Koninki — ski station in the Gorce Mountains

A warning up front: this is not a description of an operating resort. The ski station in Koninki did not prepare its runs in the 2024/25 or 2025/26 seasons, and the only installation running periodically was the Tobołów chairlift — for sightseeing rides only, not for skiing. Confirm the current situation directly with the operator before planning a trip.

Koninki is a hamlet of Poręba Wielka in the Niedźwiedź commune, about 15 km south of Mszana Dolna, at the northern foot of the Gorce range. The station opened in 1982 on the eastern flank of Tobołów. Its most distinctive feature is a single-seat chairlift built by Mostostal Kraków: 1155 m long, 308 m of vertical, 17 towers and a capacity of roughly 530 people per hour. The base station sits at about 659 m and the top at about 967 m, just below the summit of Tobołów.

The main piste, marked as run A, is roughly 1.4 km long and was advertised as the longest descent in the Gorce; with over 300 m of vertical it counted among the more demanding runs in this part of the Beskids. Four platter lifts of about 330, 270, 150 and 50 m supported it. The snowmaking and lighting installations, however, were dismantled in July 2023 under building-supervision rulings concerning works carried out without the required permits in 2011–2012.

• the Tobołów chairlift from 1982: 1155 m long, 308 m of vertical, single-seat chairs, around 530 people per hour — one of the last lifts of its kind in Poland,
• a base station at about 659 m and a top station at about 967 m — a vertical drop of roughly 308 m, unusually large for the Gorce,
• run A, roughly 1.4 km long, described as the longest downhill piste in the Gorce,
• four supporting platter lifts of about 330 m, 270 m, 150 m and 50 m (the last one for children),
• no snowmaking and no floodlighting — the installations were dismantled in July 2023 under building-supervision rulings,
• the pistes were not prepared in the 2024/25 or 2025/26 seasons; the chairlift ran for sightseeing only,
• the station grounds lie partly inside Gorce National Park and partly in its buffer zone,
• ridge trails run from the top station towards Obidowiec and Turbacz (1310 m).

When the station was operating, its profile was unusual for the Gorce and the Island Beskids: over 300 m of vertical on a single run meant a long, tiring descent on which a beginner quickly lost control of their speed. Run A mixed blue and red sections and was aimed at intermediates, while gentler learning terrain sat by the base station on the short 450 m and 550 m slopes served by platter lifts. None of that is currently on offer — there is no ski school, no rental shop and no grooming. Skiers looking for a slope in this area are better directed to Kasina Wielka, Rabka-Zdrój, Śnieżnica or Laskowa.

The address is Poręba Wielka 251, 34-735 Niedźwiedź. From Warsaw it is about 380 km, roughly 5 hours: the S7 to Kraków and on south along the Zakopianka to the Lubień junction, then road 968 to Mszana Dolna and a further 10 km or so through Niedźwiedź to Koninki. From Kraków count on about 75 km and 1.5 hours, from Nowy Sącz much the same, and from Mszana Dolna about 25 minutes.

In Mszana Dolna you turn right at the second set of traffic lights, then right again after roughly 800 m towards Niedźwiedź; from there a single valley road leads to Koninki. Public transport relies on minibuses from Mszana Dolna, and bus line A11 runs between Myślenice and Koninki, although the timetable is revised from time to time and should be checked before travelling. There is a car park at the base station, used today mainly by hikers heading for Turbacz.

Driving distances

• Warszawa — approx. 380 km, ok. 5 h
• Kraków — approx. 75 km, ok. 1,5 h
• Nowy Sącz — approx. 60 km, ok. 1,5 h
• Mszana Dolna — approx. 15 km, ok. 25 min

The station does not function as a ski resort. The operator terminated the land lease with Gorce National Park in August 2024, effective from the end of November 2024, and the slope has not been prepared since — neither in 2024/25 nor in 2025/26. Earlier, in July 2023, the snowmaking and lighting installations were dismantled. During the 2025/26 season the Tobołów chairlift ran only periodically, from the Christmas period onwards, and solely for tourist rides. Before planning a ski trip here, confirm the current situation with the operator — it may change from season to season.

Koninki remains a good starting point for the Gorce. From the top station a ridge trail leads over Obidowiec to Turbacz (1310 m), the highest peak of the range — about a two-hour walk from the upper station. The whole area lies in the buffer zone of Gorce National Park, with a dense network of trails and montane meadows. Poręba Wielka has the surviving manor park of the Wodzicki family, and within a short drive are Mszana Dolna, the peaks of the Island Beskids (Ćwilin, Śnieżnica, Luboń Wielki) and the spa town of Rabka-Zdrój.

Zone4 is a ski and snowboard school from Warsaw building ZoneCloud — a booking system for lessons with instructors. We do not own any slope: what we add is the thing slopes usually lack, namely a free slot with a named instructor, visible online and bookable on the spot. Today it runs at Górka Szczęśliwicka in Warsaw, at Rybno and at Szwajcaria Bałtowska.

The next step is a nationwide network — including Koninki. We are building the instructor team here and will open lesson booking together with it. If you are looking for an instructor in Koninki for the coming season, leave your details and we will let you know the moment bookings open. If you teach here yourself, read the section below.

We are looking for ski and snowboard instructors in Poręba Wielka and the surrounding area (małopolskie Province). The arrangement is freelance and non-exclusive — you can teach with us alongside your own clients or a local ski school. You set your availability in the schedule; we bring the students and handle bookings and settlements.

ZoneCloud gives an instructor what working solo does not: a public profile with a description and photo, a calendar of free slots, online bookings and payments, and a lesson history in one place. Instead of fielding calls on a Saturday morning, you get a filled schedule.

Instructor qualifications (SITN-PZN or equivalent) are a strong plus but not an entry barrier — what counts is confident, technical riding and the ability to work with people, especially children. You attach scans and a CV in the online application.