Rysy is a name that resonates with every hiker dreaming of the Tatras. As the highest point in Poland, it naturally sits at the top of many bucket lists. It’s hardly surprising – we mountain enthusiasts are always drawn to the highest peaks, aren’t we? Standing at 2,501 meters, Rysy offers not just a physical challenge, but also some of the most spectacular alpine panoramas in Central Europe. I warmly invite you to join me on this winter ascent to the roof of Poland!
Table of Contents
- Rysy in winter – practical information
- The road to Morskie Oko
- Morskie Oko PTTK Mountain Hut
- Crossing Morskie Oko in winter
- Czarny Staw pod Rysami in winter (1,583 meters above sea level)
- The trail to Rysy in winter
- The Rysa on Rysy!
- Rysy – the summit
- Descending from Rysy
- Trip Map
- Bibliography
Rysy in winter – practical information
- Rysy is located in the High Tatras on the Polish-Slovak border. It is a peak with three summits. The highest of them measures 2,501 meters above sea level and is located entirely on the Slovak side. The border runs through the north-western summit, whose height is traditionally set at 2,499 meters above sea level (and it is this summit that is considered the highest point of our country).
- Due to its location in the central part of the High Tatras, Rysy is an excellent viewpoint. With good visibility, you can observe nearly 100 other Tatra peaks from there (along with dozens of mountains located in neighboring ranges).
- Rysy is the highest peak in the Tatras accessible via a marked tourist trail. You can reach the top from both the Polish side (from Palenica Białczańska) and the Slovak side (from Štrbské Pleso). The approach from the Slovak side is considered much easier due to technically simpler terrain and less elevation gain. However, you should know that in Slovakia, there is a seasonal closure of trails above the mountain huts during winter, so attempting to summit Rysy from that side may result in a fine and being turned back from the trail.
- The red tourist trail to Rysy from Palenica Białczańska is definitely one of the most frequently visited trails in Poland (and perhaps in all of Europe). It is characterized by a long and grueling ascent that requires good physical preparation. As for the technical difficulty of the trail, I will answer like a lawyer: it depends. The route is rated 0+, and 300 meters of chains were used to secure it. For those experienced with mountains and physically fit, the ascent should not pose major problems. However, the issue with Rysy is that every tourist wants to conquer the highest peak in Poland, even those not necessarily prepared for it. It must be honestly said that for people with a sedentary lifestyle (and those exercising only occasionally) or those not comfortable with exposure, the trail may seem very demanding.
- The winter route to Rysy differs significantly from the summer variant. In summer, we follow the Rysy Ridge (Grzęda), secured by the aforementioned chains. In winter, however, the lion’s share of the altitude is gained by climbing the characteristic “rysa” (couloir). The divergence of the summer and winter variants is located slightly above Bula pod Rysami (2,055 meters above sea level).
- When going to Rysy, you must count on the fact that, to put it mildly, you will not be alone. Far fewer people climb to the summit in winter than in summer, but the trend here is definitely upward.
- A winter ascent of Rysy requires crampons, an ice axe, and the skills to use them. It seems obvious, but I have seen people with my own eyes heading for the summit in simple traction cleats (raczki). I am not here to moralize—everyone should assess the risk themselves and do as they please. The problem, however, is that so many people go to Rysy. A thoughtless tourist in cleats can harm not only themselves but also other hikers. You must also take a helmet to Rysy! In winter, it is not so much about protection from falling stones, but rather from chunks of hard, frozen ice sometimes falling from above.
- The approach to Rysy is characterized by significant avalanche risk! For this reason, always check the current avalanche conditions on the TOPR website.
- Rysy can be found in many mountain rankings. The peak belongs to the Great Crown of the Tatras, the Crown of Polish Mountains, and the Crown of Europe.
- The first known ascent of Rysy took place on July 30, 1840, by the German mountaineer Eduard Blásy and the Slovak shepherd Ján Ruman Driečny the Elder. It is believed that the first winter ascent was achieved by Theodor Wundt and Jakob Horvay on April 10, 1884.
- Contrary to the first association, the name Rysy does not come from the couloir (rysa) leading to the summit! The name was coined by Polish highlanders, who at the time were referring to the entire grooved complex of Nižné Rysy and Žabí Mních.
The road to Morskie Oko
The first time I was on Rysy in winter was a year ago. Despite very good forecasts and excellent visibility even over Morskie Oko, the summit welcomed us with exceptionally thick fog. Although I had a great time then, a hint of dissatisfaction remained due to the lack of views. It is no wonder that when I received an offer to join a group of lovely people from Warsaw storming Rysy, I did not hesitate for long. Time for a retry, this time with much better visibility!
At 6:30 AM, Martyna and I arrive at the parking lot in Palenica Białczańska (approx. 990 meters above sea level). I bought the tickets in advance (you can do it here), but from what I see, even if I hadn’t, finding a free spot would not be a major problem. In summer, the parking lot fills up practically every day; in winter, even on weekends, there is much more space here.
After leaving the parking lot, we enter the red-marked road to Morskie Oko. The road was laid out in 1902, and the asphalt was poured in the early 1960s. Today, it is by far the most popular tourist trail in Poland. Morskie Oko generates as much as 20% of the traffic within the Tatra National Park, and in summer, it is visited by up to several thousand tourists every day! Fortunately for us, there are far fewer people here in winter. During our morning walk on the way to Morskie Oko, we pass literally a few tourists.
It is February on the calendar, but the beginning of the road passes in almost spring-like conditions. There is practically no snow: neither on the road itself nor in its surroundings. We quickly pass the popular Mickiewicz Waterfalls (Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza) and the turn-off to the Valley of the Five Polish Lakes. We encounter some difficulties only at the characteristic trail shortcut, which starts at the exit of the Rybi Potok Valley (about 4.5 kilometers after leaving Palenica Białczańska). This section turns out to be so heavily iced that we traverse it while clutching the wooden railings.
Much more ice appears on the road to Morskie Oko after passing Włosienica (a large clearing where the horse carriages turn back). I realize how deceptive this part is on the way back when, completely surprised, I slip on the asphalt. So watch out—as you can see, even on the road to Morskie Oko, a moment of inattention is enough to get a nasty bruise :D.
Morskie Oko PTTK Mountain Hut
We check in at the PTTK mountain hut at Morskie Oko (1,410 meters above sea level) around 8:00 AM, less than an hour and a half since leaving the parking lot in Palenica Białczańska. There we also meet the other participants of our trip today—Antek (who is actually a guide for the Student Mountain Club in Warsaw), Paweł, Maciek, and Janek. The guys are still finishing their packing, so the next few minutes are spent in a pleasant greeting chat. Martyna looks for an equipment rental because, as it turned out on the way to Morskie Oko, her helmet unfortunately remained in the car.
Since the hut’s rental shop only opens at 9:00 AM, we have to wait a little longer to continue our expedition. So we let the guys go ahead, while we sit at the wooden tables and eat the snacks intended for later. The plus side of this extended break is that for the first time in my life, I have the opportunity to fully appreciate the undeniable qualities of this beautiful building, erected in the first decade of the 20th century. While it is usually bustling and noisy here, this morning (even though it’s Sunday!) the dining room is practically empty. So I walk through the entire main hall, looking at numerous historical souvenirs and architectural details. In the vestibule, my attention is drawn to an interesting exhibition consisting of old photographs of Tatra mountain huts.
Crossing Morskie Oko in winter
When Martyna rents a helmet a few minutes after 9:00 AM, we quickly leave the hut, put on our crampons in advance, and begin chasing the guys. Our route now leads directly across the frozen Morskie Oko. This is another advantage of winter hiking in the Tatras, right after the significantly smaller number of tourists. Crossing the lake as the crow flies is much more efficient than the standard summer circuit.
Both Morskie Oko and the wall of Mięguszowiecki Szczyt Wielki towering over it look absolutely stunning today. One hears much bad news about the crowds at Morskie Oko today: that there are too many people, that they arrive in carriages, and that they completely fail to understand the spirit of the mountains. But the truth is that the popularity of Morskie Oko did not come out of nowhere. It is the largest lake in the Tatras (34.5 ha), and it is also considered the most beautiful (a sentiment I agree with completely). So should we really be surprised that people want to see something so beautiful during their vacation (especially if the place is so easily accessible)? After all, most of us started with such inconspicuous Sunday trips to Morskie Oko with the family.
Czarny Staw pod Rysami in winter (1,583 meters above sea level)
After about fifteen minutes from leaving the hut, we arrive at the other shore of Morskie Oko. We now begin the first intensive part of our trip: a 600-meter approach to the nearly 200-meter rock threshold. There is a bit more snow now, but it still can’t be said that there is much of it. Dwarf pines stick out significantly above the white powder line, and in some places, even patches of yellowed grass are exposed.
We greet Czarny Staw pod Rysami (1,583 meters above sea level) around 9:35 AM, about half an hour after leaving the hut. The lake owes its name (“Black Pond”) to its location in the shadow cast by the surrounding peaks. Czarny Staw covers 20 hectares and, like Morskie Oko, is a cirque lake (formed in a glacial cirque). The lake is 77 meters deep, which makes it the second deepest lake in the Tatras (after Wielki Staw Polski) and the fourth in all of Poland. While crossing the frozen surface of the lake, I am most impressed by the legendary, nearly 600-meter wall of Kazalnica visible on the right.
The trail to Rysy in winter
On the other side of the lake, we catch up with the guys, who are currently taking a break to put on their crampons. We continue the journey together. Beyond Czarny Staw pod Rysami, the ascent becomes much more intense. In summer, the trail leads through numerous zig-zags here; in winter, you simply go straight up. Since not a centimeter of fresh snow has fallen in the Tatras for a long time, the track set here is very clear and well-trodden. In this way, we steadily gain altitude, gradually bypassing the slopes of Bula pod Rysami from the left.
At an altitude of approximately 2,000 meters above sea level, we reach Kocioł pod Rysami. In summer conditions, the trail turns left at this point onto the Rysy Ridge (Grzęda), which is heavily secured with artificial aids. The winter variant involves another part of tedious altitude gain—this time through the nearly 350-meter couloir (rysa). The “rysa” on Rysy. Easy to remember, right? In Kocioł pod Rysami, we take a short break to recharge our energy and hydrate. Consuming a frozen isotonic drink in sub-zero temperatures might not be among the most pleasant things in a mountain hiker’s life, but it’s worth remembering. The ascent is particularly physically demanding, so it would be foolish to get dehydrated and lose strength unnecessarily. Shortly before entering the famous couloir, another clearly trodden path diverges to the left: an off-trail path to Nižné Rysy, the third-highest peak of our country.
The Rysa on Rysy!
We begin the couloir ascent at an altitude of approximately 2,150 meters. As in the previous parts of the ascent, the track here is also clearly trodden and very well frozen. One must watch out here mainly for hard ice fragments occasionally knocked down by tourists descending from above. From last year’s ascent of Rysy, I remembered the couloir climb as the best part of the whole trip. We had much more snow then and much more difficult trail conditions. For that reason, I used the second side of the ice axe extensively—the one that aids in climbing steep gullies. It provided me with a lot of fun, so today I was secretly counting on a repeat. However, current conditions are completely different: the track is almost carved out, and we walk on it like stairs, laboriously gaining subsequent meters of altitude. So I use the other side of the ice axe only occasionally: more for fun than out of real necessity. While climbing in the couloir, it is also worth looking back sometimes: an amazing panorama opens up here, including the Mięguszowieckie Peaks. There are obviously fewer people around than in summer, but still quite a lot.
Rysy – the summit
From the exit of the couloir to the summit, it is literally a stone’s throw away. There is a very short but, at one point, highly exposed fragment of the ridge approach to overcome. This is the only section of the winter route to Rysy where the chains securing the path are exposed from the snow. I cover the ridge section in literally 5 minutes and report to the summit of Rysy around 12:00 PM. So the journey from the hut at Morskie Oko took me three hours, and counting from Palenica Białczańska—five and a half. Not bad!
Since the Polish summit seems overcrowded to me, I immediately head to the nearby Slovak peak (2,501 meters above sea level). The crossing between the summits of Rysy is slightly exposed but takes 2-3 minutes at most. On the summit, I find a comfortable spot, drop my backpack, and do what is most beautiful about winter mountain hiking—I open a thermos of coffee. After a while, other members of our team today join me. We joyfully exchange experiences from the trail and identify the peaks visible from all sides.
Rysy is an excellent viewpoint, and in good weather, nearly a hundred other Tatra peaks can be spotted from here. And well, that day with ideal aura evidently happened today! I would bore you if I started listing the names of all the peaks I was able to see that day from Rysy. So I will limit myself to the information that ten peaks from the Great Crown of the Tatras were visible (including the particularly impressive Vysoká from this point, Gerlach, Ľadový štít, or Kriváň) and dozens of targets from my previous trips (including Malá Vysoká or Kôprovský štít). The sunny aura allows us to enjoy the views for significantly longer than is usually possible in winter conditions. We start the descent only around 12:45 PM, fully filled with the beauty of this place and immense gratitude.
Descending from Rysy
Descending the couloir (rysa) is now difficult because the place becomes slightly crowded in the afternoon. So, two options appear. The first involves descending the established track. In this case, most tourists descend in a “normal” position, i.e., facing forward. The second variant is losing altitude on the left side of the couloir. This requires turning around and enables full use of our mountain equipment—the front points of the crampons and the ice axe. For me, the second option seems more attractive, also because it allows passing a large part of the slower-moving tourists. However, I warn you that you must descend the couloir very carefully! Remember that we are not alone on this trail and we do not want to inadvertently drop a frozen ice chunk on someone below us.
In this way, we exit the couloir and continue the descent in exactly the same variant as we came up. At this stage, a very characteristic panorama of our two famous lakes opens up to us. Since it is quite steep here, losing altitude goes very efficiently. Antek and Paweł meanwhile practice so-called “dupozjazdy” (butt-slides) consisting of a controlled slide on their own trousers, with constant belaying with an ice axe. It looks quite funny, but on today’s heavily frozen snow, it doesn’t allow for saving much time compared to ordinary descent :D.
We reach the hut at Morskie Oko back around 3:40 PM. The traffic is now much greater here, so we do not decide to order any hot meal. We finish our snacks from the backpacks, and Martyna returns the helmet (the rental service cost 4.60 EUR, as of February 2025). Around 4:30 PM, we leave the hut, heading back towards the parking lot in Palenica Białczańska. The walk along the asphalt road passes with a pleasant chat about mountains, climbing, and more.
We reach Palenica Białczańska around 6:00 PM. Here we say goodbye to the guys, who are staying in the Podhale region for a few more days. We, however, return to Krakow, filled with new energy and motivation for the next week of work :D. Thanks Team! It was a truly beautiful trip in very pleasant company!
Trip Date: February 9, 2025
Trip Statistics: 26 kilometers, 1,600 meters of elevation difference
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Trip Map
The trip map shows the winter variant of the ascent to Rysy. Do not be misled by the amount of elevation gain shown; my watch clearly added a bit extra this time :D.
Bibliography
- Nyka J., Nyczanka M, Tatry Polskie, 22nd edition, Latchorzew 2020.
