Wierchomla

Dwie Doliny stands out among all the ski resorts in the Beskid Sądecki, and not only for the size of its ski area, its modern infrastructure and its rapid development. So far it is the only successful project in Poland to link two relatively distant villages with lifts and pistes (Wierchomla and Szczawnik are more than 30 km apart by car), and for scenery the resort is without doubt among the very best in the country. On top of all this, it is a relatively young resort, which reflects all the better on its operators given the fairly stiff competition in the region. The resort's beginnings go back to the late '90s, when the first T-bar was built in Wierchomla. The breakthrough came in 2000, when a four-seater chairlift was built from the centre of Wierchomla Mała up to the Długie Młaki ridge, between Runek (1,080 m) and Pusta Wielka (1,060 m). It is still one of the main pieces of ski infrastructure in Dwie Doliny and one of the longest chairlifts in Poland. After 2005 a second chairlift, only slightly shorter, was built on the Szczawnik side. More T-bars and button lifts followed, so that from 2011 skiers could finally move freely around the whole ski area without having to walk with their skis on their shoulders. In this way the plan to join the two valleys of Dwie Doliny (Two Valleys) into one ski area became reality. As mentioned, the ski area here is quite extensive. The busiest slopes are right by the chairlifts and the T-bars built near them. The two ski areas are linked between the summit of Jaworzynka (1,001 m) and Długie Młaki by a long, gentle run, closer in profile to a cross-country trail, but groomed by piste bashers and so suitable for an easy descent. To get from Szczawnik to Wierchomla you go up to the summit of Jaworzynka and then follow that gentle run to the top station of the chairlift above Wierchomla (the last stretch is almost flat, so you need to work a little with your poles or skate). In the opposite direction you reach the summit of Jaworzynka by first skiing down a blue piste to an intermediate T-bar, which bends in the upper part of the slope and takes you to the top of Jaworzynka. In total the resort has two four-seater chairlifts and 7 T-bars, including one built specially for children and beginners (near the valley station of the chairlift in Wierchomla). The total capacity of all the lifts is just over 9,000 people an hour. The pistes are only red and blue (easy ones predominate), and their total length exceeds 10 km. The pistes along the chairlifts are covered by snowmaking and floodlit, but the ridge link and the intermediate lift are not lit, so always check at the valley stations how late the lifts run, or you may find yourself unable to cross into the neighbouring valley (this applies mainly to the direction from Wierchomla to Szczawnik; in the other direction you can, at a pinch, ski down even in the dark). A curiosity is that the runs from Jaworzynka down to Szczawnik, the blue one included, together form the longest floodlit descent in Poland, at more than 3 km. The resort's facilities also deserve a mention. Both valleys have food outlets, Wierchomla has a restaurant, and there is a charming hut halfway down along the chairlift to Wierchomla, one of the most picturesquely located snack bars in the Polish mountains. There are, of course, rental shops and ski services (in both valleys), and Wierchomla also has a sports shop. In Wierchomla, about 1 km from the valley station of the chairlift, there is a mountain hotel with a pool and wellness facilities, next to which are the lower car parks; when the upper ones are full, a ski bus takes skiers up. The resort in Wierchomla is one of the most dynamic in Poland and often leads the way with its offer: for example, it brought skiers from the airport in Poprad when there were flights there from Gdańsk and Warsaw, and it always offers a good number of variously configured holiday packages. Finally, the Dwie Doliny ski area has outstanding views: from practically every piste you can see the Beskid Sądecki, the Tatras and the nearby Slovak ranges. It is also very good terrain for ski touring: tours along the ridge to Runek, Jaworzyna Krynicka, Hala Łabowska or Pusta Wielka are well worth it, and marked ski touring trails lead there.