Jahňací štít

Jahňací štít (Polish Jagnięcy Szczyt) is a peak 2230 m high (more precisely 2229.6 m) in the High Tatras of Slovakia. It is the north-easternmost massif of the High Tatras main ridge: beyond the Kopské sedlo saddle the Belianske Tatras begin. The peak rises above the resort of Tatranské Matliare, about 17 km north-west of Kežmarok; to the south-east, in the Zelené pleso valley, stands the Chata pri Zelenom plese hut. The nearest villages are Tatranská Javorina and Ždiar (about 7 km).

The massif is a pyramid with two summits joined by an almost level ridge; the south-western one is higher. Four ridges radiate from the top, forming an almost right-angled cross: towards Kolový štít, towards Kopské sedlo, the Jahnence ridge and the Kozí hrebeň with Kozí štít. Unusually for the Tatras, every one of its ridges has its own name. The massif towers over Kolová dolina, Zadné Meďodoly, Jahňacia (Červená) dolina and the Valley of the White Tarns.

How to get there / routes

Jahňací štít is one of the few summits in the Slovak High Tatras reached by a marked trail, so it is very popular.

• Yellow trail – from Chata pri Zelenom plese through Červená (Jahňacia) dolina. Before the summit, around the Kolový priechod, the path gets harder and several exposed spots are protected by chains. About 2.5 h from the hut.
• Chata pri Zelenom plese is reached through the Kežmarská Biela voda valley from Kežmarské Žľaby, or from Skalnaté pleso over Veľká Svišťovka. From the "Kežmarská Biela voda" bus stop on Cesta slobody the whole ascent takes about 5 h 30 min (4 h 45 min down), with about 1330 m of height gain.

Take care on the descent: the path crosses to the other side of the ridge through a narrow, inconspicuous notch that is easy to miss. Many people mistakenly follow a well-trodden path further along the ridge towards Kolový štít – but there is no way down into Jahňacia dolina from there, and you have to turn back.

The view from the summit

The view is very extensive and, in the words of early guidebook authors, remarkable for its "uncommon variety of motifs". Samuel Weber wrote that 16 tarns can be seen from here. The nearby Lomnica group looks especially alpine, above all Malý Kežmarský štít, which drops into the Zelené pleso valley in walls some 900 m high. You can also see Kežmarský, Pyšný and Lomnický štít, the Belianske Tatras ridge and, in good weather, the Orava Beskids, the Levočské, Slanské and Volovské vrchy and Branisko.

Nature and history

Jahňací štít is the first granite massif of the Tatras from the north, while on the Kopský ridge the oldest sedimentary rocks of the Tatras – the so-called Koperšády conglomerate – come to the surface. The 350 m north face drops into Jahňací kotol, and climbers have put up many routes of varying difficulty on the south face.

The name is linked to lambs (jahňa) grazed on the lower slopes; another explanation is that poachers called young chamois "lambs". In the past the peak was known as Lastovica (after birds nesting on its rocks), and Robert Townson recorded it in 1793 as "White Lake Peak". The summit marked the boundary between the Javorina estate and the lands of Kežmarok and Spišská Belá, which belonged to Poland in 1412–1769; a boundary mound stood on top until the end of the 19th century. Copper was mined on the north-western ridge in the 18th century.

The first documented ascent was made on 9 August 1793 by Robert Townson and the Spiš guide Hans Gross, though shepherds, hunters and miners had been here long before. The first winter ascent took place on 3 December 1911 (Lajos Rokfalusy and Gyula Hefty). The trail to the summit was built in 1911–1912.

Safety, season and rules

• The trail lies in the high-mountain zone of the Tatra National Park (TANAP) and is closed from 1 November to 31 May; hiking is allowed only in daylight and only on marked trails. Current restrictions are on the TANAP website.
• The route is moderately difficult: the chained sections need sure footing and are dangerous when wet or snowy. Remember the trap at the notch on the way down.
• Rescue: Mountain Rescue Service HZS – 18 300 (+421 18 300), general emergency number 112.

Interesting facts

• All of Jahňací štít's ridges have their own names – a rarity in the Tatras.
• In German and Hungarian the peak is still called "White Lake Peak" (Weißseespitze, Fehér-tavi-csúcs), after Veľké Biele pleso below it.

Photos: Kristo, CC BY-SA 3.0; Kristo, CC BY-SA 3.0; Adrian Tync, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Rafał Kozubek, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.