Šiprúň

Šiprúň is a high, prominent mountain 1461 m tall in the north-eastern part of the Greater Fatra (Veľká Fatra) in Slovakia. It gives its name to a whole geomorphological subunit of the range – Šiprúň. The mountain lies in the so-called Liptov branch of the Greater Fatra, between Malá Smrekovica and Malinné, about 9 km south-west of Ružomberok, within the town's cadastre (Žilina Region). The nearest place is the mountain area of Smrekovica (about 3 km south), then the villages of Ludrová and Liptovská Osada.

Šiprúň has two summits. The lower north-western one, Predný Šiprúň (about 1441–1445 m), stands on the main ridge of the Liptov branch, which divides the Ľubochnianka valley to the west from the Revúca valley to the east. The main summit (1461 m) lies about 750 m to the south-east above the Revúca valley, at the start of a side ridge towards Pulčíkovo (1238 m). The two tops are separated by the Vyšné Šiprúnske sedlo saddle (1385 m). A little north of Predný Šiprúň lies the Nižné Šiprúnske sedlo (1327 m), an important junction of forest roads and hiking trails. The massif is surrounded by the Trlenská dolina to the east, the Čutkovská dolina to the north, Čierňavy to the west and Nižné Matejkovo to the south.

How to get there / routes

• Red trail from Podsuchá (part of Ružomberok in the Revúca valley) – up the Nižné Matejkovo valley to Vyšné Šiprúnske sedlo and then by a short spur to the summit: 9 km, 971 m of ascent, about 3 h 20 min up, 2 h 25 min down.
• From Vyšné Šiprúnske sedlo a short spur (red triangle) leads to the main summit: 0.8 km and 116 m of climbing, about 25 min up and 15 min down.
• The ridge trail of the long-distance route: from the north from Ružomberok via Sidorovo, or from the south from Ploská via Malá Smrekovica, to Nižné Šiprúnske sedlo.
• From Ružomberok-Černová – a marked trail via Chabzdová.

Below Chabzdová, at the end of the meadow by the red trail towards Tlstá hora, there is a hut where you can spend the night in an emergency.

What you can see from the top

Polish sources rank the view from Šiprúň – together with Krížna and Rakytov – among the finest in the whole Greater Fatra and describe an almost all-round panorama. According to Slovak sources, the sparse spruce forest on the summit limits the view somewhat. From suitable spots you see the neighbouring Greater Fatra peaks, the Liptov basin, the western Low Tatras, the Western Tatras, Veľký Choč and Oravská Magura, and in good conditions a large part of the Lesser Fatra ridge and Babia hora.

Nature and history

The upper part of the massif is made of massive Middle Triassic limestones and dolomites of the so-called Šiprúň series. The base is granite, which comes to the surface on the southern slopes in the Nižné Matejkovo valley. The massif falls away on all sides in wild, fairly steep slopes cut by numerous deep gullies and small valleys. Water from the southern slopes flows via the Matejkovský potok to the Revúca, from the northern ones into the Trlenská dolina.

Much of the upper slopes, including Vyšné Šiprúnske sedlo, is covered with mountain meadows, between which strips of spruce forest climb right up to the summit. On the rocks below the top grow the round-leaved and the biennial saxifrage. The mountain lies in the buffer zone of Veľká Fatra National Park. A spring called "Pod Šiprúňom" is mapped in the massif close to the summits.

Safety, season and rules

The climbs are long and the slopes of the massif steep, so plan your time and carry water. The open ridge meadows are exposed to wind and thunderstorms, and in fog it is easy to lose the path on the broad meadows. In winter the routes are snowbound and need winter gear. In the national park buffer zone stay on marked trails and take your litter home. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300); general emergency number 112.

Interesting facts

• A geomorphological subunit of the Greater Fatra – Šiprúň – is named after the mountain.
• The main summit stands not on the main ridge but on a side ridge.
• Above the granite base the massif wears a limestone "cap" of Triassic rocks.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.