Ski trail guide Zieleniec

From the article you will learn:

• How is the Zieleniec Sport Arena organized and which parts will be connected by a common pass
• Where beginners and children will find the easiest routes and school lifts
• Which slopes and funiculars to choose for the advanced and how to plan the “Tour de Zieleniec” and the night ride

Zieleniec Sport Arena - a unique place on the map of attractions of Lower Silesia, one of the largest ski resorts in Poland. It owes its popularity to the unique climate in the country, 32 kilometers of ski slopes and a rich infrastructure consisting of 31 railways and ski lifts, including 7 modern couches.

About the history of words a few

The history of winter sports in Zieleniec dates back to the end of the 19th century, when the qualities of this place began to be appreciated more and more by tourists coming to these places. The dynamic period of development of the ski resort fell at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries - at the very beginning of the 20th century there were already well-developed ski slopes, a toboggan run and a ski jump. Zieleniec is one of the largest and best equipped ski resorts in Poland, where every skiing enthusiast - regardless of age and ability - will find something for himself.


The popularity and recognition of the resort located in the Orlice Mountains is also expressed in the vast majority of rankings and tests evaluating ski resorts in our country. For many years, Zieleniec has been at the forefront, and most often — on the podium. At first glance, a skier who visits here for the first time may get the impression that all the slopes here are similar to each other. But it's just a pretense. The choice in terms of difficulty and style of the route is very large. Our short guide aims to show this diversity, encouraging you to explore this unique ski resort on one or two boards.

Greenhouse from a bird's eye view

Zieleniec is located in the northern part of the Orlice Mountains, most of which belongs to the Czech Republic. Above the village stretches the main ridge of this range with a gentle straight line, slightly exceeding the level of 1000 m above sea level. The vast majority of lifts are located on the slopes of this ridge. Parallel to the ridge, but about 150-200 meters below, the road from Dusznik to Międzylesia runs - it is along it that hotels, guesthouses and recreation centers are located, as well as parking lots that are adjacent to the ski lifts. Driving from the side of Dusznik-Zdrój, the road goes up to the area of the central car park, after which it goes down and hides in the forest.

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The heart of the resort: Winterpol, Gryglówka and Bartuś

Zieleniec Sport Arena is a network of interconnected smaller ski resorts, covered by a common ski pass. The central part of the resort consists of the Winterpol and Gryglówka complex. Here stands a characteristic 6-seater sofa with orange covers, which in the upper gear intersects with the 4-seater Gryglówka chair. Between the lower stations of both railways there is still a small ski area with two Bartuś ski lifts.

In the north of the village, in the area of Vital & SPA Resort Szarotka, there is another 4-seater sofa, which passes over the road (a special bridge for skiers). Another chair railway, as well as several orcs that make up the Mieszko resort, can be found in the vicinity of the church.

Nartorama & Diamond — quick couches and easy training slopes

In the south of Zieleniec, going from the central car park towards Międzylesie, there are further ski lift complexes — Nartorama and Diament. You can get there by forest link or ridge along the border, where a short “gyrus” lift is installed, which facilitates communication between areas. The centerpiece of Nartorama is the modern 6-seater Sky Way Express sofa with blue covers, mixed with two additional 8-seater gondolas. We will not find a second such railway anywhere in Poland. Right next to Nartoram is the Diamond, which consists of two plate lifts and a new four-seater sofa (Diamond D3 Green), commissioned in the 2020/2021 season.In total, skiers have There are 31 lifts available in Zieleniec (including seven modern couches and an additional four belt lifts for the little ones) and more than 23 km of trails. This is the largest ski complex in our Sudetenland.

Easy and relaxing routes prevail here, and more demanding skiers will also find some red, steep and wide, suitable for dynamic carving. It is therefore an ideal place also for families with children, for whom several separate training slopes and ski links with didactic lifts have been prepared. This is how the topography of the ski areas in Zieleniec is presented in general. As already mentioned, there is something for everyone, regardless of the level of skiing skills. So it's time to show where skiers of different levels should look for terrain for themselves.

Routes for beginners and little ones

Beginners as well as the youngest ski lovers have a very large selection of routes in Zieleniec. We will describe them briefly, moving sequentially from north to south.

Just after the entrance to the resort from the side of Dusznik, a picturesque lump of the church is striking. In its vicinity is located the largest ski area for beginner skiers — Mieszko. Its axis is a 4-seater chair, around which stretches a real ski field - a space several hundred meters wide, completely trimmed and snow-covered, which guarantees safe learning to ride.

Also skiers who have already taken their first steps on skis (or boards) can hone the technique here, including the first attempts to ride wide arches at the edges. In addition to the couch, there are three lifts here, as well as one slightly steeper slope descending from under the hotel “Zieleniec”.

Another good area for beginners can be found in the central part of the resort in the area of the main car park, where two sofas start up - Winterpol with orange covers and Gryglówka. Between their lower stations there is a specially designated, partially protected area Bartuś, equipped with two plows and a didactic lift for the youngest, with a length of approx. 120 m. It is ideal as a place for children to take their first steps. Quite easy in the lower part, a very wide route also leads along the Winterpol couch with orange covers.

In this part of Zieleniec there are also two didactic lifts — a large one, about 100 meters long, stands between the W5 couch and the W4 plate, and the small one, which is located next to the longer one (vis a vis the main Winterpol ticket office). The lower part of this route is also accessible by a separate W4 plough. On the other hand, to the east of the Gryglówka couch there are three more ploughs (G2, G3, G4), also with very gentle and uniformly inclined routes.

In the 2017/2018 season, two new lifts were launched - Antek I and Antek II, which are located between lifts G3 and G4.The most easterly is the Diament lift complex — below the road, near the Nartorama Express couch with blue covers. There are two plate lifts between which there is a newly built chairlift (commissioned for the 2020/2021 season). Without a doubt, Diamant lifts are a good place to take your first steps on skis and improve your skills.

On the opposite side of the lower station of the Nartorama sofa we find two more “plates” and a belt lift. Beginners, but already a little familiar with riding, can also try to go down the blue route from the top station of the Nartorama Express couch, first in the direction of Masarykova Chata, located on the Czech side of the chalet Masarykova Chata (a short plate lift helps to get there), then along a wide arch guided by route 1. it is worth remembering that on a short section it has a steep slope, but thanks to its considerable width it can also be used by less advanced skiers.

Routes for advanced

In Zieleniec there is also no shortage of areas for more advanced skiers. For balance, we will look at them in the reverse order — from the entrance to the west. The most interesting routes for experienced skiers can be found on Nartorama — from the top station of the cable car, two very nicely shaped, quite steep red trails run down, which count from the very top to the bottom, are about a kilometer long. In the lower sections they join and gently, with a spectacular crossing over the road, they will lead us to the very bottom. There is also the only black route in Zieleniec, but it is an unprepared descent under the railway, partly freeride.

Further, slightly shorter red routes are located in the central part of the ski resort. A very nice exit leads along the Gryglówka railway. Advanced skiers will also find pleasure in descending along the “orange” Winterpol couch, through the characteristic ball - here various speed descents are often played. A very nice, quite steep descent in the upper and lower parts also leads along the chair of Winterpol at the Vital & SPA Resort Szarotka — the lower section of the route is especially interesting here. From the lower station of this railway it is also worth taking a gentle traverse in the direction of the slightly off-the-way W6 plow.

On both sides of it there are red routes, in the lower sections steep but wide, allowing dynamic driving on the edges. This is such an interesting area for advanced skiers that novices rarely look here, which makes the movement smooth, fast and safe.

“Tower of Zieleniec”

For skiers who want to get to know the whole resort and thus choose the best place to ride for themselves, we offer a rally along the routes of Zieleniec, which we have somewhat jokingly called the “Tour de Zieleniec”. By the way, we will also see “on our own feet” how extensive (of course, on a Polish scale) the local downhill areas are. An additional reward will be beautiful views from many places along the route.We start from the central point of the resort located near the central parking lot.

We go up on the Gryglówka couch, after which we go down the blue route to the lower station of the “orange” railway. Taking advantage of the fact that it is one of the fastest railways in Zieleniec, we go up and this time we go down the red route to the lower station of the Gryglówka chair, which gives the opportunity to drive dynamically with wide arches at the edges. We return to the mountain again — this time through Gryglówka — passing a unique cable railway junction in the Polish mountains (this time going down), after which we start the descent towards the areas located in the vicinity of the church.

Initially, our route leads along a forest traverse, after which it leads to meadows above the upper plow station W4. From here we go on wide, prepared routes along the W5 chair. We pass over the road, then passing the old shelter “Orlica” with typical Sudeten architecture, we go straight along the red route, in the lower part very steep, to the lower station of this railway.

Now it's time to go to the already mentioned W6 plough and the “six”, where you can indulge in dynamic driving on short, but very pleasant red routes, giving the opportunity to “go crazy”. We return initially along a wide slope straight to the west, after which we find a traverse that leads to the lower station of the W5 chair. It takes us to the very ridge — we now have the opportunity to go down the railway from the very top — after crossing the road, let's not rush to hit the narrow but skiable traverse leading to the left behind “Orlica”.

Being careful, we cross the path of the plate and we are already at the church. Now we are waiting for a little respite — we are in an area where gentle blue routes for beginners dominate. We can have fun here a little longer, taking advantage of the fact that there are several ways to go down to the lower station of the chair, which is the axis of this area. You can also take a leisurely ride on one of the orcs. Being in this area, it is also worth going further to the left, to the westernmost plough in Zieleniec, which leads to the hotel “Zieleniec”. Here we have the opportunity to drive a little more dynamically, and here too we have a choice of two variants of descent - along the lift and bypassing a small clump of trees on the right. It is best to use both of these options.

We start the return towards the place from which we started — for this we descend to the lower station of the W5 couch, which we leave on the back. From here, along a wide slope, we descend at an angle to the right above the lonely house. Continue along the snowpark, after which we cross the route of the W4 lift. Driving down the slope later, we reach the point from which we set off. But this is not the end of our journey — we are now waiting for a drive to the eastern side of Zieleniec.

Once again we have to use the “orange” couch, after which from the upper station we go down to the left and find a traverse in the forest, which gently, overcoming two bends, will lead us to one of the red routes on Nartorama. You can also get to it by the ridge, where on the way back there is a “freak” at our disposal. We move down initially steeply, and after leaving the forest, a very wide, gentle slope, in the direction of a visible passage over the road, after which a few hundred meters of descent will lead us to the lower station of the “blue” couch.

Here, who is willing, can “hunt” the entrance to the mountain with one of the two gondolas. From the top we head to the left, after which we immediately turn down and now test the second of the red routes along the railway. Those who still have the strength and skills, and the conditions are favorable — can face a black descent under the route of the cable car — a real substitute for freeride.

Now we have a well-deserved rest - we leave once again with the couch up and head along the back to the left. Here you can use the plow, which makes it easy to overcome a flat section of the route. We pass the stylish block of the Czech shelter “Masarykova Chata” (it is worth stopping here for a meal), after which we go down a beautiful serpentine to the left - soon we will get to the red route No. 1, which we have already gone down.

With it we sweep down back to the “blue” couch. For a moment we go to Diamenty (right next to Nartorama). Two quick plates and a new 4-seater sofa are the perfect place for all those who start their adventure with winter sports. The place is also good for honing previously acquired skills.It's time to go back — we go up again, then head to the right, along the ridge.

We overcome the initial, rather flat section of the ridge, after which we reach the place where a small hill grows in front of us - we overcome it with the help of a classic spinning wheel, after which we stand at the top station of the Winterpol couch. All you have to do now is take any variant — more gently on the left, steeper through the bulge under the queue — and thus finish our “Tour de Zieleniec” at the bottom station of the “orange” couch. What is important - we usually manage to cross this route without having to remove the skis, having more than 30 kilometers in our legs!

Zieleniec by night

At the end of our short guide, you can not miss information about the slopes, which we can use after dark - until 21:00. Illuminated ski areas are located at the “orange” Winterpol couch and the Gryglówka railway, as well as in the vicinity of Mieszko chair (near the church) and W5 couch (at the “Szarotka” hotel), as well as on Nartoram, where both red routes and areas near the Diament lifts are illuminated. Passages between these areas are not illuminated. However, if we are lucky and it is a clear night, you can easily get between these areas.

It is also worth mentioning that when visiting Zieleniec on skis, a route map is very useful, which can be obtained free of charge at the ticket offices or accommodation facilities in Zieleniec and its surroundings.