Kurza Góra in Kurzętnik is the largest ski resort in northern Poland. It lies in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, on national road 15, about 90 km from Olsztyn and from Toruń. The slope opened on 6 January 2016. Today there are three lit runs with artificial snow, a covered carpet lift in a tunnel, a T-bar, a snow factory and a 35-metre wooden viewing tower. I came here on 21 January 2026, and it was my first time on skis – I skied from the afternoon, through sunset, into the evening under the floodlights. Below I describe the runs, the lifts, the snowmaking and the tower, and at the end – ski pass prices, the rental shop and how to get there.
Table of contents
- Kurzętnik and the Drwęca valley
- Three runs and a carpet lift in a tunnel
- The snow factory and snow guns
- The viewing tower and the year 1410
- Skiing in the evening
- Practical information
Kurzętnik and the Drwęca valley
Kurzętnik is a village and the seat of a rural commune in Nowe Miasto County, in the historical Lubawa Land. About 3,300 people live here, and Kurzętnik held town rights from the 14th century until 1905. The village borders Nowe Miasto Lubawskie and sits on the edge of an upland above the Drwęca valley. On Kurnik Hill (142 m above sea level), about 63 m above the valley, there are remains of a 14th-century castle of the Chełmno chapter. The Drwęca itself is 207 km long, and since 1961 the whole river has been the longest ichthyological (fish-protection) nature reserve in Poland. It flows from the slopes of Góra Dylewska through Ostróda, Nowe Miasto Lubawskie and Brodnica to the Vistula near Toruń.
The ski resort was built in 2015 on the slopes above Kurzętnik, and the whole site covers about 60 ha. Kurza Góra belongs to the Grupa Pingwina (Penguin Group), which brings together year-round ski and leisure resorts. These are not mountains – the slope lies at about 100–145 m above sea level – but on each run the height difference is more than 60 m. A board by the slope shows a map of the runs, lifts, tower and ice rink.
Three runs and a carpet lift in a tunnel
There are three ski runs: no. 1 is 550 m long, no. 2 – 770 m, and no. 3 – 900 m. The resort describes them as runs of varying difficulty, for beginners and more advanced skiers. All of them are lit and covered with artificial snow.
Most people ride up on the covered carpet lift. This Sunkid moving carpet is 372 m long and runs at up to 1.2 m/s, and the resort calls it the longest covered carpet lift in Europe. It runs along the slope in a tunnel of arched segments that shelters you from wind and snow. Next to it there are shorter carpets (from 40 to 115 m) and a Doppelmayr T-bar lift from 2025. The T-bar is 455 m long with a vertical rise of 64 m, and the ride takes about 2 minutes 40 seconds.
In the tunnel you stand on the carpet one behind the other – with skis or with a snowboard strapped to one foot.
The snow factory and snow guns
The snowmaking system was supplied by TechnoAlpin: 16 fan guns, 8 additional snow guns and three SF 210 snow factories. A new water reservoir and pumping station were built at the same time. A snow factory works at any air temperature – a heat exchanger cools the water to freezing point without chemical additives. This means the slope can be covered with snow from early November, even when the thermometer shows above zero. The season usually starts at the end of November and can last until the end of March. The resort advertises its snow factory as the largest in Europe.
I caught the sunset by the run, next to the snow guns, before 16:00. The floodlights along the runs were already on.
The viewing tower and the year 1410
Between the runs stands a wooden viewing tower, 35 m high, built entirely of black locust (acacia) wood. Construction began in spring 2020, and the tower officially opened on 26 February 2022. It is a twin of the tower at the Słotwiny Arena resort in Krynica-Zdrój. A wooden educational path, 1,972 m long, leads to the top and crosses the ski runs on three bridges. The height difference between the lower station and the top of the tower is about 70 m, and the path has a gradient of only 5–6%, so it is accessible with pushchairs too. From the top you can see Kurzętnik and the Drwęca valley. Next to the tower, at the top of the slope, there is a round water reservoir.
The path tells the story of the events of 1410. In July, Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen positioned the main Teutonic forces on the Drwęca near Kurzętnik, and the river crossing was fortified with stockades. On 11 July 1410, after a council of war, King Władysław Jagiełło decided not to force the river at such a strong point and turned his army east, towards its sources. Four days later, on 15 July, the Battle of Grunwald took place. I describe Jan Matejko’s painting of the battle in my post about the National Museum in Warsaw.
In the evening the tower is lit in green, blue and purple, and its walkways in white.
Skiing in the evening
All the runs are lit, so skiing goes on after dark. Floodlights stand along the runs, and the walkways leading to the tower cross the slope on steel supports. I was still riding up the carpet after 18:30.
I was on skis and rode the carpet lift back up.
Snowboarders use the same runs. The resort has a ski and snowboard school and rents out both skis and snowboards.
Practical information
- Getting there: Kurzętnik lies on national road 15, about 4 km from Nowe Miasto Lubawskie. From Olsztyn (about 87 km) the easiest way is road 16 to Ostróda and then road 15 through Lubawa; from Toruń (about 90 km) – road 15 through Brodnica. It is about 190 km from central Warsaw, about 180 km from Gdańsk and about 140 km from Bydgoszcz. Trains have not run to Kurzętnik since 2000, so a car is the most convenient option. There is a car park at the slope.
- Ski passes (2026/2027 season): an adult pays 125 zł for 2 hours, 140 zł for 3, 150 zł for 4, 180 zł for a day pass until 15:00 and 205 zł for a full day. Pupils, students and seniors pay 112 zł for 2 hours, children (born 2011–2021) – 75 zł, and toddlers born in 2022 or later – 1 zł with the same pass bought for their guardian. An hourly pass starts when you first scan it at the gate. The card deposit is 10 zł.
- Pass with equipment: an adult with skis or a snowboard and boots pays 205 zł for 3 hours and 285 zł for a full day.
- Rental (November 2026): skis and boots or a snowboard and boots cost 60 zł for 2 hours, 70 zł for 3, 80 zł for 4 and 100 zł for a day, and a helmet 15 to 30 zł. There is also a ski service on site.
- Viewing tower (November 2026): standard ticket 59 zł, reduced 52 zł, child 34 zł. The tower is open daily – from 1 November 14:00–19:00, with last entry an hour before closing. You cannot go up in ski boots, and the tower is closed in bad weather.
- Season: the slope usually opens at the end of November. The resort publishes current opening hours on kurzagora.pl.
- Other winter attractions: a covered ice rink (800 m²), a tubing complex with six lanes totalling more than 700 m, the Wioska Pingwina (Penguin Village) for children, a 9D VR cinema and the Akacjowa restaurant with a viewing terrace. In summer there is a bike park.
- More: The Main Sudeten Trail in winter and Lidzbark Warmiński – the castle of the Warmian bishops.
