← Ski Ski resort · Szczyrk, Poland

COS Szczyrk

Poland's sports-centre slopes on Skrzyczne

Krystyna W. / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

COS Szczyrk is the Central Sports Centre's mountain facility on the slopes of Skrzyczne, the highest peak of Poland's Silesian Beskids, long a training base for the country's alpine skiers and ski jumpers.

  • 539 m Base
  • 1,244 m Top lift
  • 705 m Vertical
  • 4 Pistes mapped
  • 7 Lifts

Best known for

  • Skrzyczne summit
  • Polish training centre
  • ski jumps
  • Silesian Beskids

Après & vibe

Szczyrk is one of Poland's busiest mountain towns, with plentiful bars, restaurants and a lively holiday atmosphere at the base.

The resort

COS Szczyrk is the Centralny Ośrodek Sportu facility rising from the resort town of Szczyrk up the flanks of Skrzyczne, the loftiest summit in the Silesian Beskids. As a national sports centre it carries a strong competitive heritage, having hosted generations of Polish alpine racers and ski jumpers in training. The pistes descending Skrzyczne are among the more demanding in this part of Poland, giving keen skiers real vertical to work with in a forested Beskid setting. Modest altitudes mean snow depends heavily on cold weather and snowmaking, with a season running through the Central European winter, broadly December to March. The bustling town of Szczyrk at the base supplies the accommodation and après.

Snow & weather

Live conditions from the mountain, plus the average snow you can expect month by month.

Conditions now · COS Szczyrk
Fetching live mountain weather…

Live data © Open-Meteo.com

As a mid-altitude Beskid area, natural snow varies with the weather, so cold spells and snowmaking are what keep the runs in good shape through midwinter.

Average monthly snowfall

Snowfall climatology unavailable.

Terrain & aspect

44% beginner 29% inter. 27% expert
N · blue: 12% N · red: 9% N · black: 16% NE · blue: 3% NE · red: 2% NE · black: 3% E · blue: 2% E · red: 2% E · black: 0% SE · black: 1% S · blue: 1% SW · blue: 1% W · blue: 5% W · red: 2% W · black: 4% NW · blue: 11% NW · red: 18% NW · black: 10% NESW
Downhill runs only
  • Novice
  • Easy
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced

Slopes mostly face NW — 94% on snow-holding, poleward-facing slopes.
Aspect derived from run bearings · OpenSkiStats / © OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

Skiing & terrain

Beginners

Some gentler lower slopes, though the area leans toward more capable skiers.

Intermediates

Solid red-graded descents through the trees to enjoy.

Advanced

The longer, steeper runs off Skrzyczne give a proper workout.

Experts & off-piste

Race-training pedigree aside, genuine expert lift-served terrain is limited.

Descending Skrzyczne

The runs from the top of Skrzyczne, the highest point of the Silesian Beskids, deliver the longest sustained vertical in the area and a real sense of mountain.

On the map

COS Szczyrk
Legend

Run difficulty

  • Novice
  • Easy
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced / Expert
  • Freeride / Extreme
  • Unknown

Run types

  • Downhill — groomed
  • Downhill — ungroomed
  • Downhill — gladed
  • Nordic (groomed)
  • Ski tour
  • Lit (night)
  • Not patrolled
  • One-way
  • Snowmaking

Lifts

  • Operating
  • Operating (private)
  • Non-operating
  • Lift station

Slope-gradient grading

Downhill / ski tour

  • Flat<3°
  • Easy3–14°
  • Intermediate14–22°
  • Advanced / Expert22–45°
  • Freeride / Extreme>45°

Nordic

  • Easy<6°
  • Intermediate6–9°
  • Advanced>9°

Aspect (sun exposure)

  • N — least sun
  • E — morning
  • S — most sun
  • W — afternoon

Legend after OpenSkiMap

Map & ski data © OSM (ODbL) via OpenSkiMap · basemap OpenFreeMap · terrain Mapterhorn
See the official piste maps on Skimap.org →
Where you'll stay

Stay in COS Szczyrk

The town of Szczyrk spreads along the valley below, offering a wide range of guesthouses, hotels and dining within easy reach of the lifts.

Ski-in / ski-out

Lifts and pistes from the door — the point of a high, purpose-built resort.

Apartments

Self-catering residences, the bulk of the beds and the flexible-budget option.

Chalets

Catered and self-catered chalets for groups wanting the whole place.

Hotels & spa

From simple to high-end, with pools and spas to thaw out in.

How to get there

By air

Kraków and Katowice airports are both convenient gateways, with Katowice the closer of the two, followed by a road journey into the Beskids.

Transfer up

A drive of around an hour or so from Katowice through the Silesian foothills to Szczyrk.

Best time: The Central European winter, roughly December to March, with the most dependable snow from January into February.

Nearby resorts

Other resorts within reach.

Complete your trip

Getting to COS Szczyrk

Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at Kraków (KRK) — search and compare without leaving the page.

Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. Editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.