Kasprowy Wierch ski area above Zakopane

Kasprowy Wierch (1987 m) is Poland's highest and most serious ski area, set in the Western Tatras above Zakopane, on the Slovak border and entirely inside the Tatra National Park. Skiers ride up by cable car from Kuźnice, the southern end of Zakopane, changing at Myślenickie Turnie; the line is 4261 m long, the cabins hold 60 people and the top station stands at 1959 m, a few minutes' walk below the summit. From there skiers drop into two glacial cirques, Kocioł Gąsienicowy and Kocioł Goryczkowy. The operator is Polish Cableways (Polskie Koleje Linowe, PKL). The history is distinguished: the first run on the lower section of the cable car took place on 26 February 1936, and only two years later the first ski lift appeared in the Gąsienicowy cirque, a 16-person sledge later replaced by a chairlift.

Slopes and lifts

Kasprowy offers a few long alpine-style runs rather than a large network. PKL marks both main runs black: they are steep, narrow in places and meant for confident skiers and snowboarders.

• Gąsienicowa run – 1200 m according to PKL's table; it is served by a four-seat chairlift 1155 m long (8 minutes, up to 2400 people per hour). The slope looks out on Świnica, Kościelec and Kozi Wierch.
• Goryczkowa run – 2100 m, served by a two-seat chairlift 1736 m long (about 15 minutes up, 720 people per hour).
• Ski road from Hala Goryczkowa – 3500 m through the forest to the bottom station in Kuźnice; below the junction of the valleys it is of medium difficulty (red), and together with the section along the lift it runs for more than 5 km with a vertical drop of over 900 m.

In total PKL lists three runs (6.8 km) and three lifts: the cable car and two chairlifts. The runs have no snowmaking and no floodlights; skiing here is on natural snow only, so there is no night skiing. Skiing off the marked runs is strictly forbidden in the Tatra National Park – a matter of avalanche safety, not a formality. With good snow you can descend from Hala Gąsienicowa to Kuźnice on a ski trail of more than 8 km, but it is a route for touring skis, with climbs and avalanche-prone sections.

Season and ski passes

The season depends on natural snow: the runs usually open in December or January and skiing lasts until April, longer in snowy years. The 2025/26 season ended on 3 May 2026 on the Gąsienicowa run. The cable car is closed for its technical inspection from 19 October to 6 November 2026.

A day pass covers one ride up by cable car plus unlimited use of the chairlifts in both cirques. Under the 2025/26 price list an adult day pass cost 169 PLN online 7 days ahead, 189 PLN online later and 199 PLN at the ticket offices; the queue-free "express" pass in Kuźnice cost 269 PLN. There are 4-hour passes, reduced passes for children aged 5–15 and people over 65, and a ski-touring ticket valid on the chairlifts only. The 2026/27 season pass for five PKL ski areas (Kasprowy Wierch, Gubałówka, Palenica, Mosorny Groń, Jaworzyna Krynicka) costs 2099–2799 PLN depending on the purchase date, and a cable-car seat reservation for its holders is another 45 PLN. Cabins run every 10 minutes, every 30 minutes in bad weather or when there are few passengers; tickets down are sold until two hours before the last run. Prices as of October 2026 – check the official website.

Who it suits

Kasprowy is for experienced skiers who are at home on steep, uneven slopes and understand mountain risks. There are no instructors on the Kasprowy runs, so beginners and families with small children are better off learning on the nursery slopes down in town, for example at Nosal. For non-skiers the cable-car ride to the summit is an adventure in itself: there is a viewing terrace and a restaurant at the top, but dogs may not be taken into the national park.

Getting there from Ukraine

The easiest route is through the Krakovets–Korczowa or Shehyni–Medyka border crossings, then the A4 motorway to Kraków and from there the S7 and road no. 47 to Zakopane – about 330 km from the border in total. Trains and frequent buses run from Kraków to Zakopane. Private cars cannot reach Kuźnice: the road is closed to traffic, so leave the car in Zakopane (the nearest car park is on Karłowicza Street) and take a city bus to the station itself, or walk about 40 minutes from the John Paul II roundabout.

Nearby: trails and peaks

The summit has its own page: Kasprowy Wierch. In summer the trail Kuźnice – Myślenickie Turnie starts at the bottom station, and from the summit the route Kasprowy Wierch – Murowaniec Hut leads down to the glade of Hala Gąsienicowa. In winter these paths are only for well-prepared hikers with proper equipment who have checked the avalanche forecast.

Official website: pkl.pl

Photos: Piotr Gruszka, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; R.Mendakiewicz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Margoz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.