Východná Vysoká in Winter (2,429 m a.s.l.) in the Slovak High Tatras

Východná Vysoká (2,429 m a.s.l.) is the fourth highest peak in the Tatras accessible via a marked tourist trail (after Rysy, Kriváň, and Slavkovský štít). The summit lies entirely on the Slovak side of the border and is known primarily for its above-average scenic values overlooking the highest peaks of the Carpathians. This entry is dedicated to a winter ascent of Východná Vysoká from the village of Tatranská Polianka (via Sliezsky dom). We ascended the summit following the trail from the Poľský hrebeň pass and descended via a winter variant through Studené sedlo. You are cordially invited!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. From Tatranská Polianka to Sliezsky dom
2. A Walk Through Velická záhrada
3. Ascent Through the Upper Parts of Velická dolina
4. Poľský hrebeň in Winter (2,200 m a.s.l.)
5. Východná Vysoká – The Summit
6. Descent via Studené sedlo

From Tatranská Polianka to Sliezsky dom

We pull into the parking lot in the village of Tatranská Polianka at around 9:30 AM [as of December 2024, the parking fee is 15 euros per car, payment online only, parking elevation: approx. 1,020 m a.s.l.]. Despite the rather late hour, we still find a few vacant spots. Our group is large today, but only two of us decide to attempt the winter ascent of Východná Vysoká – Jaromir and my humble self. We set off ahead on the green tourist trail, wanting to cover the first section of today’s trip as quickly as possible: the approach to Sliezsky dom.

The green trail runs along the bottom of Velická dolina, following the Velický potok stream. The section from the parking lot to Sliezsky dom requires overcoming an elevation gain of approx. 650 meters over a distance of five kilometers. For most of the way, the trail follows a wide and comfortable path through a pleasant forest. The terrain rises gradually and rather gently. The only difficulty turned out to be… the ubiquitous ice. Some parts of the green trail resemble a sloping ice rink today and require exceptionally careful steps.

About half an hour after leaving the parking lot, the first views of nearby Gerlachovský štít open up from the path. The impressive panorama of the King of the Tatras will accompany us from now on throughout the entire expedition to Východná Vysoká. Even though the calendar says it’s the second to last day of the year, the conditions on the trail are… spring-like. There is very little snow in Velická dolina, and the temperature is clearly positive. On one hand, it’s beautiful, warm, and sunny; on the other, we both feel that such weather conditions at the end of the year in the Tatras are simply strange.

An hour after leaving the parking lot in Tatranská Polianka, we enter the dwarf pine zone. We pass through the elongated Nižná poľana Velická (1,560 – 1,600 m a.s.l.) and at approx. 10:50 AM we approach the Horskému hotelu Sliezsky dom (1,670 m a.s.l.). Why is it called “Silesian”? It turns out the facility was erected in 1894-1895 through the efforts of the Wrocław branch of the Hungarian Carpathian Society (MKE). Today, Sliezsky dom proudly holds the title of the highest-located hotel in Slovakia and the entire Carpathians. An asphalt road leads to the hotel, so guests can reach it by car.

At Sliezsky dom, the green tourist trail is blocked by a wooden barrier. Well, now begins the less legal part of our trip. You must know that in Slovakia, there is a winter ban on entering trails above the level of mountain huts. However, from numerous tracks, one can conclude that the desire to conquer summits is stronger than the threat of a fine from a park ranger. The green trail now leads along the shores of Velické pleso, which is covered today by a light layer of ice. The section of the trail near the lake turns out to be the iciest part of today’s trip.

A Walk Through Velická záhrada

Behind Velické pleso, the trail begins to climb rapidly. We now have a short but intense ascent to a valley terrace (approx. 150 meters of elevation gain over a distance of 400 meters). At an altitude of approx. 1,750 m a.s.l., we pass under Večný dážď (otherwise known as Granatnica) – a rock group known for the fact that water always drips from it, regardless of the time of day or weather conditions. And indeed – it was dripping today as well.

At an altitude of approx. 1,800 m a.s.l., we complete the ascent to the valley terrace and emerge onto a clear plateau – a 300-meter meadow gracefully named Velická záhrada. At this time of year, there are obviously no flowers, but the scenery still makes a huge impression on us. To the left, we have the impressive wall of Gerlachovský štít; to the right, the jagged ridge of Velické granáty. It’s worth noting that we are slowly approaching the altitude of Giewont, yet there is still almost no snow.

Ascent Through the Upper Parts of Velická dolina

After crossing Velická záhrada, we begin the further ascent through the upper parts of Velická dolina. At an altitude of approx. 1,950 m a.s.l., we reach the shore of Dlhé pleso and enter a shaded basin squeezed between the wall of Gerlachovský štít and the western slope of Suchá kopa. We now have to navigate an interesting traverse along a narrow path on a steeply inclined slope. There is much more snow here, and the incline becomes significant, so we decide to put on crampons and begin using our ice axes.

Poľský hrebeň in Winter (2,200 m a.s.l.)

We emerge from the basin at an altitude of approx. 2,000 m a.s.l. We are now in Zadná Velická dolina, the highest part of Velická dolina. To reach the Poľský hrebeň pass, we have a 200-meter elevation gain over a distance of 700 meters. It gets steep only in the final phase of the ascent. There are several rock ledges to overcome here, secured with staples and a series of chains. The spot does not pose a major problem for us, but requires careful footing. The snow cover is thin here, so we occasionally scrape our crampons on bare rock.

We arrive at Poľský hrebeň (2,200 m a.s.l.) at 12:30 PM. The name of the pass likely dates back to the 18th century, referring to the conventional Polish-Hungarian border that ran here at the time. Poľský hrebeň separates Velická dolina from Bielovodská dolina and Velický štít (2,319 m a.s.l.) from Východná Vysoká. Furthermore, it marks the start of the famous Martinovka ridge route to Gerlachovský štít. From Poľský hrebeň, a yellow tourist trail leads to the summit.

Východná Vysoká – The Summit

The ascent from Poľský hrebeň to Východná Vysoká is not particularly demanding, but the terrain occasionally requires the use of hands and a firmer ice axe placement. Generally, however, most of the section involves laboriously gaining the last meters of altitude over stony ground. Comparing it to the peaks on the Polish side of the Tatras, I subjectively consider Východná Vysoká to be harder than Kościelec, similar to Świnica, and much easier than Rysy or Granaty (speaking exclusively of winter versions). The ascent from the pass to Východná Vysoká (2,429 m a.s.l.) involves a 250-meter elevation gain over a distance of 500 meters. We cover this section in approx. 30 minutes, celebrating the summit conquest just after 1:00 PM. The entire route from the parking lot in Tatranská Polianka took just over 3.5 hours. We are satisfied – for winter conditions, the time is very decent.

The view from Východná Vysoká is most likely one of the most exquisite panoramas in the entire Tatras. You can see literally everything from here! In full HD quality, we can see the massive body of Gerlachovský štít, Rysy, Vysoká, and Ganek in the west, Bradavica in the south, and Ľadový štít, Baranie rohy, and Lomnický štít in the east. Without a shadow of exaggeration, I can say that today’s panorama from Východná Vysoká is one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen.

Descent via Studené sedlo

We spend several beautiful minutes at the summit before beginning our descent. It will be slightly different! At the summit, Jaromir tells me that he familiarized himself with the strictly winter variant for Východná Vysoká before our departure and that we can basically test it on the way back. I have no objections, as descending via a different route is always much more interesting. We leave the yellow trail for a moment and descend the stony slope to Studené sedlo (approx. 2,360 m a.s.l.).

Slightly below Studené sedlo, we make another minor traverse to find the correct course for the descent. The task is difficult because there are no tracks in this area – apparently, no one has thought to visit Východná Vysoká via any route other than Poľský hrebeň recently. Starting from an altitude of approx. 2,300 m a.s.l., we head straight down, back to the base of Zadná Velická dolina. We lose 300 meters of elevation difference over a distance of about half a kilometer. Snow conditions vary: part of the section is covered with stable, frozen ground, while in other parts, we sink to our knees in white powder. Descending in this terrain requires special concentration but provides a lot of fun. All this with a view of the incredible Gerlachovský štít…

The descent becomes much less pleasant only in the final phase. The snow cover becomes sparser, resulting in numerous icy patches and the need to descend over treacherous grass and protruding stones. Because of this, when we arrive back on the green tourist trail, I am very satisfied. We are now at the spot where the trail emerges from the basin between Suchá kopa and the wall of Gerlachovský štít. For the rest of the trip, we descend the same way we came up.

We arrive back at Sliezsky dom at around 3:00 PM. We meet the rest of our group there and eat whatever we could still find in our backpacks. At approx. 3:30 PM, we decide to start the descent. Since it’s already getting dark, we choose the asphalt access road used by hotel staff and guests for our return. The road is very icy, which prompts us to put on micro-spikes. About an hour later, we reach the parking lot in Tatranská Polianka. Stars are already twinkling in the sky, only the silhouettes of the peaks remain, and I’m just sitting on a bench. Sitting on a bench and feeling very happy!

Trip date: December 30, 2024

Trip statistics: 17.35 km, 1,450 meters of elevation gain

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Trip Map

Bibliography

• Nyka Józef, Nyczanka Monika, Tatry Słowackie, Wydawnictwo Trawers, 12th Edition, Latchorzew 2022.