Machy

Machy is a 1202 m summit in the Skorušina Mountains in Orava, northern Slovakia. It rises above the village of Zuberec, about 8 km south of Tvrdošín, in the central part of the range, in the Kopec geomorphological subunit. The mountain belongs to Tvrdošín District of the Žilina Region and extends into the land of Zuberec and Oravský Biely Potok. The nearest villages are Zuberec at its eastern foot, Oravský Biely Potok to the north and Huty to the south.

The Skorušina Mountains are a modest range about 30 km long and on average 7 km wide, curving from south-west to north-east between the Orava Basin and the Zuberec furrow, just north of the Western Tatras. Their highest summit is Skorušina (1313.8 m); Machy ranks fourth among the range’s peaks after Skorušina, Kopec (1251 m) and Magura (1232 m).

Machy is part of the ridge running from Mních (1110 m) south-west to Blato (1138 m). To the west, beyond the Prieková pass, lie Kopec (1251 m) and Turínok (1004 m); to the south Prípor (1003 m) and Holica (1340 m); to the east Štít (1310 m); and to the north Mních and Bane (943 m).

How to get there / routes

The main ridge trail of the Skorušina Mountains, marked red, crosses the summit:

• From the north – from Oravský Biely Potok via Mních.
• From the south-west – from Malé Borové via Kopec and the Prieková pass.
• From the east – from Zuberec on the blue trail.

Sources give no official walking times. Zuberec is a well-known holiday base in Orava, handy for combining Machy with other peaks on the ridge.

What you can see from the summit

The Machy ridge splits the massif into two different halves. The north-western side is covered by continuous forest, so there is no view that way, while the south-eastern side is open with only sparse vegetation. The summit has a shelter and a lookout. From here you can see the surrounding peaks of the Skorušina and Choč Mountains and the Western Tatras, and in good weather also the Lesser Fatra, the Orava Magura and the Orava Beskids.

Nature and history

The Skorušina Mountains are built of Inner Carpathian Palaeogene rocks, old Tertiary sediments. The south-eastern slopes of Machy descend to the Zuberec basin and are largely treeless. A very dense network of streams runs off them and joins the Milotinka, which flows into the Zuberská voda in Zuberec. The whole massif belongs to the Orava basin, drained by tributaries of the Studený potok.

A side ridge runs north-west from the summit towards the valleys of the Mrzký and Malý streams. Today it is forested, but there used to be meadows there too: they have grown over, though they can still be made out on satellite images.

Safety, season and rules

The route to Machy follows mountain meadows and forest paths with no rocky sections, so it suits most walkers. On the open south-eastern slope there is no shade in hot weather, and in a thunderstorm you should leave the ridge quickly. The nearest springs are 2.7 km away or more, so carry water. In winter the ridge is snowbound and drifts can form in open places. In Slovakia, mountain help comes from the Mountain Rescue Service HZS: 18 300 (+421 18 300) or 112.

Interesting facts

• The name Machy is listed in the binding Slovak register of summit names.
• Machy and neighbouring Mních are clearly visible from the Chotár hill above Zuberec.
• The only village inside the Skorušina Mountains is Oravský Biely Potok, where the red trail to Machy starts.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.