Malý Pyšný štít

Malý Pyšný štít (Polish Mały Durny Szczyt, German Téryspitze, Hungarian Téry-csúcs) is a 2,590 m rock summit in the Slovak High Tatras. It stands on the long side ridge that leaves the main Tatra crest at Vyšná Barania strážnica and runs to Lomnický štít; counting from Baranie sedlo it is the first distinct summit of this jagged ridge. Together with its higher neighbour Pyšný štít (2,623 m) to the south-east it forms a characteristic pair. The upper cable-car station on Lomnický štít is about 600 m away in a straight line, Tatranská Lomnica (town of Vysoké Tatry) about 7 km.

No marked hiking trail leads to the summit — it is purely a climbers' objective.

How to get there / routes

The summit can only be reached by climbing routes. According to the classic Hungarian guide, the easiest line is the north-west ridge from the Egenhoffer notch: a well-stepped ridge leads to the top in about 20 minutes. The south-east ridge from the Pawlikowski (Lastovičia) notch is also easy, but reaching the notch itself is usually difficult from both sides. The south-west face from the Five Spiš Tarns and the north-east route from Zelené pleso are harder, and the rock in the lower north-eastern face is brittle.

Marked trails exist only in the valleys below: to Téryho chata in the Malá Studená dolina and to Zelené pleso. Malý Pyšný štít is clearly visible from there, but leaving the marked paths without climbing rights is not allowed in TANAP.

The view and the surroundings

The summit rises above three valleys: the Kotlina Piatich Spišských plies (part of the Malá Studená dolina), the Veľká Zmrzlá dolina (a branch of the Zelené pleso valley in the Kežmarská Biela voda system) and the Medená kotlina. The double Lastovičia štrbina, with the 15 m pinnacle Loktibrada in its middle, separates it from Pyšný štít; to the north-west, beyond Malá Lastovičia štrbina, stands Strapatá veža, and the ridge continues over a row of towers to Spišský štít (2,481 m). The prominent Pyšný mních rises from the summit's south-west pillar. Seen from Zelené pleso the two Pyšný summits look like an equal pair, while from the Five Spiš Tarns a deep gully clearly divides them and shows that Pyšný štít is much more massive.

Nature and history

The Slovak and Polish names derive from neighbouring Pyšný štít ("the little proud peak"). The German and Hungarian names honour the Hungarian doctor and mountaineer Ödön (Edmund) Téry, the first to climb Pyšný štít; Téryho chata in the Five Spiš Tarns valley also bears his name.

The first recorded ascent was made by Gyula Dőri on 17 July 1901 via Lastovičia štrbina; on the same trip he also climbed Loktibrada. The first winter party, on 2 January 1910, was Lajos Károly Horn, the brothers Gyula and Roman Komarnicki and Jenő Serényi. Hard routes followed on the faces: in 1952 M. Mereš and A. Puškáš climbed the right part of the north-east face (grade VI), and in 2007 P. Jackovič and M. Medvec opened "Bailando" (V+ A3).

Safety, season and rules

The summit lies in the Tatra National Park (TANAP). Ascents off marked trails are allowed only under the park's rules for climbers; people without climbing experience should go only with a licensed mountain guide. Check the current rules on the TANAP website before you go. TANAP's high-mountain trails are closed every year from 1 November to 31 May. Brittle rock, snow lingering in gullies into summer and fast weather changes make these ridges dangerous even for experienced climbers.

Slovak Mountain Rescue — HZS: 18 300 (+421 18 300); general emergency number 112.

Photos: Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY 3.0; Adam Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY-SA 3.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.