It is always enjoyable and relaxing to spend holidays in the mountains. Whenever you come, you can always have a very good time. If you arrive in summer, you will be able to go on long hikes or go climbing. If you get there in winter, you will probably do some winter sports.
Towns and villages situated in the mountains offer different types of accommodation. It is possible to find a single or double room in one of numerous guest-houses, which are run by local people. However, it is a good idea to make a reservation well in advance, because sometimes it can be quite difficult to find a vacancy. You should remember that Zakopane, situated in the Tatra Mountains and informally known as the winter capital of Poland, attracts plentiful groups of tourists from Poland and many other countries. That is why it often gets very crowded just like Warsaw itself.
The network of well-marked tourist routes is quite impressive: there are 250 km marked routes in the Tatra National Park, established in 1954.The Park covers the only Alpine mountain [?] in Poland, with its highest [?] called Rysy (2,499 m). Routes are marked with different colours but they have nothing to do with various levels of difficulty. Main trails are marked with the red colour.They will take you to the most spectacular sites. The blue colour means a long distance. The green and yellow trails are short and have a connecting function. They sometimes help you get to the specific place you want. The black colour means a short distance and it will help you reach a particular destination.
When you walk along the trails, you can admire the beauty of the mountain landscape. A typical feature of the landscape is called a cirque which is an ampthitheatre-like valley formed at the head of a [?] by erosion. In the Tatra National Park there are about 650 [?]. Six of them are open to public. They are connected by a complicated system of shafts and passages. Several of them contain underground trickles or pools. The longest (18km) and deepest one (max depth 814 m), made in limestone, is drained by a kerst [?]. Another interesting feature of the landscape are [?] with Poland's highest at 70 m. They are to be found underground, too. There are also several [?] and the longest of them reach up to 20 km. You can wander along them while keeping to the trails. What is more, there are around 30 mountain lakes, which are called ponds.
Animal and plant life in the mountains depends on altitudes. Fir and beech forests grow up to 1,250 m. Higher levels up to 1,550 m are covered with evergreen spruce forests. They turn into grassland at higher heights, which grows up to 1,800 m. The higher the heights, the vegetation becomes more and more sparse. Rare species of animals found in Poland include the chamois and the marmot, both protected since the mid-19th century. Among other animals, it is worth mentioning brown bears and eagles.
A marked route will very often take you to a [?]. There, you will find a cross, a meteorological tower or simply a mast with a flapping flag. Other common objects to be found in large amounts are orratic blocks left by a descending enormous river of ice. Views may be breathtaking. In some places on your way to the top, you will look down a [?] and you will be forced to use chains, iron ladders and other things that facilitate climbing. Professional climbers wear climbing shoes and carry a chalk bag, where they keep chalk improving the grip.They also use equipment such as ropes, bolts, nuts, hexes and camming devices. But climbing is not the only way to get to the top of a mountain.
You can go by funicular as well. It is a type of cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a very steep [?]. There are also chair-lifts which are series of chairs suspended from a long cable and ski-lifts, designed for skiers. Each ski-lift has a safety bar with footrest. You take hold of a safety bar while keeping your feet on the footrest.
As far as winter sports are concerned, skiing seems to be the most popular activity. There are two main kinds of skiing. In Nordic skiing, which evolved from skiing as done in Scandinavia, bindings attach at the toes of the skier's boots, but not at the heels. In Alpine skiing, which evolved from skiing as done in the Alps, bindings attach at both the toe and the heel of the skier's boots. The Nordic skiing sport family includes cross-country skiing, ski jumping, biathlon and telemark skiing. Cross-country skiing is practised by skiers who tackle trails of various lengths and difficulties. Some of them stay out in huts or tents for a longer time. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long. Skiers need a take-off [?] and they try to go as far as possible. As for biathlon, it is a term that refers to any sports event consisting of two disciplines, e.g. cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. As for telemark skiing, it is also known as free heel skiing. For other sports you also need particular equipment and places where you can do them. To name just a few, for ice skating you require a place called a skating-rink. In case of sledging you cannot do without a sledge run. However, young children need nothing but a little snow to make a snowman or throw snowballs.
The Polish highlanders preserve traditional culture and folklore. the most precious elements of their culture are language, clothes and customs. Their past is preserved in oral stories and traditional architecture. Traditional huts, once used by shepherds who pastured big herds of animals on green meadows, can now host tourists, who are not always aware of the unpredictable weather. Unfortunately, it changes very quickly. One of the dangers of nature are foehn winds. They most often occur between October and May. They are warm and dry windstorms that blow through the valleys and could cause an [?].
In conclusion we can say the mountains are a real paradise for nature lovers and everyone can find something interesting to do there in all seasons of the year. However, you should remember that nature is beautiful on one hand and dangerous on the other hand. That is why it is important to know how to deal with it.