Ski and snowboard instructors in Poland
Book a qualified instructor in Zakopane, Białka Tatrzańska, Szczyrk or any of Poland's 14 ski resorts, from the Tatras to the Sudetes.
Find instructors in PolandSkiing in Poland
Polish skiing happens along the mountains of the southern border, in three ranges that feel quite different. The Tatras are the only truly alpine ones: Zakopane sits at their foot, and Kasprowy Wierch, at 1,987 m, is the highest lift-served skiing in the country. The Beskids, the wooded Carpathian ranges of Silesia and Lesser Poland, hold the biggest modern ski area, Szczyrk, together with Wisła, Korbielów and the spa town of Krynica-Zdrój. The Sudetes in Lower Silesia, on the Czech border, bring Szklarska Poręba and Karpacz in the Giant Mountains and the snow-sure plateau of Zieleniec.
Almost everywhere the hills are lower and shorter than in the Alps — most resorts top out below 1,400 m — with snowmaking, wide groomed runs and floodlit night skiing doing a lot of the work. That makes Poland a very good place to learn, and many Polish skiers learn at home before heading to the Alps. The flip side is crowds: weekends and the winter school holidays fill the best-known resorts, and a good instructor knows which hill to use when.
Ski teaching has not been a regulated profession in Poland since 2013, when a deregulation law dropped the qualification the state used to require. The professional standard is the instructor card of SITN PZN for skiing and SITS for snowboarding, and some lift operators — PKL at Kasprowy Wierch among them — allow teaching on their slopes only with their written consent. Certified instructors on Alpine Pal have had their qualification reviewed.
Our Polish catalogue covers Zakopane, Białka Tatrzańska and Bukowina Tatrzańska below the Tatras, Szczyrk, Wisła, Korbielów, Krynica-Zdrój and Wierchomla in the Beskids, Szklarska Poręba, Karpacz, Świeradów-Zdrój, Zieleniec and Czarna Góra in the Sudetes, and the city slope of Górka Szczęśliwicka in Warsaw.
Last reviewed 17 October 2026
The terrain
Kasprowy Wierch above Zakopane is the one genuinely alpine mountain: a cable car to almost 2,000 m, steep bowls above the treeline and natural snow only, because it lies in the Tatra National Park. Szczyrk is the largest area, with about 40 km of linked pistes and more than 700 m of vertical on Skrzyczne, and Pilsko at Korbielów has a similar vertical with lifts to nearly 1,500 m. Białka Tatrzańska and Zieleniec each have a little over 20 km of mostly easy, short runs on a single pass, and Szklarska Poręba has one of the longest runs in the country, the 4.5 km Lolobrygida. The rest are compact, friendly hills — Polana Szymoszkowa, Wisła's local slopes, Słotwiny Arena, Biały Jar — built for beginners, families and evening skiing.
When to go
Most Polish resorts run from December to March, opening on snowmaking as soon as it is cold enough; Kasprowy Wierch depends on natural snow and often skis into April, and Zieleniec has the longest-lying snow in the country. The busiest weeks are the ferie, the winter school holidays, which each region takes in turn between mid-January and the end of February, together with every weekend; a lesson midweek or in March is far calmer. Kraków airport serves the Tatras and much of the Beskids, Katowice suits Szczyrk, Wisła and Korbielów, and Wrocław is the gateway to the Sudetes.
Instructors in Poland
No instructors have joined in Poland yet. We are adding them resort by resort — if you teach here, this is a good moment to be the first.
Ski resorts in Poland
14 resorts
Białka TatrzańskaTatra Mountains, Lesser Poland
Bukowina TatrzańskaTatra Mountains, Lesser Poland
Czarna GóraKłodzko Land, Lower Silesia
Górka SzczęśliwickaWarsaw, Masovia
KarpaczGiant Mountains, Lower Silesia
KorbielówŻywiec Beskids, Silesia
Krynica-ZdrójBeskid Sądecki, Lesser Poland
Świeradów-ZdrójJizera Mountains, Lower Silesia
SzczyrkSilesian Beskids, Silesia
Szklarska PorębaGiant Mountains, Lower Silesia
WierchomlaBeskid Sądecki, Lesser Poland
WisłaSilesian Beskids, Silesia- ZakopaneTatra Mountains, Lesser Poland
ZieleniecKłodzko Land, Lower Silesia
Qualifications required in Poland
Poland has no state teaching licence. The professional standard is the SITN PZN instructor card (SITS for snowboard), and Alpine Pal shows what each instructor actually holds so you can judge it for yourself.
- Qualification
- SITN PZN instructor card (SITS for snowboard)
- Issued by
- SITN PZN / SITS
This is a summary for guidance, not legal advice. The instructor remains responsible for holding a valid qualification.
Skiing in Poland: common questions
How much does a ski lesson cost in Poland?
Private lessons in Poland cost noticeably less than in the Alps: local schools typically charge around 150 to 250 złoty per hour, roughly €35 to €60, with Zakopane and Białka Tatrzańska in the winter school holidays at the top of that range. Each instructor on Alpine Pal sets and shows their own rate on their profile.
Do ski instructors in Poland need a licence?
Not by law. Since a 2013 deregulation, no qualification is legally required to teach skiing for payment in Poland. The recognised professional standard is the instructor card of SITN PZN (skiing) or SITS (snowboarding), and some lift operators — PKL at Kasprowy Wierch, Gubałówka and Jaworzyna Krynicka among them — allow teaching on their slopes only with their written consent. Certified instructors on Alpine Pal have had their qualification reviewed, and because no licence is required by law, the informal companion option is available in Poland.
Tatras, Beskids or Sudetes: where should I ski in Poland?
It depends on where you start and what you want. The Tatras (Zakopane, Białka, Bukowina) give the most mountain atmosphere, Kasprowy Wierch's high skiing and Białka's big beginner area, two hours from Kraków. The Beskids have Poland's largest linked area at Szczyrk, about an hour and a quarter from Katowice, plus Pilsko's vertical and the spa town of Krynica. The Sudetes are the choice from Wrocław and western Poland: Zieleniec for reliable snow and easy runs, Szklarska Poręba and Karpacz for longer runs below the Giant Mountains.
When is the ski season in Poland, and when is it busiest?
Most resorts open in December on snowmaking and close at the end of March; Kasprowy Wierch, which relies on natural snow, often runs into April. The busiest period is the ferie, the winter school holidays that each region takes in turn between mid-January and the end of February, plus weekends all season. For empty slopes, book midweek or in March.
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