Šíp

Šíp (Slovak for "thorn, spike, arrow") is a massive, broad, rocky mountain 1169 m high rising above the confluence of the Orava and Váh rivers in Slovakia. It belongs to the Greater Fatra (Veľká Fatra), specifically to its part on the north bank of the Váh which is named Šípska Fatra after the mountain; before 1978 Slovak geographers counted it as part of the Choč Mountains. Šíp lies in Ružomberok District, Žilina Region. The nearest villages are Stankovany (about 2 km), Žaškov (3 km), Párnica (3.5 km) and Kraľovany (4 km). Its prominence is about 555 m, one of the largest among Slovak peaks.

The massif fills the fork between the Váh and the Orava: to the north and west the Orava valley separates it from the Lesser Fatra, to the south the Váh valley from the main Greater Fatra ridge, and to the east the Žaškovský potok valley from the Choč Mountains. The massif has three tops: the main, eastern one (1169 m), fairly flat; Zadný Šíp (1143 m) about 900 m to the west – much rockier and topped by a tall wooden cross; and the fully forested Žaškovský Šíp (940 m) on the north-eastern spur. The sharp, pointed silhouette that probably gave the mountain its name is seen from the west, from the Váh–Orava confluence near Kraľovany.

How to get there / routes

The summit lies in a nature reserve, so stay on marked trails. The yellow trail from the Kraľovany railway stop to Stankovany crosses the top:

• From Stankovany – through the Škutova dolina and over the Žaškovské sedlo: about 2 h up, 1 h 20 min down.
• From the Kraľovany stop – via the Dierová recreation area, the Podšíp hamlet (760 m) and Zadný Šíp: 2¼–3 h up depending on the source, 1¾–2⅓ h down. The former very steep section between Podšíp and Zadný Šíp was replaced in 2009 by an easier route through the "Lazy" meadows.
• From Stankovany via "Rybka" to Podšíp, then the yellow trail: about 2 h 30 min up, 2 h down.

From Žaškov forest roads lead to Žaškovský Šíp and the main summit, but this way is not marked.

What you can see from the top

Šíp once offered an all-round panorama; according to Polish sources, growing forest now limits it to the south and east. You see the highest peaks of the Greater Fatra as far as Krížna, the Low Tatras with Chopok and Ďumbier, the deep Váh valley, the Veľký Choč massif with the other Choč peaks, and the Western Tatras. A treeless hump a little west of the main summit completes the view: from there you see both parts of the Lesser Fatra – the Kriváň part with Veľký Kriváň and rocky Veľký Rozsutec, and the Lúčanská part above the Váh gorge – and to the north Veľká Rača, Minčol and Pilsko in the Żywiec Beskids.

Nature and history

The lower part of the massif, up to about 700 m, consists of softer marls, marly limestones and shales of the Križná nappe, so the slopes there are gentler. Higher up lie resistant Middle Triassic dolomites and limestones of the Choč nappe, weathered into the typical rock towers. East of the summit, on the ridge, stands the prominent limestone block of Okrúhla skala (Jánošík's Table), with a small cave and a spring under its southern wall; the massif also hides the Ľadová jaskyňa (Ice Cave), which is closed to visitors.

The massif is almost entirely forested with beech and fir, higher up with spruce; near the summit grow sycamore, larch and dwarf pine, and on the warm southern slopes the whitebeam. The rock grasslands are very rich in rare species. For this reason 302 ha of the massif have been protected since 1980 as the Šíp national nature reserve, and the whole massif lies in the buffer zone of Malá Fatra National Park. Below Zadný Šíp lie the Podšíp meadows, once a lively sheep-farming centre; since the 1980s some of the huts have become holiday cottages.

Safety, season and rules

Šíp can be climbed all year, but the rocky parts near the main summit and Zadný Šíp are slippery in winter and after rain. In the reserve do not leave the trails or pick plants. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300) or 112.

Interesting facts

• According to legend, a cross has stood on Zadný Šíp since the time of Saints Cyril and Methodius; it was last renewed in 2005 after a summer windstorm.
• A whole geomorphological unit – Šípska Fatra – is named after the mountain.
• Šíp is the dominant landmark around the Váh–Orava confluence.

Photos: Prazak, CC BY 2.5; Prazak, CC BY 2.5; Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0; Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.