Running in the High Tatras

By Michael Vogler and Nicola Park, MapMyRun Users
As featured in the October 2007 Newsletter

Imagine blue skies, lofty rocky summits and the fresh scent of pine forests at dawn and you could be mistaken for thinking about the only sunny day you've spent in the West Highlands. Now imagine that scene minus the midges but with beer at 50 pence a pint and lashings of goulash and you're imagining the High Tatras.
With such a dismal summer, we decided to escape the perpetually grey British weather and head for sunnier climes somewhere in Europe. Inspired by friends who'd spent a month running in the Italian Dolomites, but not wanting to face the continental hordes of August or pay ridiculously inflated peak season prices, we headed for the lesser-known mountains of the Slovak Republic -- the High Tatras.

The High Tatras straddle the Slovak Republic and Poland, acting as a natural border between the two countries. They are the highest mountains in the greater Carpathian Arch. We decided to explore the Slovakian side, but the High Tatras can also be accessed easily via train from Krakow, the Polish capital. A bargain flight to Prague in the Czech Republic meant we then faced an eight hour train journey to Poprad, the nearest town to the mountain resorts. However, it is possible to fly into the Slovak capital of Bratislava, which would cut the overland journey in half.

Our first run was a gentle introduction to the trails and using the cable car we were able to quickly escape the heat of the valley. We ran from Skalnate Pleso, a beautiful blue lake beneath the towering cliffs of the mountain Lomnicky Stit. Our route followed one of the main paths in the Tatras, the Tatranska Magistrala. We headed north to the stunning Zelene Pleso which nestles in a steep corrie, surrounded by breathtaking rock architecture. Although this was only a short four km run, with the help of the cable car we were able to run to 2037m. After a fast and steep descent to the lake we sat and admired the surrounding peaks with a glass of hard-earned beer on the terrace before the weather came in.

After a sleepless night due to climbers making the most of their wet-weather hiatus in the bar downstairs, we pulled on our running kit to descend to Tatranska Lomnica. We had originally planned make the most of our mountain hut eyrie and to run up the yellow marked trail to the summit of Lanaci Stit. However, the foul weather meant that the prospect of beer and goulash at more reasonable prices in Tatranska Lomnica was too good to resist, so we made a very damp descent down a fast blue trail.
The next morning we awoke to cloudless skies. Once again we set off from the Skalnate Pleso cable car station but this time headed south on the Tatranska Magistrala trail. Our aim was to run the blue trail up Slavkovsky Stit which rises straight out of the plain to a soaring 2452m. The trails initially wove along the valley contours in the cool of the trees. Soon we were climbing through scrub and boulder fields to the upper scree slopes of the summit. After a brief stop at the summit we made an exhilarating descent back down the shaley slopes and before long we were back at Hrebienok cable car station. It was a further six km on forest trails back to Tatranska Lomnica. After a couple of cheeky beers at Hrebienok we made our final descent. It took us around five hours to complete the 20km run at a steady pace.
Following a rest day spent pottering around Tatranska Lomnica and its bars and cafes, we decided to go for the big one -- Lomnicky Stit (2634m). Some of the hardest routes in the High Tatras should only be attempted by competent scramblers (see notes on terrain) but the iron work in place means that they are not technically too difficult. After lazily having a lie-in we were caught out by the huge queues to catch the cable car up to Skalnate Pleso so we found ourselves tackling a steep eight km hike up the valley, almost the equivalent of scaling Scafell Pike.

We caught the cable car at Skalnate Pleso up to Lomnicke sedlo, a shoulder below the summit, before beginning the rocky hike upwards. At this point we were making no pretence of running, as the steep rocky route was barely a path, becoming a mountaineering route resembling an easier version of the Cosmique Arete in the French Alps. Chains and bolts aided the final ascent to the top of the mountain. Though not strictly a run, the awesome views of the valleys, peaks and plain below made it worthwhile. And, if you aren't a confident scrambler, a cable car will take you right to the summit, making the views accessible to all.
Spending only five days in the High Tatras meant that we barely scratched the surface of a destination that promises such great mountain running potential. Running the hiking routes allowed us to see twice as much as the average walker, and the startled looks of the rambling hordes made it extra fun! Fell running as a sport does not seem to exist in Slovakia, and we only once bumped into a party of fellow Brits, who were on an organised walking tour. So if you fancy pioneering some of your own mountain running routes in the High Tatras, book a flight and get planning. Enjoy the views, enjoy the food, and above all enjoy paying 50p for a pint for beer!

Information

Terrain:

The majority of the running in the High Tatras is on extremely well-marked trails. The trails are crudely graded according to difficulty along the lines of ski routes. Blue is universally the easiest and is usually a wide unmetalled track. Green trails seemed very similar to blue except they are rockier in places. Red trails tended to be rougher still and are comparable to well trodden fell paths such as the tourist route up Brown Tongue to Scafell and Scafell Pike. Yellow trails will invariably incorporate some form of via ferrata-style protection such as chains and staple rungs. However, there are no safety cables as in the Dolomites and the French Alps. In some guide books yellow footpaths are graded as black routes. (For example in the Rother Walking Guide to the High Tatra by Stanislav Samuhel). The Kompass 2130 Sheet Vysoke Tatry 1: 25000 route markings are the same as those on the waymarker posts on the mountain paths.
For more adventurous runners there are unmarked paths to the summits of some of the higher peaks such as Lomnicky Stit (2634m), Jahnaci Stit (2229m) or Jastrapia Veza (2137m). All the guide books recommend that you only tackle these routes with a qualified mountain guide. However if you are proficient in basic climbing rope work, and carry a scrambling rope, harness and a couple of slings and karabiners then these peaks are easily accessible. Be warned, you may be challenged by a mountain guide and asked to show them your equipment, especially if you are dressed in shorts, vests and fell running shoes!
One other word of warning, do carry extra clothing, waterproofs, map and compass, emergency blanket, whistle, torch and spare food. If the weather comes in, it will do so very quickly, after all, these are mountains on an alpine scale and need to be treated with respect.

Accommodation

There is a huge range of accommodation in Tatranska Lomnica, where we based ourselves. It ranges from 4* hotels to basic campsites. We didn't bother booking ahead, as we wanted to have a flexible itinerary. We stayed in Pension Volga, which is 750SK (£15) per person per night in a double room with ensuite. This includes a large and filling buffet breakfast of cooked meats, cheese, bread, cereals and cake. They were happy to store a rucksack when we went into the mountains.
Staying at mountain huts makes multi-day trips possible. The huts are cheap - 380SK (£7.60) per person for a bunk bed or 180SK (£3.60) for a space for your sleeping bag, which even be a table top in smaller huts. The huts have restaurants which serve hot and cold meals, much like the huts found in Alpine regions. Book your bunk and meals ahead through Tourist Information. By studying the map it is easy to make up your own multi-day circuits. Do check before you set off that the huts are open, as some are only emergency shelters.

Getting there:

Budget airline flights to Prague range from around £50 to £200.
Trains from Prague's main train station Hlavni Nadrazi to Poprad are around 600SK (£12) return. Overnight sleeper services are available, it's worth reserving a couchette see www.vlak.cz
Bus from Poprad to Tatranska Lomnica or Stary Smokovec 20SK (40p)

Guide books and maps:

Rother Walking Guide to the High Tatra by Stanislav Samuhel ISBN 3-7633-4810-7
Cicerone The High Tatras Slovakia and Poland by Colin Saunders and Renata Narozna ISBN 1-85284-482-5
Map - Kompass 2130 Sheet Vysoke Tatry 1: 25000

About the authors:

Nicola and Mike are lucky enough to live on the edge of the Lake District National Park in the market town of Ulverston. They leave their day jobs behind (Nicola is a reporter for an evening newspaper, Mike a drama teacher and head of department) and escape into the Lakelands fells, crags and rivers as often as possible. If you would like any more advice about running in the High Tatras or would like to share your experiences, get in touch at n.a.park@googlemail.com