Marusarz's skis and many other valuable items. Compared with even small resorts in the Polish mountains, the lack of a bigger vertical drop is noticeable, but in terms of functionality and facilities it is certainly a first-class place for skiers, especially beginners. The resort matters beyond its local area: it is worth recommending to everyone who lives a long way from the mountains.