UKC

My boyfriend and I have 3 days in the Tetra Mts the first week in April. I have the gear and some winter experience, he has little experience and no gear. Plan on basing ourselves in or near Zakopane but also considering Doline Pieciu Stawow Hostel near the five lakes. Has anybody any advice or experience hiking in this area in early April? Places to stay? Hike? Rent gear? etc.

In reply to BuckoBoyle:

I went there September 2010 straight after a heavy snowfall then big thaw, thus spring conditions. Nobody seems to carry axes. Or maps. We got lost in a whiteout following a Polish guy who "knows these mountains really well, and it is this way". Quite an experience coming from Scotland where 1) the mountains don't have signposts on the summits and 2) everyone is generally pretty well prepared! Amazing mountains, though.

If there is one place I'd recommend, it would be Zelené pleso, it blew my mind. A nice hut in a bowl of mountains and a marked route up Jahnaci stit which was a highlight of the trip. Possibly not too far a bus ride from Zakopane? (I can't quite remember). Never made it to Morskie Oko and that area, though. For a short trip, the western Tatry are somewhat mellow, best stick with Zakopane or even worth taking a train around to Vysoké Tatry on the Slovakian side.

In reply to kwoods:

That's great, cheers Kevin! Yeah I've read that is pretty well signed!

Will get myself a map before we head out there and will remember not to follow a Polish guy claiming he knows the way

Cheers for the advice! Will look up Zelene pleso for sure!

In reply to BuckoBoyle:

You can walk between Dolina Pieciu Stawow and Morskie Oko in a day via Spiglosowa Pass ("Spiglasowa Przelecz" on the maps), heading down to the lake under Miedzane, with great views across to Mnich, Mieguszowiecki, Rysy and all the big peaks in the area. It's absolutely magnificent.

Alternatively you could head the other way (north) over to the Murowaniec hut via Zawrat Pass ("Zawratowa Przelecz") or Kozi Pass ("Kozia Przelecz"). Depending on your ability to look after your boyfriend, if his experience level is low, you may find the section of the Orla Perc ridge traverse between those two passes (over Zamarla Turnia) quite exhilarating at that time of year... but that's really on you, I can't recommend you try it without knowing your levels and equipment.

Yes, make sure you've both got an ice axe and crampons, plenty of snow still around at that time of year from memory, and don't forget your camera... The Tatras are one of the most beautiful areas you'll find in eastern europe. Have fun!

Tony

In reply to TonyG:

That's great Tony, thanks for that advice! I'll have the axe and crampons packed and Cathal can hire some. Will look into those routes before we leave

Thanks again!

Rachel

In reply to BuckoBoyle:

April is still full winter in the mountains , and axe / crampons will be essential for anything but the easiest stroll to one of the huts.
Its been quite a snowy winter and has been snowing heavily in the mountains for days.
Current avalanche conditions and webcams can be seen on the link below.
The Slovak side is well worth a visit , and something like 80 % of the Tatry are in Slovakia.
Its worth noting that the Slovak side closes its trails ( above the huts) for general hiking all winter ... till early june
Make sure you have insurance/ id card at all times , as its a regulation of the park...but it is rare to be asked ( especially on the Polish side)
All winter equipment can be hired at Kuznice before the cable car station to Kasprowy.
In general the Tatras pack a punch for there size , and bad weather , lots of snow and avalanches are very common.
Saying that...spring can be amazing , and have amazing sunny weather and a stable snow pack.
If you ski?..Kasprowy can be amazing in april..well worth a day up there.
Morskie oko and Zelene Pleso are both amazing , but trails above the huts will require experience in winter as mentioned.
If your only in the Tatras for 3 days i would base yourself in Zakopane , and just do day trips from there...as its a small mountain range.
Zakopane has loads of restaurants , bars and places to stay.
Its worth mentioning ... dont be fooled into looking on the map and thinking the " red path" will an easy stroll to the next valley/ hut..... it could well be a steep ski descent till early june!
If you want i will email you a few ideas for general hiking/ easy peaks.
Oh and dont be put off when you read the park rules in the link below.

http://www.topr.pl/

http://www.tanap.org/national-park-rules/

It depends that your plan is.
Walking?
Climbing?
Mountaineering?
Skiing?

All can be possible in April depending on the weather.
Rules in Tatra mountains are very strict. You must stay on trails at all times. If you are going for a climb you need to log it in a hut and log your return. Climbing is possible only if you are a mountaineer (I was showing Alpine Club card and it worked).

Tracks are really well marked and if you are going for a hike you can just get a free map from tourist info center. It will be enough. Signs show direction and time to go.

Normally you will need crampons and axe above 2000m. People travel without roping up.

No matter that your activity will be I would recommend to use Kasprowy Wierch cable car. It will bring to to a lovely ridge from where you will have few options. It's very easy and cheap from Zakopane. You can catch minibus to Kuznice for 3 zlt. Minibuses run from bus station very often (like every 15 minutes). It will bring you straight to cable car station. Day return ticket is 58 zlt for cable car. You can book it on the web page in advance to go throw a fast track gates. It can save a lot of time.

As an easy day from Kasprowy Wierch you could do Świnica peak. It's very spectacular and matches something like Sottish winter 2 grade. It has chains on most exposed sections you can use. It will require 6 hours for round trip from cable car station.

Another grate day out mountaineering can be Giewont summit. Route to it starts from Kuznice, but instead taking a cable car you walk around it and take a trail to Katalowki mountain hotel. From where follow marks to Giewont. It's equivalent of Scottish winter 1 grade. Round trip will take you about 5 hours. Giewont is just 1894m, so it may be not that great in April. Otherwise it's amazing summit with nice views over Zakopane. I think it's best first peak in Polish Tatras.

Or you could stay at Katalowki for a night and climb Giewont from where. It's very basic hotel, but it has decent restaurant and the stuff is more informed than the ones in the valley.

If you don't want to go technical you could track on Kasprowy Wierch ridge itself. For that you don't need crampons or axes, just warm clothes. Another walking idea would be to walk up or down to / from cable car section.

In reply to Chris Beck:

Hi Christian,

Thanks for all that useful information! First time using this forum and can't believe all the advice I have received!

I know Cathal would like to include some skiing so depending on the conditions we might try squeeze in a slope or two.

If you have a top pick for a general hike/easy peak I would love to hear about it

Thanks again!

In reply to nutme:

A lot of helpful advice! Thanks a million!

Open to everything bar the climbing and will probably avoid technical routes considering ability and gear....or lack of. Have a the ice axes and crampons and could rent the ski gear so plenty of options by the sounds of things

Delighted with all the feedback should make for an exciting few days!

Thank you!

In reply to TonyG:
Good to see you are still active. I hope all good with you.
http://tatramountains.org

I was thinking.. "the first week in April" I hope it's not Easter weekend?
Easter in Poland is a big thing. Supermarkets will be closed, some restaurants will not open on that weekend. Fewer buses will be available. Generally the situation will be similar to Christmas in UK except insane shopping.

In reply to BuckoBoyle:

Conditions can be fantastic in april,hard packed snow and sun!
Some good advice above,if you only have 3 days I would suggest staying in Zakopane and doing day trips.Taking the Kasprowy Wierch cable car is great because it places you on 2000m in half an hour.From there,as suggested above,great ridge walks/easy climbs either to Swinica,then you can come back through Swinicka Przelecz(pass) down to Hala Gasienicowa and down to Kuznice in Zakopane,or the other way fantastic ridge hike through Czerwone Wiechy(amazing views) towards Giewont and come back through Hala Kondratowa and Kalatowki back down to Kuznice.
Dolina Pieciu Stawow hut is a great place to stay with proper alpine atmosphere and from there ,if conditions allow,some great hikes/easy climbs.One that stands out ,and should be in condition in april, is Kozi Wierch via a nice gully,also great route with super views through Szpiglasowa pass to Morskie Oko hut(THE place for higher grade alpine climbing in Polish Tatras) or the other way through Zawrat pass to Hala Gasienicowa.
Most of the above are very avalanche prone and this is the biggest objective danger in The Tatras t,but most of the stuff should have already come down by april.
Have fun!

In reply to nutme:

Yep, it will be Easter wkd and yeah I heard that alright :-/ We will have to make do! Thanks for the head up!!

In reply to Simon80:

Hi Simon,

Thanks a million for the tips!! Our bags are packed and we are ready for road Have all the replies printed off now just to decide on what to cover over the 2-3 days we will be there.

The forum was a great help

Rachel