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Skiing – snow boarding – snow scooters and off-piste excursions.
Within hours of your arrival at Raba 500, we can get you off to the local ski rental shop which has a wide range of ski and board equipment for everyone. Skis and boards are chosen for you by Monika who takes into account factors of age, height, weight and experience. N. B. You’ll be given advice on care of your equipment: lost or broken equipment must be paid for. Children and adults must understand that they are individually responsible for their skis. Our driver cannot be held responsible if someone neglects to put their skis and boots into the car before the journey home. A set of skis can be around 500zl.
You can retain the equipment for the duration of your stay, but if you need to change anything, or want to swop skis for a board, we can take you back to the rental shop quickly whilst the rest of your group are finishing breakfast, or in the evening before dinner.
A complete set for either skiing or boarding will cost 40zl (£10) per 24 hours. This is payable at the end of your stay, so if you hand the skis in early, you’ll only be charged for the days you used them. If you intend to ski for only an hour per day, it is, of course, cheaper to hire on-site at each ski centre you visit. You must, however, take into account the time it takes to queue up and be fitted each day, and the chance that the size of boot or ski you require will not be available that day.
There are various beginner slopes in the area and depending on snow conditions, we will take you to the nearest one on your first day. We do encourage even experienced skiers to spend the first day on an easier slope, and all beginner slopes have a more advanced slope alongside. The only broken legs we have had in four seasons have been experienced skiers who went straight for the big slopes.
Ski passes for the lifts vary at each station: expect to pay anything from 6zl (£1.50) for 10 ascents to 60zl (£15.00) for a full day pass, depending where you are.
Most ski stations have either a snack bar or restaurant facility. Some have open grills where you can cook your own sausages. Remember to bring money for lunches and snacks as skiing can build up an appetite.
Snow boarding for absolute beginners is not a good idea, even if the intrepid adventurer is a teenage lad. Of course, you are welcome to try it but it is highly recommended that you ski for a couple of days first, to get to know the snow, the speed and the lifts. Then we can take you back to the rental shop and swop your skis for a board, or you can just hire a board for a few hours at the station you are skiing at. Rental shops will look after your skis for you. N.B. Remember to check the screws on your boot fittings every morning and evening. If they come loose, the screws will fall off, you will fall off and you will have to pay for replacement screws.
Snow scooters: at Bialka Tatranska, you can hire snow scooters for 100zl for 75 minutes per person. A guide will take a group of up to 6 scooters across open snow fields up the hills, through forest, with views of the Tatras. Hilarious fun, the guide will come back and rescue you if you get stuck or fall off.
Snow. We are unable to guarantee the snow conditions in the coming winter season. We provide you with an excellent internet based Polish weather forecast site. Every evening and morning we check the webcams on the local ski fields to ensure we are taking you to the ski station that best suits your group requirements. In four winter seasons here, we have only once been unable to take skiers to a slope: end of January 2008. The warm southern wind blew up from Italy and for 2 days, and we could not ski. Otherwise, the ski season usually runs straight through from the beginning of December to the beginning of April.
Recommended slopes:
Chabowka: 2 slopes with snow cannon, one rope drag up the '1st time on the snow' beginner’s slope. One button lift up very pleasant '1st day back on the snow' slope. 5 minutes from home.
Maciejowa: 2 slopes with snow cannon, button lift up beginner slope, T-bar up to 2km blue red and black slope down. 20 mins from home. foc
Spytkowice Smrek: great beginner to intermediate slope. Wide, smooth easy button lift. 15 mins foc Spytkowice Beskid: Red slope, steep with bumpy patch midway: not for beginners. Good cafe, outdoor sausage grilling, snow cannon, 15 mins from home. foc
Polczakowka: Black slope, steep not so long but well worth a day for experienced skiers. 20 mins. foc
Kasina Wielka: Climb from the car park to the ski lift but excellent long slope. T bar, restaurant, and intermediate can go part way on a button lift but don’t try this slope hung-over. 35 mins 60zl/80zl
Kiry: Second day beginner slope plus short but very sweet intermediate red/blue slope. Great run down from the top, through the spectators and straight down the continuing beginner slope. 40 mins 60/80zl
Witow: Up top, a long shallow slope with humps and bumps good for new boarders. Chair lift. Steep last stretch. Restaurants etc. 40 mins from home. 60/80zl
Bialka Tatranska: About 20 slopes, for all levels of experience. Chair lifts (x6, x3) button, T bar, restaurants, shopping a full ski resort. Busy and not the cheapest and you might have to walk down to the main road for pick-up if you leave at 5.00 rush hour but well worth a full day out. 45 mins 60/80zl
Plus about 20 other slopes in the area, ranging from 30 to 90 mins from the house. Full details available when you get here.
Instructors: No idea what they will be charging next season, but this year it was 55zl for an hour, 1 to 1, and well worth it. Some people try to save money by offering a bit more per hour for the instructor to take 2 or 3 or even 4 people at once but then you won't learn to ski so it's a false economy. Best to allow for 2 hours per person 1 to 1. You won't need the lessons all immediately. We could get you an instructor who will spend the whole day with you all for a set rate and take you all one at a time and structure the lesson to fit your needs.
Off-piste: If the snow fails whilst you are here, we return your skis and you have no more rental to pay. Unlike ski stations high up in the Alps, there is plenty to do here other than ski. The prices marked on the right are what we charge to take you on the excursion PER CAR. Our Zafira (first price) takes up to 6 passengers, the Land Rover (second price) up to 8 passengers, or Volkswagen Vito also 8 passengers.
· Wieliczka Salt Mines 300zl/400zl
· Auschwitz/Birkenau Concentration Camps 300zl/400zl
· Orawice, Hot Springs, Slovakia (modern centre with hydro massage etc.) 200zl/300zl
· Nowy Targ street market (cheapest shopping around - don't bring much luggage!) no charge
· Day tour of local wooden churches including Bachledowka. 300zl/400zl
· Quad biking through the foothills of the Tatra Mountains 100zl/150zl
· We drive you to Lysa Polana pass in the Tatras, take a horse drawn sleigh ride
up to Morskie Oko, and down again. Bus into Zakopane for market, restaurants,
funicular railway up Gubalowka Ridge, etc. Train home at 17.15 or 19.30. 150zl/200zl
· Rabka Zdroj Monday livestock market and museums. no charge
· Aerial assault course up in the trees above Zakopane on Gubalowka ridge:
pictures coming soon on the website. Also dry tobogganing and wall climbing. 60zl/80zl
· Climb Turbacz for Sunday mass (1000 people on top of a mountain - you don't
need to be religious to enjoy it) 60zl/80zl
· Go ice skating at Rabka Zdroj: open until 19:30 in the evenings. no charge
· Walk from Chocholow wooden 400 year old village across to Gubalowka, ski
lift down the mountain and horse and cart ride into Zakopane. Train home. no charge
· Train to Zakopane - market, shopping, museums, theatre etc. no charge
· Take a walk in the forest at Sidzina and have coffee and cakes in a traditional
farm house with the family. 100zl/150zl
· Chabowka Skansen Steam train Museum: a collection of about 40 old steam
trains, most in running order and some run day trips to Zakopane. no charge
· Zakopane Aquapark with slides and waves and so on. 60zl/80zl
· Thermo Park at Szaflary: indoor/outdoor swimming, slides, games etc. 60zl/80zl
· Niedzica and Czorstyn castlesand Ludzmierz on the way home. 300zl/400zl
· Wadowice Papal Tour: our driver will make sure you see all 12 features of
this tour. 300zl/400zl
· Spend a morning up in the hills above the valley in the forest with the local
woodcutters. 60zl/80zl
· Zywiec brewery tour - say no more. 300zl/400zl
· Zubrzyca Ethnological Park: 15 old wooden shepherds’ houses fully
furnished. 150zl/200zl
· Krakow zoo - really nice zoo - plenty of space and happy animals. 200zl/300zl
· Day trip to Krakow centre - castle, main square, sight seeing tour by horse and cart. 300zl/400zl
· There are literally hundreds of miles of walks around here, all of them with
amazing views, flora and fauna. Mind out for the wild pigs, bears, wolves and lynx. no charge
Evenings
If you have selected the ‘evening drinks included’ option, then our basement bar will be the venue most evenings. We provide a 500ml bottle of vodka per person per 7 day stay, and up to four 50ml bottles of beer per person per evening. If you drink your allowance before the end of your stay, let me know and I can bring more supplies in for you, and charge you accordingly, or you can visit the local shops and make your own selection. We do provide some soft drinks as mixers for the vodka but if families require soft drinks for children and teenagers, please let me know.
If you fancy an evening excursion, snow permitting, we can take you to the local slope 5 minutes away which is floodlit and open until 9.00pm or 10.00pm depending on snow conditions.
Otherwise:
· Take a horse and cart ride in the evening into the hills and cook sausages over a bonfire and part take of the local Highlander Tea (no tea in it). 300zl per cart (up to 6)
· Local bar - Rabacowka has air hockey, pool, flipper and darts. Meet the locals.
· Siwy Dym and Rusnakowka: excellent local restaurants. 50zl taxi home
· Restaurants Orkana and Goralskie Strawa amongst others in Nowy Targ 80zl taxi home
· At Raba 500, we have mini pool, Play Station, X Box, Risk, Scrabble (etc), loads of DVDS and videos and a couple of English language TV channels for sport and news.
· Evening meals at Raba 500 are 25zl.00 per person, 3 course meal and coffee/tea, or 15zl soup with bread and coffee/tea.
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Go on to Ski slope index page |
| Home page | |
| Introduction to Raba 500 page | |
| Holiday prices | |
| Website contents page |