Cierny Stit

Overview

Cierny Stit is the one of most „honourable” peak in Tatra Mountains for non-climbers. All normal routs going there are non-marked, not easy and require mountain experience. If a bad weather catch you on the top you are really in a trouble. Cierny Stit is interesting for climbers, too. There are a lot of interesting routs in a good, hard granite.

Cierny Stit (left) and Kolovy Stit (right) from Miedziana ławka (august 2005)

The summit of Cierny Stit is situated in the main chain of Tatra Mounatins. It ascends over Cierna Javorova (Czarna Jaworowa) Valley (west), Mala Zmrzla (Jastrzębia) Valley (north-east) and Vel’ka Zmrzla (Dzika) Valley (south). To the north-west Cierny Stit is connected with Kolovy Stit (Kołowy Szczyt) (through Cierne Sedlo / Czarna Przełęcz), the south-west ridge connects with Baranie Rohy (Baranie Rogi) (through Stolarczykovo Sedlo / Przełęcz Stolarczyka) and is formed by three precipitous crags – Cierne Veze (Papirusowe Turnie). To the east Cierny Stit forwards short ridge - Czarny Grzbiet with Cierna Vezicka (Czarna Baszta), dividing Kezmarskej Bielej Vody Valley into Vel’ka and Mala Zmrzla Valley.

The Slovak and Polish name of this summit means “Black Peak” and not comes from a black colour of rocks, but from Cierna Javorova Valley (“Black Sycamore Valley”) and this one from Cierne Pleso Javorove (“Black Sycamore Lake”) which is really dark because of an ooze occurred on a bottom. The German and Hungarian name (Papirusspitze; Papirusz-csucs) comes from a name of Silesian treasure-prospector – Johann Andreas Papirus, which died probably in this area in the end of XVIII century, caught by a bad weather.

First ascend

Easier to reach parts of Cierny Stit’ massif were visited by hunters and treasure-prospectors already in XVIII century. Next, in a second part of XIX century, here were cartographers. Maybe they reach the summit, but there are no clear data about this event.
Antonina Englisch, her son Karol Englisch and a guide Johann Hunsdorfer senior were the first tourists - they reach the summit in 1898 year. This three of them reached already a few another peaks and new routs as a first in Tatra Mountains.

Summit view

A view from Cierny Stit is not so large like from neighboring Baranie Rohy or Kolovy Stit, but interesting.

Getting There

From Slovakian side:

The major city in this area is Poprad, where you can get by bus or train. From Poprad there is a lot of buses and trains to Starý Smokovec (13km) at the foot of Tatra:
train time table
bus time table
train time table from Poprad to Starý Smokovec Tatranská elektrická železnica

Maps of Starý Smokovec and Tatranská Lomnica

From Polish side:

The best point to stars the journey is Zakopane – the biggest town on Polish side of Tatra Mountains.
Take a bus to Polana Palenica (time table of PKS, in high season there are a lot of private buses, too – a station is opposite to PKS) and get off in Lysá Pol’ana / Łysa Polana. Cross the polish-slovakian border . Bus station on Slovakian side is about 100m after border crossing point on the right. Take bus to Poprad, which goes through Tatranská Javorina (3km from border), Tatranská Kotlina,Tatranská Lomnica and Starý Smokovec (time table).

In mountain:

Approach to Chata pri Zelenom Plese:
Take a bus from Starý Smokovec to Lysa Pol’ana (or from Lysa Pol’ana to Poprad) and get off in Belá Voda. There is only a little parking-place among a forest and beginning of yellow marked trail, leading to Chata pri Zelenom Plese (about 2 h 45 min).

Routs overview

Map of Cierny Stit' area

NORMAL ROUTS:

1. Through Stolarczykovo Sedlo - the one of easiest and interesting way, going amoung Tatra's "gigants": Kezmarsky Stit, Lomnicky Stit, Pysny Stit, Baranie Rohy. Difficult to find in a fog!
2. Through Czarny Grzbiet - the one of easiest rout, using by climbers as an descend rout
3. Through Cierne Sedlo - very nice and easy rout, on the end a piece of easy climbing

CLIMBING ROUTS:

SE face of Cierny Stiti (TOPO)
1. Do Papirusovej štrbiny (UIAA III) 1h.
2. T. Szafka, E. Lindner (UIAA III) 2h.
3. Stanislawského depresia (UIAA IV-) 3h.
4. Puškášov pilier (UIAA IV) 4h.
5. Narovnanie piliera (UIAA V) 2,5h.
6. Šádkova cesta (UIAA IV+) 2,5h.
7. Cesta Solického (UIAA V+) 3h. (TOPO)
8. Prostredné vhĺbenie (UIAA V-) 3h.
9. Napriamujúci variant ku 8. (?) ?h.
10. Pravý pilier (UIAA V) 3h.
11. Motykov komín (UIAA V) 1,5 h.
12. Rázek, Plešmíd (UIAA VI,A2) 2h. (TOPO)

SE face of Cierna Vezicka:
13. Čepelova cesta (V,A2) 3h. (TOPO)
14. Cesta Dieškovcov (V,A2) 2h. (TOPO)
15. Pravý zárez (V) 1,5h. (TOPO)
16. Ešte jednu prosím (V+) 2h. (TOPO)

Maps

Tatry Wysokie, in scale 1:25 000, description in 6 languages, ISBN 83-87873-26-8, available in all shops in Zakopane. Here you can look at net version.
A high quality maps in scales 1:25 000 and 1:50 000 are produced VKU Harmanec, too. They are available at all chalets and shops in cities under Vysoke Tatry.

When To Climb

The best time is a summer and early autumn (july-september). But till June – July there is usually an old snow on a bottom of couloirs. In October usually starts new snow.

Red Tape

The “High Tatra” is a National park, UN Bioheritage area and a European BioHeritage - if you are not a member of any climbing club you can move only on marked trails - so you can visit Cierny Stit only with tatra guide.

In winter time (from November the 1st – June the 15th) The Tatra Mountains in slovak part are closed for normal tourists.

For more informations look at High Tatra/Vysoke Tatry GROUP page.
For climbing regulations look at Gerlachovsky Stit page.

Accommodation

There is only one chalet near by Cierny Stit – Chata pri Zelenom Plese (“Brincalka”) situated in Bielej Vody Kezmarskej (Kiezmarska) Valley on the eastern bank of the Green Mountain-Lake („Zelene Pleso”). Chalet is opened all the year for hiking, climbing and ski mountaineering.
Access from:
· Tatranske Matliare, blue marked path (3 h 30 min)
· Bela Voda, yellow marked trail (2 h 45 min)
· Skalnate Pleso, red marked trail (2 h 15 min)
· Tatranska Kotlina through Chata Plesnivec, green/red trail (3 h 30 min)
· Tatranska Javorina through Kopske Sedlo, blue/red marked trail (4 h)
Contact:
Telephone: ++421-52-4467420
mobile: ++421-903-467420
Email: jgantner@stonline.sk

Absolutely no camping is permitted in the nature park. The nearest camping is in Stara Lesna and Tatranska Lomnica.

There are plenty of cheap hotels and pensions in the area of Stary Smokovec and Tatranska Lomnica.
accomodation

Mountain Conditions

Web forecast:
situation at this moment and forecast

Information of avalanche danger:
TOPR (in English) and HZS

Rescue:
On Slovakian side acts HZS (Horska Zachranna Sluzba)
Starý Smokovec 23, 059 60 Vysoké Tatry
phon.: 052/4422820, fax: 052/4422855,
mobil: 0903624869

e-mail: vtatry@hzs.sk
www.hzs.sk

Images

View Cierny Stit Image Gallery - 29 Images