Hrubá kopa from Žiarska valley

The route passes smoothly around Žiarská chata, which is an ideal stop for refreshments in front of the more demanding (and steeper) part of the ascent. Above the cottage it is already free unpaved terrain, initially slight with a slope of up to 30°. The key place in terms of navigation is in the woods, about 500 meters away from the cottage. Here, the road divides in the direction to the left into the area of ​​Veľké Závraty (also direction of Hrubá kopa peak), and in the direction to the right to Malé Závraty (Plačlivé and Žiarske sedlo).

The mentioned crossroads is followed by a steep section between knee timber trees. This section is often slippery, hard, with bumps, and sometimes it is necessary to use ski crampons at this point. It is also narrow, and therefore it is necessary to pay attention to skiers had chosen to hike earlier and are already returning downwards.

The terrain will subside after about 500 meters and the route leads through the so-called Terrace. Just above the terrace there is the area, which gets threatened by avalanches often. The ascent leads to the left towards the meteorological station of the Avalanche Prevention Center. From there, the traverse continues even further to the left under the rock face. This place can also be dangerous in terms of avalanches, so be careful here. The Terrace continues towards Lúčné sedlo (Lúčne Saddle). If the conditions are bad it is possible to end the hike here, at an altitude of approximately 2050 masl.

From the Saddle it is only about 200 meters of elevation gain more to Hrubá kopa peak. The conditions are very diverse here, but often the ridge to the top is wind-blown up into ice or hard snow, so it is often necessary to use crampons, or to proceed on foot with skis on a backpack.

Way down

It leads almost identically to the ascent route. Descent, very pleasant, is almost entirely facing south, so excellent skiing is enjoyed in the spring. However, powder snow will not last very long in this area. Conditions can be complicated by wind, as frequent northwest winds sometimes create unpleasant snow slabs.

This peak is skied often. It is also possible to use the option to ski the couloir  between Hrubá kopa and Tri kopy peaks (so-called Madajov couloir). However, it is significantly steeper and also significantly more dangerous in terms of avalanches.