Krkonoše / Giant Mountains in the Winter

I don't ski, never have and probably never will. I do however, enjoy taking trips even during winter time and, as you have already heard, I love going to the Giant Mountains. This winter adventure took me to the lovely town of Szklarska Poreba, formerly known as Schreiberhau. It's about a 30minutes drive away from Jelenia Gora and can be considered one of the best ski resorts on the Polish side of the mountain range. 

The highest, and most popular mountain in town is the Szrenica (German: Reifträger). There are several hiking trails going to the top and also several leading from the summit to huts, different peaks or to the spring of the river Elbe. For those who do not enjoy hiking up a mountain there is a two part chair lift that takes you pretty close to the peak if the mountain.

Once up there you can relax in the nice and warm atmospehere of the privately owned mountain hut. 

For those of you who do like downhill skiing, there are 3 routes. The longest has a length of about 13km. 

Zackelfall

Apart from the mountains there are some other nice attractions close to the town. Waterfalls for example - you can explore the Kochelfall (right next to the road up from Jelenia Gora) or the Zackelfall, which is the tallest waterfall on the Polish side of the Giant Mountains. The Kochelfall is the easier hike but the Zackelfall is much more beautiful. I would, however, not recomend to try these two hikes during winter time because it can get very slippery and dangerous. 

If you want to go shopping the area around Szklarska Poreba offers some pretty nice deals, especially on glass and jewelry. There is a so called 'Mineralogical Museum' right outside of town and they sell crystal glass for very little money. Also, sportswear is cheaper in Poland than it is in most western european countries. Just check out the little stores in town and you wont be disappointed. 

Weather conditions: 

As you can see on the pictures we had lots of snow, at least in the mountains. Lower in the valley there was almost no snow at all, so be prepared for the weather to change quickly and pack for really cold temperatures as well as for "normal" winter. 

I once went there in March hoping for a nice spring weekend and ended up seeing more snow than I had all winter. So just make sure that you check the forecast and everything should be fine.

For more information about where to stay or what else there is to down in and around town, check out their webpage.