Mount Drahobrat (Zhandarm)

Drahobrat, also called the First Zhandarm, is a 1,763 m mountain on the Urdu-Flavantuch ridge in the eastern part of the Svydovets massif. It lies in the Rakhiv district of Zakarpattia Oblast, between the Chorna Tysa and Kosivska rivers. The eastern and western slopes are steep, the southern and northern ones gentler; conifer and beech forests grow up to 1,400 m, with mountain meadows above. Just over 1 km to the south rises the main summit of the massif, Blyznytsia (1,883 m); 2 km to the north is Stih (Drahobrat) (1,704 m). The well-known Drahobrat ski resort lies on the north-eastern slope. The nearest villages are Yasinia (11 km north-east), Trostianets and Kvasy (9 and 10 km south-east).

How to get there

The easiest start is the Drahobrat resort on the north-eastern slope of the mountain. Our routes cross the summit or pass right by it:

• Drahobrat — Mt Blyznytsia — Drahobrat, 7.1 km, about 640 m of ascent;
• Drahobrat — Mt Blyznytsia — Mt Stih — Drahobrat, 10.6 km;
• Yasinia — Drahobrat — Mt Blyznytsia — Kvasy, 21.6 km;
• Bilyn — Mt Blyznytsia — Mt Stih — Drahobrat, 26.5 km.

Popular longer traverses also cross the summit, for example «Along the Peaks of Svydovets» from Yasinia to Ust-Chorna.

Water, shelter and safety

Our map shows a spring about 1.5 km from the summit and shepherd huts on the Svydovets (about 1.4 km) and Urda (about 2.3 km) meadows. The mountain belongs to the Svydovets protected massif of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve: stay on marked paths, follow the reserve rules and do not light fires outside permitted places. The treeless Svydovets ridge is exposed to wind and thunderstorms, and avalanches come down the slopes in winter. In an emergency call 112 or 101 — the mountain rescue units work around the clock.

Interesting facts

• The name «Drahobrat» is translated as «clearing» — a place where the forest has been cut.
• Several streams rise on the eastern slopes and join into the Svydovets stream, a tributary of the Chorna Tysa.
• Hoverla (2,061 m) lies about 22 km to the south-east.

Photos: Daniel Baránek, CC BY-SA 3.0; Jivolada, CC BY-SA 4.0; Zerrosasha, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.