Bieg Piastow

Race Location

The race takes place in Góry Jizerskie  (Jizera Mountains), the same mountain group where Jizerska Padesatka is performed.   Despite relatively low altitude (about 1000 m) good skiing conditions are in this area usually from the middle of December until late April. The start of the race and the facilities where you may wax the skis, change clothes, eat and visit the race office are at Jakuszyce. The place is 2 km from the Polish-Czech border.

Traveling

The closest airports are Wroclaw in Poland and Prague in Czech. The distance from Wroclaw is 133 km and from Prague 204 km. Driving time is about 2, 5 hours from Wroclaw and about 3 hours from Prague. There is also a train connection from Wroclaw to Szklarska Poreba, a ski resort where you may find accommodation. Polish train connections are at www.rozklad.pkp.pl . The train is quite slow and the travel takes about 4,5 hours. The departure station is Wroclaw Glowny , the destination is Szklarska Poreba G.
For those who arrive at Prague we recommend a bus connection that can be checked at www.jizdnirady.idnes.cz .  You ‘ll not get directly to Szklarska Poreba but you may find a reasonably good bus connection to Harrachov, on the Czech side of the border.  The travel takes about 2,5-3hours.  Bus connection: Prague-Jablonec-Harrachov is another option.  Since Harrachov is 12 km from Szklarska Poreba it is possible to organize a taxi transport to polish resort as there is practically no regular bus service except for Thursday and Saturday at 11 a.m. from Harrachov to Jakuszyce (winter season only). There is no train connection from Prague to Szklarska Poreba.
Polish tourist office Carlos BP Tom-Tur  www.tom-tur.com.pl  may organize a group transport to the race site. The web site opens in polish language only but when you click on Bieg Piastów you will find the information in English and German as well. They can also be helpful in accommodation booking.
There are regional bus companies offering transport from Wroclaw to Szklarska Poreba however their web sites are in local language only. Skiers interested in this travelling option may seek help directly through the IAWLS web site contacting us by e-mail.

Accomodation

There are very few sleeping places at Jakuszyce where the start is. We recommend to stay at Szklarska Poreba, 7 km from Jakuszyce.   Accommodation can be found at www.szklarskaporeba.pl .
The closest place to stay in Czech Republic is Harrachov, about 5 km from Jakuszyce. You may look for accommodation at  www.harrachov-info.cz .  If you want to stay in Czech it is advisable to have own car as the bus service is not frequent enough.
A number of accommodation places can be found at www.booking.com .

Web site

www.bieg-piastow.pl  will provide you with maps, satellite pictures and a lot of useful information including weather conditions.