Mosorny Groń

Mosorny Groń is a 1,047 m summit in the western part of the Polica range, within the village of Zawoja in Sucha County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship. In Jerzy Kondracki's classic physico-geographical regionalisation the range belongs to the Żywiec Beskids, in the newer 2018 scheme to the Żywiec-Orawa Beskids. The main summit of Babia Góra lies about 6 km to the south-south-west.

It is an indistinct, hardly separated summit on a side ridge running west from Kiczorka (Cyl Hali Śmietanowej). The ridge separates the valleys of the Mosorny Potok and the Jaworzynka stream, which flows down from the Krowiarki pass, while a broad north-western spur from the summit ends in the Skawica valley. On the state Geoportal map the summit is labelled Mosorna, 1,044 m.

Getting there / trails

• yellow — Zawoja – Mosorny Groń – Cyl Hali Śmietanowej: from Zawoja about 1 h 30 min (down 1 h 15 min), from Cyl Hali Śmietanowej 30 min (45 min the other way). In OpenStreetMap this is the route "Zawoja Lajkonik – Cyl Hali Śmietanowej", which runs right over the summit;
• blue — from the Zawoja-Mosorne hamlet via Mosorny Groń to the green trail north-east of Cyl Hali Śmietanowej: from Zawoja about 1 h 30 min (down 1 h 10 min), from the green trail 50 min.

Times are from Polish Wikipedia and the Compass map. On the south-western slope is the Mosorny Groń tourist and ski centre with a four-seat chairlift from Zawoja-Policzne. It is 1,420 m long, the lower station is at 709 m and the upper one practically at the summit; it opened in 2003 and, according to Polish Wikipedia, runs all year. Check the timetable and seasonal breaks with the operator before you go.

What you can see from the top

According to the Rewasz "Beskid Żywiecki" guidebook cited by Polish Wikipedia, the summit is a viewpoint over the Żywiec Beskids with Babia Góra, the Maków Beskids and the Tatras. The main summit of Babia Góra (1,725 m) is about 6 km to the south-south-west.

Nature and history

The name of the mountain is of Vlach origin and consists of two words. Mosor is a scoop carved from a naturally curved piece of a tree trunk, while grui (in the highlander dialects of Podhale and the Beskids, groń or gróń) means a high bank of a river or stream. Such names recall the Vlach shepherds who spread along the Carpathians and left their mark on local place names.

The ski centre on the mountain's slopes was created in the early 2000s: a company in which the Zawoja municipality also held a share was registered in 2001, and the chairlift was launched in 2003. The investment cost over 15 million zloty; in 2008 the operator was declared bankrupt, and in 2010 the centre was bought by Polskie Koleje Linowe. A ski run laid out along the chairlift held a FIS licence for slalom and giant slalom races. Around the mountain, OpenStreetMap shows the hamlets of Zawoja — Zimna Dziura, Świniarka, Policzne, Kącina and Mosorne — and there is a shelter for hikers on Hala Śmietanowa.

Safety, season and rules

The trails to Mosorny Groń are easy forest paths without rocky sections; in winter watch out for skiers on the slopes and do not walk up the piste. The weather in the Babia Góra area changes quickly, and fog and wind in open places can be stronger than you expect from the valley. Mosorny Groń is not part of the Babia Góra National Park, but the nearby trails to Babia Góra pass through the park, which has its own rules and an entrance fee. Mountain rescue in this area is provided by GOPR: call 985 or +48 601 100 300; the general emergency number is 112.

Interesting facts

• The name roughly means "scoop hill" and comes from Vlach words.
• On the state Geoportal the summit carries a shorter name, Mosorna, 1,044 m.
• A 1,420 m four-seat chairlift has served the mountain since 2003.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; ŁukaszWu, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Ukasiu, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.