Končitá peak

For the first time in a long while, beautiful winter weather aligned with a weekend, so I took advantage of it. Due to limited time, I chose a relatively short route, but with the promise of a beautiful view at the end on Mount Končitá. I hadn't been there before, so I was curious about what awaited me.

I parked at the beginning of the trail, right by the road number 59 between Donovaly and Liptovská Osada. Despite the beautiful weather, there were only two other cars there, so it seems that this is not a highly frequented route in winter. Although this could have also been because the World Cup in downhill skiing was taking place in Jasna. In any case, along the way, I only encountered a total of 3 couples. That's the way I like it.

At the beginning, the trail was quite icy. It was necessary to carefully choose where to place each step, and a few times, I almost ended up on the ground, but I managed to keep my balance. As I ascended, the snow became deeper. I didn't have snowshoes, which would have come in handy this time, so I had to work hard, especially for the last approximately 2 km. Before that, it was possible to walk along the edge of the path and choose a relatively solid surface. About half an hour later, I enjoyed the first beautiful view, with the characteristic features of Prašivá and Chochuľa peaks to the east, Veľký Choč to the north, and Liptovská Osada village down below.

Further on, I came across tracks (probably) made by some ski mountaineers, which saved me quite a bit of effort as they left behind a somewhat solid path. Due to the snow and not very thorough marking, I missed the correct path twice (I wasn't paying much attention, there wasn't much room to go astray), but in either case, it wasn't difficult to get back on track. I just ended up in deeper snow.

In an hour and ten minutes, I was on Končitá, where a typical Slovak cross awaited me, along with an amazing view in all directions. The Big Fatra to the west was laid out like on the palm of my hand, with the distinctive Rakytov and Krížna peaks, the solitary Veľký Choč, Salatín above Liptovská Lúžna, and the majestic ridge of the Low Tatras, I would say I have seen all the way up to Ďumbier, the highest peak of that mountain range. To the south, the sun was shining, and I couldn't see much, but Zvolen was probably visible, overlooking the Donovaly village. In the distance to the northeast, the Western and High Tatras were faintly visible, so visibility couldn't have been any better. I couldn't wish for more, this is what I had been waiting for since the beginning of the year.

I descended quickly, as always when I go alone. I was back in the car in half an hour. I covered it faster than I expected, considering the snow conditions. In summer, it would have been a breeze, and I probably would have extended it to Zvolen, but with the snow, it took quite an effort. I haven't been anywhere for a while, as I'm not a big fan of winter hiking, so it was enough. I wouldn't have said that such a view could be achieved in such a short hike (not counting cable cars, of course).

Your guide to Slovakia, Tomáš