We set off from Cornwall, UK on the 29th December for a short winter break, snowboarding and skiing in Zakopane, Poland. Having snowboarded in the mountains back in 2012, I was well aware that Poland has really good mountains and plenty of culture.
Aside from missing my flight (maiden miss) we arrived in Poland within 3 hours of leaving Cornwall, albeit the following day. A further 2.5 hours taxi ride to the snow-covered town of Zakopane, and we were there!
We met up with friends who had arrived the day before and quickly made plans to climb an area of the Tatra Mountain range called Kasprowy Wierch, on the following day. The ascent would see us split board to 2,450 feet over 9 miles of hiking and boarding within a round trip of just under half a day.
The climb to the top was a mixture of dense forest, rivers, open spaces and peaks. At times the snow was waist-deep and at other times precariously icy, particularly hiking around the edge of the mountain, none of this really mattered, once we were high enough to see the sun settling in behind the peaks. By the time we connected the split boards back into snowboards, it was dark, making the descent back down the mountain all the more interesting.
I took with me a backpack with an SLR, iPhone, Gorilla Pod and my trusty 35mm.
karlmackie.com
Instagram.com/karl_mackie
https://www.strava.com/activities/816999248