Pontoon Ride down the Wielka Krokiew Ski Jump in Zakopane

In winter World Cup ski jumpers fly off this hill; outside the competition season, tourists ride down the plastic matting of Wielka Krokiew – without the jump, on special inflatable tubes. The operator says it is the only place of its kind in Europe and the second in the world, after the Olympic venues in the USA. From the highest start level the tube reaches 90–100 km/h.

How the ride works

First you buy a ticket at the box office to enter the ski jump grounds, then pay for the ride at the office on the way to the chairlift. Everyone reads the rules and signs a waiver, much as you would before a bungee jump. Staff give you instructions and a helmet. You ride a tube down the green artificial surface of the landing slope, and at the bottom everyone receives a certificate for riding down the ski jump.

There are three start levels:

• Level I – the lowest, open to children from 7 years; speed about 60 km/h.
• Level II – 20 m higher, about 80 km/h. Children from 11 years may start here only after completing Level I.
• Level III – above the COS lettering on the slope, 90–100 km/h. Adults choose their own start level.

A ski jump with a history

Wielka Krokiew, named after Stanisław Marusarz, is a large hill with a construction point of K125 and a hill size of HS140, at about 1,050 m above sea level on the northern slope of Krokiew mountain. It was officially opened on 22 March 1925, and the first winner was Stanisław Gąsienica-Sieczka with jumps of 30 and 36 m. In 1962, during the World Championships, more than 120,000 spectators watched the jumping, an attendance record that still stands. The official hill record of 147 m was set in 2020 by Japan's Yukiya Satō.

Interesting facts

The plastic matting lets ski jumpers train in summer, so pontoon rides are sometimes suspended during national team training and competitions, and the operator then announces shorter hours or a break. For an extra fee you can order a GoPro video with speed measurement, but under heavy cloud the GPS may not record data and the speed will not appear on the video.

Tripto tip

According to the price list on the operator's website, the first ride costs PLN 89 (reduced, up to age 15: PLN 49), each further ride PLN 49 (reduced PLN 29), and the GoPro video PLN 30. On top of that you need a ticket to enter the Wielka Krokiew grounds: PLN 15 standard and PLN 10 reduced. The operator does not accept Polish government tourist vouchers (bon turystyczny). We do not list opening hours, as they depend on the season and the ski jump schedule; check them on zakoatrakcje.pl before you go. Allow about an hour for the chairlift and one ride.