Mních

Mních is a summit 1110 m high in the Skorušina Mountains (Skorušinské vrchy) in Orava, Slovakia, in their Kopec subunit. It rises above the village of Zuberec, about 8 km south of the town of Tvrdošín, in the Žilina Region. Mních stands above three villages — Zuberec, Habovka and Oravský Biely Potok — and together with neighbouring Machy (1202 m) is clearly visible from the valley leading to the Western Tatras. A ridge starts at Mních and runs south-west to Kopec (1251 m); on the summit itself the crest bends in an arc. Placing the hill in the Skorušina Mountains follows the Slovak geographical division; in the Polish regionalisation by Jerzy Kondracki the Skorušina Mountains begin only north and east of the Oravica river, so Polish sources sometimes place Mních in the Orava foothills.

Getting there / routes

• Red along the main ridge (KST 0847): from the north from Oravský Biely Potok to Mních and on via Machy, the Prieková saddle and Kopec to Malé Borové.
• Red from the south-west from Malé Borové via Machy.
• Blue: from Zuberec via Machy.

The routes are easy and lead mostly through forest and meadows; Mních combines well with Machy in a loop from Zuberec.

What you can see from the summit

The summit itself is covered by continuous forest, so there is no all-round panorama. The slopes, however, carry large mountain meadows, and from open places you can see the surrounding Skorušina and Choč Mountains and the Western Tatras, and in good conditions the Malá Fatra, Orava Magura and the Orava Beskids.

Nature and history

The south-eastern and north-eastern slopes of Mních fall to the valleys of the Zuberec stream and the Studený potok, the south-western ones to the Malý potok; the whole massif belongs to the Orava basin. Neighbouring summits are Biedna (965 m) to the north, Bane (943 m) and Turínok (1004 m) to the west, Machy and Kopec to the south-west, Biela skala (1316 m) to the south, and Javorková (1141 m) and Štít (1310 m) to the east.

Open meadows reach high up the slopes from the villages. There used to be fields here too, but most of the meadows are no longer used and are gradually being overgrown by forest. Four ski lift areas work on the slopes of Mních: the Milotín and Janovky centres in Zuberec and two lifts in Habovka, including the Ruba centre. So in winter the hill is better known to skiers than to walkers.

Safety, season and rules

The Skorušina Mountains are not part of the Tatra high mountains, so TANAP’s seasonal closure of high-mountain trails does not apply here; stay on marked trails and respect the pastures. In winter do not cross ski runs outside permitted places. On the lonely ridge carry water and a map. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300), general emergency number 112.

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; Branik P, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.