Mount Kychera (Vorokhta)

Kychera is a 1,225 m summit north of the Chornohora range, in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. It lies between Vorokhta (about 4.5 km) and Mount Kukul (1,539 m), about 3.2 km to the south. The villages of Voronenko (5.7 km) and Yablunytsia (8.9 km) are also nearby.

Kychera stands on the wooded ridge used to climb Kukul from Vorokhta. About 570 m to the north-east lies Nimakivskyi Hrun (1,204 m), 2 km to the south-east Hostra Klyva (1,228 m), 2.9 km to the south-west Foresek (1,336 m) and 3.2 km to the west Pid-Berdy (1,388 m). To the north the ridge descends to Oseredok (915 m) right above Vorokhta.

How to get there

12 of our routes pass within 300 m of Kychera — nearly all those leading from Vorokhta to Kukul and on to Chornohora. Closest to the summit, about 90 m away, are Voronenko – Mount Kukul – Vorokhta (30.3 km) and Mount Kukul – Vorokhta (9.2 km, a descent from Kukul). The classic ascent from Vorokhta is Vorokhta – Pereslip – Mount Kukul (11.7 km, about 1,100 m of ascent). Longer options are Vorokhta – Mount Kukul – Yasinia (36.3 km) and Vorokhta – Kukul – Breskul – Rebra – Pip Ivan (Chornohora) – Dzembronia (59.1 km).

Water, shelter and safety

On our map the nearest spring is about 380 m to the north-west (at about 1,140 m), but its water is marked as not drinkable; another spring is about 890 m to the north. About 1.2–1.3 km to the south-east, on the Borsuchyna pasture, stand several huts with a spring. Below Kukul, 1.6–2.2 km to the south, more springs are marked, while the hut on the Labieska pasture is in ruins. The slopes are wooded, so in fog navigate with a GPS. The nearest summit with our forecast is the weather on Hoverla (about 10 km). In an emergency call 112 or 101 — contacts of the nearest units are on our mountain rescue page.

Interesting facts

• Already between the wars a path from Vorokhta over Kychera led to the shelter below Kukul at 1,173 m, opened in December 1938 and able to host up to 100 people.
• Neighbouring Kukul still has a cemetery of German soldiers, concrete fortifications and the remains of a Hungarian battery from the First World War.

Photos: DanilWikiUser, CC0; DanilWikiUser, CC0 — Wikimedia Commons.