Views from the chamois trail at the northern bastion of the High Tatras

Itinerary 

• The Fehér-tavi Peak (Jahňací štít) is climbed via the S trail from the Zöld-tavi Hostel (Chata pri Zelenom plese), and we also descend the same way. 

Detailed description of the route 

In the alpine atmosphere of the Zöld-tó basin

We start from the building of the Zöld-tavi Hostel (Chata pri Zelenom plese), built in a dramatic location, on the slope covered with dense dwarf pines towering above us to the north. The refuge, positioned with excellent feeling, has been in operation since 1897, although a decade earlier there was a shelter hut on the lakeshore, which was damaged multiple times and eventually burned down. Learning from its predecessor's mistakes, the tourist house was built from stone and originally named after Archduke Frigyes, the patron of the Hungarian Carpathian Association (MKE), but later, after nationalization following World War II, it bore the name of the Slovak mountaineering instructor Albert Brnčal. (The Slovak nickname (Brnčalka) also comes from him.) After the regime change, the name returned to the interwar Zöld-tavi Hostel (Chata pri Zelenom plese), and the building currently offers accommodation all year round with 56 beds in the rooms and 30 mattresses in the attic, allowing comfortable and very atmospheric overnight stays before setting off to climb the surrounding peaks. Due to its popularity, accommodation must be booked well in advance to secure a place. Even if not overnighting, it's worth stopping for at least a refreshment, soup, or steamed dumplings, and admiring the monumental rock world opposite from the protected panoramic dining room.

Behind the house, the path marked with S sign leads swiftly into action, meaning the ascent begins immediately on a steep mountainside. We monotonously tread on the creaking, crumbly granite stones, which stack stepwise on each other, held together by roots, leading steadily higher. Even within the first 100 meters of ascent, we experience a few seemingly vertical climbs, but there is always support, footholds, and handholds, whether edged rock surfaces or the twigs and trunks of surrounding dwarf pines help overcome what seems an impossible challenge at first. The steep lake wall prepares you for conditions experienced at higher altitudes, so here above the house, you can already assess your physical condition, abilities, and reaction to the given weather and terrain circumstances to be able to solve problems routinely later.

It's worth occasionally taking a few breaths or even stopping for a few minutes to look around the surroundings. The view is dominated by the increasingly unfolding wall of the Wéber Peak (Malý Kežmarský štít) opposite and the northern scarp of the Kežmarský Peak (Kežmarský štít), forming a nearly 1000-meter granite wall with some interruptions. Legendary climbing routes run on this monumental wall system, hardly ever seeing sun, and generations of climbers have grown up overcoming the seemingly impossible challenge. In the middle of the escarpment crosses the German Ladder, a ledge system that breaks vertical walls leading to the northern side of Lomnicky Peak and was used in the 19th century by miners from Spiš to extract copper-containing ore veins.

The path spanning nearly two hundred meters elevation with switchbacks continuously bends left into the valley of the Vörös Lake (Červené pleso), where among granite blocks in the glacier-shaped basin lies indeed a small lake. Here you can take a breather after the continuous climb. The water flowing from the lake immediately infiltrates between huge stones, continuing under the surface towards Zöld-tó. From here, we first see the mass of the Fehér-tavi Peak and can track the ridge path leading up. However, the previously continuously sprawling Kežmarský Peak now hides behind the Karbunkulus Tower (Jastrabia veža), so the wide alpine view accompanied by many water sounds flowing into the Zöld-tó basin falls away.

Sideways over stone fields and snow patches in the valley of Vörös Lake

From here in the much narrower Červená dolinka valley, we proceed at the foot of the Zerge Peak (Kozí štít) among grass-covered rock debris heaps. The granite walls come into meaningful proximity opposite, where in good weather climbers of visible size can be observed. The Fehér-tavi Peak (Jahňací štít) was originally called Swallow Mountain (Schwalbenberg) as many alpine swallows live in the rocky environment. Later, it was called Zerge Peak, a name which transferred over time to the highest peak branching southeast, but the current Slovak name Hungarian-ified as Bárány Peak also appeared on the list.

We take a wide bypass around a grassy side ridge, beyond which often crossing icy snow patches left from the previous winter is necessary. Otherwise, from here on, we mostly step among cairns. The mixed-size blocks are remnants from the last glaciation about ten thousand years ago when glaciers receded from here. Noticeable below the rock walls spreads a bowl-shaped depression where snow accumulated, compacted into ice, and began its long, eventful path deepening the valleys of the mountain range.

The path sharply turns left on the upper edge of the rocky slope toward the highest rocky summit opposite. Granite stairs become steep ascents, and although the path is barely 100 meters long, chains help traverse the most exciting section. At the top of the terrain stairs, we reach the Karó Lake Pass (Kolový priechod), where the ridge descends deepest. At this point, the trail immediately crosses to the northern side, continuing in a truly jagged granite rock world.

This is the first time we can really look around the surrounding land opening dramatically to the north. Our gaze sweeps the Polish-Slovak border region from the westernmost peaks of the Biely Tatras through the northern ridges of the High Tatras to the hills around Zakopane. Deep below us starts the Karó Lake Valley (Kolová dolina), which merges with the Back Copper Mines valley (Zadné Meďodoly) and flows into the Javor Valley (Javorová dolina), opening a wide corridor between the High and Biely Tatras, the granite and limestone mountains.

Peak assault and triumphant retreat

From here, we climb almost entirely on rock steps to the summit, but the trail route is tricky, so attention is needed. The path is mostly indicated by worn stones and trodden grass patches, sometimes signs guide mostly along the ridge, elsewhere a few meters below on the protected and more jagged northern side. First, we climb over a rock ridge, then descend slightly continuing sideways farther from the ridge; after passing another granite ridge, we descend deeper into a cut leading directly to the summit. Only a little serpentine walking is left on the last nearly 100-meter ascent before our effort is crowned by a full panorama.

Upon reaching the top, change your T-shirt or/ put on warmer upper clothing to enjoy the view and uplifting summit experience uninterrupted by the temperature difference and especially the lively wind. Looking north and east, we can see the entire ridge of the Biely Tatras below us, its peaks crested with white rock waves. On both sides, we look deep into the valley systems between the High and Biely Tatras and can almost entirely trace the path we took to the summit. The most defining view, however, is the surprisingly jagged and grim rock composition mostly in the southern direction, made by peaks climbing above 2500 meters in the High Tatras. Scanning from east, the characteristic granite pyramid of Kežmarský Peak (Kežmarský Štít) is visible, from which the dragon-back Villa Ridge extends to Lomnicky Peak (Lomnický Štít) culminating at the observatory building. To the right stands out the Swallow Tower, from where a long jagged ridge descends to the Téry Couloir – a marked hiking trail passed this way in mid-20th century. If we are lucky and the weather is clear enough, besides the surrounding peaks, the westward extension of the High Tatras can be seen, from which the Tatra Peak (Vysoká) noticeably rises before calming down northward into the Polish continuation. Around the Tatras, many forested mountain ranges and basin systems form the endless ridge of the Carpathians.

The first recorded ascent of Fehér-tavi Peak was in summer 1793 when English traveler Robert Townson reached the summit together with the chamois hunter Grosser Hans. However, local shepherds, miners, and treasure hunters might have been there earlier. The first winter ascent is almost certainly credited to Hungarian mountaineers, as on December 3, 1911, Gyula Andor Hefty and Lajos Rokfalusy conquered the snow-covered summit.

The return route is exactly the same as the ascent, but pay close attention not to pass the Karó Lake Pass on the ridge descent, which is also marked by tapes on wooden sticks. Mountaineering ethics recommend letting those ascending pass on the chain sections and paths, as climbing requires much greater effort than descending for us. When passing chains, it is recommended to face the rock surface and descend backward inch by inch, and on steeper paths always support and hold with your hands as well.