SCRAMBLING IN THE POLISH TATRA

Imagine the Cairngorms with the Cuillin piled on top of them and a rainfall less than half of either. Put in some clear mountain lakes backed by cliffs of excellent granite, sometimes 900 metres high. Then build some good trails leading up to and sometimes along the spiky ridges. You have just pictured the Tatra. It’s a mystery to me why they aren’t more visited by British walkers and climbers. I met none at all while I was there. There are plenty of cheap flights to Krakow, from where Zakopane, the main base on the Polish side, is only 2 hours away. The best of the range can easily be fitted into a week’s holiday.

The Polish Tatra National Park covers about 20 km by 10, basically just four valleys, one of which is a strict Nature Reserve with no public access. There is a superbly built and maintained path network which goes to many of the major peaks and crosses most passes. In places there are scrambling sections protected by chains, and these can be quite exciting in places. Nearly everyone sticks to the paths, largely because this used to be compulsory, but also because it’s much easier, of course. According to the Park Authority restrictions have recently been relaxed and you can now climb peaks off the tracks, as long as you stay away from the Nature Reserve. If you do this then you need to be prepared for some loose rock and comfortable with lots of exposure. A bit of route finding cunning doesn’t go amiss either and this can get you into some impressive places. At lower levels dense dwarf pine scrub makes it sensible to stick to the tracks in any case.

Some peaks can be climbed in a day from Zakopane, the classic being Giewont, Poland’s sacred mountain. This is a steep walk with a small amount of easy scrambling near the top and a splendid view - be prepared to be passed by jogging nuns and small children. For longer trips there are several mountain huts close to the best peaks and two handily sited campsites. Camping away from the sites is forbidden, although a blind eye is turned to bivvying on rock ledges high on the mountain.

Orla Perc, Kozi Wierch to Swinica

By far the most spectacular mountain day on the path network is the traverse of Orla Perc (“the Eagle’s Edge”), which is like a giant Aonach Eagach with 2000 metres of up and down. It links the major rock peaks of Swinica, Kozi Wierch and Granaty, with numerous smaller summits in between, an 8-10 hour day from the hut at Murowaniec. The prepared route winds in and out along knife edges, grooves, chimneys and steep rock steps, with numerous chain sections and one ladder on a vertical face. The main summits are all visited, and nearly all the minor ones can be reached by scrambling detours, the exceptions being the subsidiary summits of Swinica, which involve technical climbing. From Murowaniec a good path leads up to the saddle at Liliowe, on the border with Slovakia. Turn left and follow the border ridge on a well-used path as far as the saddle below Swinica, after which it gets steeper and occasionally breaks into scrambling. Swinica itself is a superb rock peak with a tiny airy summit perch. From it a steep and exposed path takes a convoluted line down the south-east flank and back up to the notch at Zawrat, the last escape point before Orla Perc proper. From here you are committed to the hardest part of the ridge, as far as the main peak of Kozi Wierch. It’s enthralling stuff, several kilometres of continuous scrambling in impressive situations, with chains to hang onto at any tricky points. From Kozi Wierch the ridge swings north and a solid path winds in and out, easier than what has gone before, but still with exposed scrambling in places, After Granaty the path yoyos up and down madly amid serrated pinnacles before subsiding gently into grassland at the Krzyzne saddle. A good path leads back through a stony corrie and dwarf pines to Murowaniec, where well-deserved beers can be supped in the sunshine.

Kozi Wierch, Orla Perc

South-east of Orla Perc is the beautiful “Valley of the Five Polish Tarns”, traversed by an easy path running down to a tumbling waterfall at the valley’s mouth. Open sunny lakes provide a foreground to the rock peaks and paths lead over the saddles linking with both Murowaniec and the heart of the range at Morskie Oko.

Miegueszowiecki Szcztyt from Morskie Oko

The deep green lake of Morskie Oko (“The Eye of the Sea”) is like a cross between Loch Coruisg and Tarn Hows. Like the former it’s surrounded by a ring of the best rock peaks in the country, while its accessibility and fame bring crowds to rival the latter. On a busy day it seems like half the population of Poland is scattered around the foreshore. Family groups, keen walkers, little old ladies, resting climbers and groups of lads are all jumbled together drinking beer, eating zapiekankas (toasted baguettes) and enjoying the stunning view. Some of the casual hordes take the easy stroll around the lake, and a few make it up the steeper path to the perched tarn at Czarny Staw, but as soon as you take any of the paths leading further up towards the peaks you are in the domain of at least the serious walker, if not the mountaineer.

Czarny Staw, with Morskie Oko below

Czarny Staw is dominated by the vertical granite cliffs of Kazelnica, with some of the hardest and longest rock routes in Poland, up to Grade IX+. Rysy, Poland’s highest peak, hides shyly behind lower bluffs. A good path zigzags steeply between these to reach a higher shelf, then goes on up to reach a 500 metre rock rib. Chains protect the steeper steps on this before you arrive at a superb knife edge and a last steep scramble to the rocky top. As one of only a few legal border crossing points the summit surreally boasts a huge sign listing the things that can be taken between Poland and Slovakia without incurring duty. Actually there are two summits close together, the one just inside Slovakia being slightly higher. Nobody was crossing to the higher top when I was there though, presumably a legacy of previous authoritarian restrictions. Afternoon clouds drifting in produced excellent Brocken spectres every couple of minutes.

Rysy. The normal route follows the pale rib below and parallel to the RH skyline.

A sharp jagged ridge runs north to Nizny Rysy, but this is quite loose and barred by two impressively steep rock towers. A better way can be found by descending the path until about halfway down the rock rib then working northwards into a steep scree basin. An easy gully then leads up to Nizny Rysy, with a narrow rib to its left for added fun. The tower at the top of the latter is perhaps Diff but is easily avoided. The return can be varied by following the ridge further north to the next minor saddle, then traversing back under the aforementioned tower to join the easy gully.

Nizny Rysy. The easy gully is just left of the sharp tower, with the Diff tower directly below the summit.

The finest peak in Poland isn’t Rysy though. By common consent the crown belongs to Mieguszowiecki Szczyt, a range in itself, which provides the background for the classic view of Morskie Oko. The three main summits all involve climbing, although they aren’t hard by their easiest routes. The easiest way up the main summit is about Diff, although with gulp-inducing exposure at times. A good “climbers path” branches off the “official” path high above the west side of Morskie Oko and leads up to the rock spike of Mnich (The Monk), the most popular rock climbing crag in the area It has 2 to 4 pitch routes in the Severe to E1 range with either a horrendously glossy V Diff descent or (sensibly) an abseil.

Mnich

To reach Mieguszowiecki Szczyt carry on up beyond Mnich to a higher shelf, traverse left briefly and descend steep broken ground on the far side of a deep gully. A sketchy path then leads across a broad hollow and up broken slabs to scree. Above this the gully between Mieguszowiecki Szczyt and the neighbouring peak of Cubrina is loose but easy, especially if you avoid the lowest bit on the left. Cubrina is a fun scramble, perhaps Moderate if you follow the ridge, but nose-following, first on the right then the left, gets you an easier way.

Miegueszowiecki Szcztyt

The main peak looks highly impressive from the saddle above the gully, and the route is far from obvious. There doesn’t seem to be a description available in English. A clear path slants right of the first tower, then once round this clamber easily back up to a sharp notch on the ridge. Follow this airily for a while then when the ridge steepens again slant back down right and insinuate yourself around a steep spur (several options, all Diff/V Diff-ish). Another gully takes you easily back to the arête, which is followed direct to the summit. This last section involves lots of steep swinging up monstrous spikes in an amazing position. It’s all very positive but quite intimidating, and a fall soloing would certainly be fatal. The complete traverse of the peak involves pitches of Severe, so remember that this route is also the easiest descent.

The final tower of Miegueszowiecki Szcztyt

This is very much climber’s country. Down to your left the huge complicated North Face drops 900m direct to Morskie Oko. It is the mecca for Polish winter climbing, Woytek Kurtyka’s Superdirettissima being the hard classic, with 90 degree ice and Grade VI rock, given a guidebook time of 12 hours. The best line is the North East Spur, Grade V, the first winter ascent of which took 4 days. With this arena for their apprenticeship it’s no wonder Polish mountaineers have a reputation for toughness and have dominated winter Himalayan climbing for decades.

High up on the left of this face (and approached from Czarny Staw) are some excellent shorter (i.e. 400m!) rock routes, mostly around VS. The south side of Zamarla Turnia (part way along Orla Perc) also has good slab climbing at around VS-E1. The Tatra have rock everywhere, so there are many more areas developed than can be mentioned here. There is no English language guide to Tatra climbing, but topos are available in Zakopane and lots of useful information can be gleaned at Szalasziska campsite below Morskie Oko.

Notwithstanding the obvious excellence of the climbing and the beautiful and dramatic walking, for me it was the scrambling that had the greatest impact. Huge faces with intricate ways up at a relatively low technical standard, but with serious situations and a real sense of being in high mountains, despite the accessibility. At present there seems to be a gap between walkers and climbers in Poland, with scrambling not being a popular activity, but now that the rules have relaxed it surely will become so. It certainly deserves to, as the routes and their setting are truly outstanding. Go and see for yourself.

Kozi Wierch from NE, Orla Perc