Ski tourism's popularity is driving a rise in the number of ski resorts. This study aims to present the impact of ski infrastructure on soil erosion processes in the example from a small catchment in the Gubałowskie Foothills in southern Poland, where landscape changes before (since 1879) and after the construction of the ski station (2007) are presented. The analyses of changes in flow accumulation, slope morphometry, and drainage ditches were conducted in the test area. Quantitative analyses were performed using repeated DEMs derived from aerial LiDAR survey and detailed geodetic measurements, complemented by geomorphological mapping done in the field. The study has revealed that the ski infrastructure has not only directly transformed the hillslope by flattening and constructing escarpments (up to 3 m high) but has also created alternating patterns of erosion and accumulation. In the test area, the drainage ditch was poorly designed. It was filled with materials (0.1–0.5 m), and two new outlets formed. The escarpment of the analyzed ski run has been diminished by 0.5 m. An alluvial fan (0.1–0.22 m thick) has developed on the flattened surface below the escarpment with drainage ditch outlets. This fan is eroded by subsurface flow that creates a piping system. The gully below the alluvial fan has retreated upslope, accelerated by subsurface erosion. This study enables the presentation of hillslope adjustments and processes in response to the new conditions caused by ski infrastructure. Such results may support more effective land management in regions changed by ski infrastructure.

Wzrost popularności turystyki narciarskiej wpływa na intensywny rozwój stacji narciarskich, w szczególności tych posiadających koleje linowe. W literaturze szeroko opisywane są przyrodnicze skutki narciarstwa, również wpływ na rzeźbę terenu. Jednakże, nie ma opracowań wskazujących stacje narciarskie jako obszary o zwiększonej podatności na erozję oraz skalę przestrzenną tego zjawiska. Celem badań było poznanie warunków wystąpienia erozji oraz intensywnego przeobrażania stoków w strefie stacji narciarskich na przykładzie Karpat Polskich. W tym celu, z wykorzystaniem danych GUGiK, oprogramowania GIS oraz metod statystycznych przeprowadzono analizę liczby, położenia i morfologii stoków narciarskich oraz sposobów ich utrzymania. Dokonano również podziału stacji narciarskich ze względu na typy rzeźby w ich otoczeniu oraz dominujące procesy morfogenetyczne. Uzyskane parametry morfometryczne oraz dane o infrastrukturze stacji narciarskich wykorzystano w analizie składowych głównych (PCA), która pozwoliła na wytypowanie stacji narciarskich o największej podatności na erozję w Karpatach Polskich. Otrzymane wyniki wskazują, że stacje narciarskie w masywie Skrzycznego charakteryzują się największym zagrożeniem wystąpienia erozji. Zwrócono również uwagę na duży potencjał erozyjny stacji na Kasprowym Wierchu oraz stacji w najwyższych partiach Beskidów. Wykazano, że najmniejszy potencjał erozyjny cechuje nisko położone, niewielkie stacje narciarskie. Badania wskazują również na istotną rolę sztucznego naśnieżania oraz występowania nieciągłej pokrywy roślinnej na warunki wystąpienia erozji w obszarze nartostrad niezależnie od energii rzeźby.

The construction of ski runs with artificial snowmaking in mountainous areas changes natural water circulation and leads to the activation of erosion and deposition processes. To recognise this relationship, we selected a small catchment in the Gubałowskie Foothills, the Inner Carpathians, where 17% of the area is covered by the ski runs. In our study, we hypostatised that: (i) channels draining ski runs exhibit different morphological and morphometric characteristics compared to those that do not drain ski runs; (ii) the statistical relationships between channel morphometric parameters differ between impacted and non-impacted channels; and (iii) erosion and deposition processes lead to measurable changes in channel morphology that can be quantitatively assessed in the research area. To identify these changes, we conducted geomorphological mapping of step-pool channels, statistical analyses, digital elevation model (DEM), and DEM of difference (DoD) analyses (based on point clouds from 2016 to 2023). To identify the effect of ski run construction on channel morphology, we divided channels into two groups: (1) stream channels unaffected by ski infrastructure and (2) stream channels affected by ski infrastructure. Results showed that the routing of drainage from the ski runs to the channels leads to a significant erosion in the channels with the maximum deepening, up to 2.6 m. It also changes the dominant geomorphological processes in the channels. Fluvial processes are beginning to dominate slope processes. The described changes occurred already 8 years after the opening of the ski station and revealed environmental degradation connected to artificial snowmaking in ski resorts.

The rapid expansion of ski tourism and climate change-induced snow shortages have led to intensified ski run maintenance, including extensive earthworks, artificial snowmaking, and regular snow grooming. While these activities are known to cause significant land degradation, quantitative geomorphological studies, specifically on the effects of snow grooming, are limited. This study addresses this knowledge gap by quantitatively assessing the impact of snow grooming on erosion processes and hillslope morphology by comparing them with natural landforms. We achieved this by determining the spatial distribution, morphometry, and long-term persistence of studied landforms. The study area consisted of a unique ski resort at Kasprowy Wierch, which does not use artificial snowmaking or extensive earthworks. We combined detailed field mapping with the analysis of multi-temporal Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and orthophotos from 2012, 2019, 2020, and 2023. Our methodology also included the calculation of volumetric changes using the DEM of Difference (DoD) analysis. We distinguished two groups of eroded areas, natural landforms (e.g., shallow landslides, debris flow tracks, nivation niches) and snow groomer-induced forms, which were concentrated on ski runs. Natural landforms were elongated and deeper, with higher edges, clustered along debris flow tracks, and occurred on steeper slopes (mean 26.8°). They were more persistent and extensive, with a total area ranging from 3891 m² in 2012 to 3452 m² in 2023. In contrast, groomer-eroded landforms, located on gentler slopes (mean 23.4°), were smaller, more angular, less persistent, and concentrated on narrower, intensively used ski run sections. Their total area decreased from 2122.71 m² to 1762.25 m² over the same period, despite an increase in their count. The volumetric analysis revealed distinct dynamics: over the long term (2012–2023), natural forms showed a total deposition of +8.196 m³, while groomer-eroded forms experienced total erosion of −2.070 m³. During an extreme rainfall event in 2020, natural landforms experienced vast erosion of −163.651 m³, nearly five times greater than the −33.765 m³ observed on snow groomer-eroded landforms, demonstrating their greater susceptibility to high-magnitude events. Importantly, a comparison with other studies reveals that the scale of erosion from snow grooming is relatively small compared to the severe impacts of artificial snowmaking. Our findings are relevant for managing protected areas, such as Tatra National Park, where the focus should be on mitigating anthropogenic impacts to preserve natural processes, which in turn implies that the development of new ski infrastructure should be prohibited.

Magura National Park, located in Beskid Niski Mountains, is poorly researched in the field of hydrology. The aim of this study is to recognize the water cycle patterns in Krempna stream catchment (located in Magura NP). To reach this goal, hydrological mapping was taken. 173 (9,9/square kilometer) water outflows in catchment were surveyed; mean spring water temperature was 13,8°C (ranging from 8 to 19°C) and mean SEC was 345 µS×cm−1 (ranging from 70 to 1000 µS×cm−1). The results, compared with existing studies, indicate low water resources and a rapid transformation of rainfall into runoff in the studied catchment.

The development and maintenance of ski resorts cause serious damage to the environment. Especially, the most severe changes can occur in the most sensitive environments such as high mountains, alpine ecosystem. The proper functioning of ski resorts based on some activities e.g. snow grooming, artificial snowmaking, and ski lifts conservation. This research we conducted in the only alpine ski resort in Poland, located in Kasprowy Wierch in the Tatra National Park in Tatra Mountains. Due to nature conservation law, the ski resort does not use artificial snowmaking. The main problems in this area are snow grooming and changes in the snow cover period. Snow groomers compact snow, which causes delay in spring thaws. Furthermore, in places where snow cover is thinner, snow groomers damage alpine vegetation and prepare conditions for soil erosion. Changes in snow cover, spring thaws, and water outflows intensify hillslope processes. It can lead to contact between hillslope and fluvial systems. The aim of this study is to recognize the influence of ski resort maintenance on the morphology of step-pool channels. We analyzed 4 step-pool channels: 2 are located within the area of ski runs and 2 on the hillslopes without ski runs. Drainage area, channel length, channel gradient, channel width, step height, step spacing, and particle size were analyzed. We measured 148 channel steps and 1,2 km of channels. The measured parameters were used in the statistical analyses: Pearson correlation and PCA. The results indicate that the step-pool channels within the area of ski runs are distinguished by a greater number of statistically significant relations typical of fluvial processes. The morphology of channels on the hillslopes without ski runs are dominated by relationships characterized as a typical effect of the hillslope processes. The results suggest that maintenance of ski resorts based on snow grooming and snow compaction can intensify fluvial processes in the step-pool channels in alpine environment, due to changes in snow melting patterns.This research is part of the project “Impact of skiing on high mountain catchment morphodynamic. An example from Kasprowy Wierch region, Polish Tatras” funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (Grant No. 2020/37/N/ST10/02550).