Pyšný štít

Pyšný štít (Polish Durny Szczyt, German Schwalbenturm) is a rocky High Tatra summit of 2,621 m — according to Slovak and Polish sources the fourth highest mountain of the Tatras and of all Slovakia. It rises on the long side ridge between Baranie rohy and Lomnický štít, above the Téry hut in the Malá Studená valley, about 15 km north-west of Poprad. The nearest settlements are Tatranská Lomnica, Tatranské Matliare, Tatranská Kotlina and Ždiar. The summit lies in the Tatra National Park (TANAP), on the boundary of the Studené doliny and Dolina Bielej vody kežmarskej reserves. Despite its height it stands somewhat in the shadow of neighbouring Lomnický štít (2,634 m).

How to get there / routes

No marked hiking trail leads to the summit. An ascent is possible only with a licensed mountain guide or for members of mountaineering associations. The easiest line starts at the Téry hut: it is combined with the first part of the classic “Jordánka” route to Lomnický štít and then follows the south-east ridge from Bachledova štrbina (grade II–III UIAA). In winter the route via Lastovičia štrbina (II UIAA) is popular. The Pyšný massif is considered one of the hardest places in the Tatras to navigate, so retreating in bad weather can be difficult. Non-climbers get fine views of the peak from the Five Spiš Tarns valley and from Zelené pleso.

What you can see from the summit

The view from Pyšný štít is among the widest in the Tatras. Around it stand Lomnický, Kežmarský and Malý Kežmarský štít, Slavkovský štít, Baranie rohy, Ľadový and Snehový štít, Čierny štít and Jahňací štít. In clear weather you can see the Sub-Tatra basin, part of the Low Tatras, Kozie chrbty, the Slovak Karst’s Spiš-Gemer section, the Volovské, Slanské and Levoča hills and the Orava Beskids.

Nature and history

Pyšný štít is the most massive elevation on the ridge from Baranie rohy to Lomnica. Two notches separate it from Malý Pyšný štít (about 2,590 m), with a ten-metre rock needle, Loktibrada, standing between them — the easiest landmark for recognising the peak from afar. To the west, towards the Malá Studená valley and the Five Spiš Tarns, the mountain drops in a wall of about 250 m, and to the east, into the Medená kotlina cirque, in a wall of about 400 m. The west face holds the largest overhang in the Tatras, first climbed in 2002 (grade VII A4).

The name refers to the proud, bold look of the peak: in the Podhale dialect “durny” means “proud”. Old Goral guides saw it as a satellite of Lomnica and called it Little Lomnica, while the German and Hungarian “Swallow Tower” names were transferred to it by mistake. The first ascent was made by Edmund Téry and mountain guide Martin Spitzkopf in August 1877; the first winter ascent followed on 27 March 1910.

Safety, season and rules

TANAP high-mountain trails are closed from 1 November to 31 May, and off-trail terrain may be entered only with a mountain guide or as a member of a mountaineering club — this applies to Pyšný štít too. The slopes are steep and loose, snow stays in the gullies until summer and the weather changes fast. Slovak Mountain Rescue (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300); emergency number 112. Park rules: tanap.sk.

Interesting facts

• Pyšný štít belongs to the Great Crown of the Tatras.
• The well-known Slovak guide Ján Breuer died here in 1924 while rescuing an injured climber.
• The Loktibrada needle between the two notches is the simplest way to identify the summit.

Photos: Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY 3.0; Adam Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0; Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY-SA 3.0; Rafik k, CC BY-SA 4.0; Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY 3.0; Rafik k, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.