Wielka Krokiew

The Wielka Krokiew was built in 1925 on the slope of Krokiew hill and has been rebuilt and enlarged repeatedly; it now has a hill size around 140 metres and is the main ski jumping venue in Poland. Ski jumping is a mainstream sport here in a way it is in few other countries - the Adam Malysz years around 2000 and Kamil Stoch's Olympic titles since made it national television - and the World Cup weekend in January fills the outrun and the hillside with crowds counted in the tens of thousands, with flags, flares and a great deal of noise. Outside competitions the hill can be visited: a lift runs to the top tower for the view down the inrun and over Zakopane to the Tatras, which conveys the gradient better than television does. There are smaller hills alongside used for training and summer jumping on plastic matting.

What you actually see

• A hill of about 140 metres - the main ski jumping venue in Poland since 1925.
• January World Cup crowds - tens of thousands on the hillside with flags and flares.
• The view down the inrun - from the top tower, reached by lift.
• Summer jumping - training on plastic matting on the smaller hills.

When to go

January for competitions, or any season to visit. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Competition weekends fill Zakopane completely and accommodation prices double. Events are weather-dependent and can be cancelled or shortened. Outside competitions there is not much to do beyond the tower and the view.

Nearby

Krupowki and the Zakopane villas are a short walk north.