Ploská

Ploská is a 1,532 m summit on the main ridge of the Greater Fatra (Veľká Fatra) in Slovakia and one of the highest peaks of the range. It lies in the central part, in the Hôľna Fatra subunit, inside Veľká Fatra National Park. The boundary between the Martin and Ružomberok districts of the Žilina Region runs across the massif, where the cadastres of Belá-Dulice and Liptovské Revúce meet. The nearest village is Liptovské Revúce in the Revúca valley, about 4.7 km to the south-east; to the west the Necpalská dolina valley leads down to Necpaly in the Turiec basin.

The Slovak name means “flat”, and it describes the mountain well: instead of a sharp top there is a wide, gently tilted grassy plateau, a remnant of an old planation surface. Ploská is a knot of ridges. To the south the main ridge continues to Ostredok, the highest peak of the Greater Fatra, and on to Krížna; to the north-east the “Liptov ridge” runs over sedlo Ploskej and Čierny kameň to Rakytov; to the north-west a spur leads to Borišov, and between Ploská and Borišov the long “Turiec ridge” with Lysec and Kľak branches off. The mountain rises above three valleys: the Revúcka dolina with its branch Zelená dolina to the south-east, the Ľubochnianska dolina to the north and the Necpalská dolina with Hornoborišovská dolina to the west. The Necpalský potok rises on the western slope, the Ľubochnianka stream on the eastern side.

Getting there / routes

The red-marked Veľkofatranská magistrála (KST 0870), the main ridge trail of the range, crosses the summit. The yellow route KST 8604 branches off nearby via sedlo Ploskej. Polish Wikipedia, based on Slovak guidebooks, gives these walking times:

• from Chata pod Borišovom, the hut in the saddle west of the summit – about 1 h up, 35 min back;
• from the village of Liptovské Revúce in the Revúca valley – about 2 h 45 min, 2 h 15 min back;
• from Krížna along the main ridge via Ostredok – about 3 h 30 min.

Marked paths also reach Chata pod Borišovom from Necpaly through the Necpalská dolina and from Belá-Dulice through the Belianska dolina; from the north the ridge trail arrives from Chyžky. Near the trail junction by the summit is the grave of a participant in the 1944 Slovak National Uprising.

The view from the top

According to Slovak sources the bare summit plateau gives an all-round view: many Greater Fatra peaks and, in good weather, the Lesser Fatra, the Choč Mountains, the High and Low Tatras and sometimes even Poľana, Babia Góra and Lysá hora in the Beskids. Polish authors note that because the plateau is so broad, the nearby valleys are largely hidden and the panorama consists mainly of distant horizons. Close neighbours are Borišov, Čierny kameň, Chyžky and Ostredok.

Nature and history

The mountain is built of relatively soft Lower Cretaceous marly shales of the Fatric nappe. The plateau is covered by species-rich mountain meadows and pastures with globeflower, Siberian chives and alpine squill, while crocuses bloom on the northern slopes in spring. These meadows are not a natural alpine belt – they were created by shepherds who grazed livestock here for centuries; the upper tree line is formed by beech forest. The edges of the plateau are fringed by large landslides and avalanche gullies.

Safety, season and rules

Ploská is one of the most avalanche-prone mountains in the Greater Fatra. The flat top and steep grassy slopes are perfect for snow to release; the western slope above the head of the Necpalská dolina is notorious for spontaneous avalanches even when the danger elsewhere in the range is low. In summer a blue path traverses this slope as a shortcut to Chata pod Borišovom, but in winter it is a deadly trap – several hikers have died here, including in the 2010 avalanche accident in the Necpalská dolina. A warning sign stands by the path from Ploská to the hut.

The best time to go is from late spring to autumn; in winter go only with avalanche gear and after checking the forecast. Ploská lies in Veľká Fatra National Park: stay on marked trails, take your litter home and do not light fires. In an emergency call the Slovak Mountain Rescue Service HZS: 18 300 (+421 18 300) or 112.

Interesting facts

• The name literally means “flat” – a rare example in the Carpathians of an almost level summit plateau above 1,500 m.
• Ploská is the junction from which the three main ridges of the Greater Fatra radiate.
• The summit meadows are not natural but pastoral, shaped by centuries of grazing.

Photos: Caroig, CC BY-SA 2.5; Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 3.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Pudelek (Marcin Szala), CC BY-SA 3.0; Derbeth, CC BY 4.0; Pe3kZA, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.