Lądek-Zdrój is a good base in a part of the Sudetes that crowds still skip. The Golden Mountains, the Śnieżnik Massif and the Bialskie Mountains start practically at the door: Borówkowa Góra with a view of Śnieżnik, Rudawiec, Kowadło, mountain huts, old stone roads, ruins and traces of abandoned villages.
You can hike these peaks all year. In winter and the shoulder seasons you need the right kit: layers, waterproof boots, something warm for breaks, and microspikes – the absolute minimum on icy climbs. With that, a winter Śnieżnik or Borówkowa is a normal, safe day out, and the trails are even quieter than in summer.
Most of the time all you hear is the wind and your own steps.