Świeradów-Zdrój — the Ski&Sun ski area

Świeradów-Zdrój lies in the Izera Mountains, in the western Sudetes, a few kilometres from the Czech border. It is first and foremost a spa town built on radon waters, with resort architecture dating from around 1900, but in winter its centre of gravity shifts to the Ski&Sun ski area. The base station stands on ul. Źródlana, within walking distance of the spa quarter and most of the hotels — a genuine convenience here.

The heart of the area is the gondola to Stóg Izerski, opened in 2009. Built by Doppelmayr, it is 2,172 m long, runs 71 eight-person cabins with a capacity of 2,400 people per hour, and takes about 8 minutes to the top. The base station sits at 617 m above sea level and the top station at 1,060 m — some 443 m of vertical, one of the larger figures in the Sudetes.

In skiing terms this is a one-run resort: a single piste of about 2.5 km drops from Stóg Izerski, with an average gradient of roughly 19 per cent and grooming twice a day. It is complemented by the KidsZone learning area at the base, with a short platter lift and a magic carpet. Anyone after a dense network of variants will find it elsewhere in the Sudetes; here the appeal is the length of one descent.

• a single piste of about 2.5 km running from Stóg Izerski straight down to the base station,
• a Doppelmayr gondola: 2,172 m, 71 eight-person cabins, an 8-minute ride and 2,400 people per hour,
• altitudes of 617–1,060 m and about 443 m of vertical — among the larger drops in the Polish Sudetes,
• the run is covered by dozens of snow guns and floodlit end to end (68 masts, 136 lamps), so evening skiing runs all season,
• grooming twice a day; the average gradient of the piste is around 19 per cent,
• the KidsZone learning area at the base station, with a short platter lift and a magic carpet,
• rental, equipment servicing and a ski school inside the base station building,
• the gondola operates year-round, and a toboggan run beside the base station works in every season.

The resort works best for intermediates and for beginners who are past their first lessons. The piste varies along its length: the upper section just below Stóg Izerski is noticeably sharper, while lower down it eases into long, calm turns between the trees. Complete beginners start in the KidsZone at the base, served by a platter lift and a magic carpet — the main run is for skiers who can already turn confidently, since there is no way back to a lift halfway down. Advanced skiers will exhaust a single run fairly quickly, though 2.5 km without a break is solid training for rhythm and legs.

The base station and its car parks are at ul. Źródlana 7 in Świeradów-Zdrój. From Warsaw it is about 510 km, roughly 6 hours: the A2 to Łódź, then the A1 and S8 towards Wrocław, the A4 and S3 towards Jelenia Góra, and finally local roads via Gryfów Śląski and Mirsk. From Wrocław it is about 155 km, from Jelenia Góra about 40 km.

Świeradów is a small spa town with narrow streets, so at weekends and during school holidays the car parks by the base station fill up before midday — arriving early saves a lot of circling. Buses run from Jelenia Góra and Lubań. The scenic road in from Szklarska Poręba crosses the Szklarska Pass and can be harder going in snowfall than the longer detour via Mirsk.

Driving distances

• Warszawa — approx. 510 km, ok. 6 h
• Wrocław — approx. 155 km, ok. 2,5 h
• Jelenia Góra — approx. 40 km, ok. 45 min

skisun.pl

The season normally runs from December to the end of March, and the Izera Mountains are among the coldest and snowiest corners of Poland — the nearby Hala Izerska is famous for record low temperatures, which translates into good snowmaking conditions and a long-lasting cover. The piste is floodlit end to end, so skiing continues after dark, and gondola queues are shorter in the evening. The top station stands on an open, wind-swept ridge, so the lift is occasionally suspended in strong gusts — check the resort’s updates before you travel.

Right by the base station is Sky Walk — a 62-metre viewing tower with an 850-metre treetop walkway and a slide. The spa quarter is centred on the Dom Zdrojowy with its distinctive wooden promenade hall and radon water pump room, while neighbouring Czerniawa-Zdrój is a starting point for walks into the Izera Mountains, including Hala Izerska. In summer the area is known for its singletrack mountain-bike trails, and the Czech border with the Jizerské hory is a dozen or so kilometres away.

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 Świeradów-Zdrój. We are building the instructor team here and will open lesson booking together with it. If you are looking for an instructor in Świeradów-Zdrój 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 Świeradów-Zdrój and the surrounding area (dolnośląskie 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.