Last weekend I set off on ultimate skiing adventure in this winter. The spring wast just around the corner, when I finally decided to make cross-country skiing trip along the Javorníky Mountains crest. I knew there was enough of snow, though I was afraid of the snow quality. I was always thinking that real enjoyment on such a ski traverse calls for high quality snow cover-the powder snow at best.
Profile of the trail along the crest of the Javorníky Mountains.
But such conditions present themselves one or two times per season; or never. Good conditions did not occur for last two winters.
The best time for this action was on the last week of January, when the heavy snowfalls were over and just before the height of the winter, when the lowest temperatures dropped below – 20°C. At the time I was on a skiing trip elsewhere, so I missed the opportunity.
The length of the Javorníky Mountains ridge is about 80 km in its entirety. I had to compromise, because I had only two days available to make the trip. I opted to go as far as possible, and than I would descend from the ridge somewhere to catch my train home on time.
The trip beggins
I set off from home on Friday afternoon, arriving in the town of Čadca, Slovakia at about half past seven o’clock. In my city there was no hint of a snow, but here, there were piles of wet snow along the streets. The rain has just ceased and everything was wet. I went through Čadca’s center, navigating my way by red tourist marks.
First three kilometers went uphill on asphalted road, free of snow. The asphalt was wet, water was running on its surface. In the darkness I went with my head-lamp on, because of passing cars. I gradually climbed toward the only hotel, named Husárik, where the ski track begins. If I were an ordinary tourist I would spent a night there in the hotel. But being an adventurer first, I opted for a bivouac instead.
Just past the hotel there was a perfect ski track ready going all the way in my direction. Snow was very wet after a bout of warm weather. I put my skis on and glided into the darkness, alone. I felt quite a strange feelings and emotions, wondering if I was really rational. Wouldn’t be any better to stay at home?
The track was freshly made with almost no hint of a passage of any skier. At first the trail went on level line, until I got to the saddle. From there the track ascended a little and descended again. Some sections were covered with fog, so I had difficulties to see what is in front of me, because the head-lamp sent its light beam at the same angle as was my viewing angle. Common wisdom says that the angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence. That was why I saw only whiteness in front of me. I passed along several mountain dwellings on the way-called Grečovci. Small cottages are scatered all along the first part of the trail. Only the second half of the ridge has a lack of dwellings, because of the greater height of the ridge.
I wanted to get to the first peak over 900m high (Chotárny kopec 906 m), where I planned to bivouac. I was sweating heavilly under the weight of my rucksack and from climbing from a second saddle. I remembered from my last trip through here that there was a small chapel just at the base of the final climb. The place is named Črchľa. It occured to me, that I could use it as a shelter.
The chapel finally materialized out of darkness. I explored its interior. I coud use the first room for sleeping. There also was an attic, though a little too high above my head. I should have to jump up to get my rised arms to the entrance openning. Finnaly I opted to overnight inside my tent, which I carried on my pack. It was the worsest decision I could make then.
I skied down a little way back and found a level terrain on the subsidiary ridge, exposed to the winds coming from north, not too far away from a lonely cottage. I stomped a platform with my skies in the wet and hard snow and erected my rainfly. I fixed it on tent poles and instead of pegs I used my skis and ski poles. I took only a rain fly along with me to save the weight. Instead of a floor I used a plastic sheet. Wrong! The plastic had no friction on the snow and having not been anchored to any firm point, its was sliding underneath my mattress. Plus as my ass made a depression in the snow, the mattress twisted and rolled. As a bad surprise I discovered that a cold from the icy snow passed through the mattress and I couldn’t laid on my back. I had to lay on my side all night long.
Inside the tent I make myself a couple of hot drinks and tried to sleep.
Inside my tent on the first evening.
Cooking on a stove
Day the 1st
Preparing my skis.
I woke up at half past six, just at a day break. I did not bothered to get out to see the sunrise. I started my stove instead to make hot drinks. The temperature had dropped drastically, when compared with the previous evening. At about eight I had everything packed and set off. The first section climbed up toward the first peak Chotárny kopec (906 m). The track was as hard as the ice, there was no point to try to ski. I did not have the special ski wax for such conditions. I only had a wax for normal condition, which would not endure on ski base no longer then several hundred metres.
Walking uphill on frozen ski track.
For first two hours I went on foot, carrying my skis on the pack. At about half past ten o’clock the sun was strong enough to melt snow on south facing slopes. Only in shadows and on west or north facing slopes the track stayed as hard as the concrete. So I alternated skiing with walking. Skiing was fast, as it was supposed to be, though I even managed to walk briskly on foot. Crossing the ridge in its entirety normaly takes three days. I had only two days.
Perfect ski track, though frozen.
I met several other skiers going in opposite direction. All of them complained about icy conditions. Skiing wasn’t comfortable on icy track. At the best conditions, skiing feels as if you were moving on a velvet sheet, quickly, though gently and softly. But here all was hard and tough as if you were moving on the ice. And it was the ice!
Frozen unskiable track.
The icy track is glistening in the sun.
I passed along several important landmarks, enjoying views in every direction. To the east was Malá Fatra mountain ridge seen through partially hazy air. On the north, in the greater distance, there were the Beskydy Mountains in Poland; and on the nort-west there were seen the Beskydy Mountains in the Czech Republic.
First section of the first day.
First important landmark-a lookout tower at Vrchrieka hill.
A view from the look-out tower toward mountains in the Czech Republic.
Looking east toward Malá Fatra.
Typical landscpape in the Javorníky Mountains in winter.
Another look-out tower atop Kamenitý hill.
A chapel-typical religion edifice in the Javorníky Mountains
Self-portrait. I wore sun glasses due to strong sun. I was heading south, always looking in the direction where the sun was. Those sun glases I found on a trail in Banat mountains last May.
Although it doesn't look that way, I am climbing. Even these small hills were labourious to climb in icy conditions.
Gliding downhill was fast on icy ski track
The sun was quite strong and I felt a serious thirst. On the kilometer the 30, there was a mountain saddle with a settlement called Semeteš. At Semeteš there is a restaurant, where I had a tea, beer, hot cabbage soup and a coffee. My body had a huge liquid requirement in sunny weather, due to great physical effort. If there were no restaurant, I would have to stop somewhere to prepare drinks on my stove. I carried a liter of hot tea in my thermos, but it wasn’t enough for such an effort.
At Semeteš I gave up skiing entirely and walked for severeal kilometres. I discovered, if there was no ski track prepared, I would never be able to cover such a distance in those conditions. I walked all the way to another saddle called Melocík, except for about a kilometer or something like this when I was skiing.
At Melocík, there was a restaurant, but I felt no need to sit there for yet another hour, as I did at Semeteš. I immediately started to walk uphill, on next section which connects with the czech-slovak border. The border was several hours of walk away. So it was a destination for the next day. I walked briskly uphill, not knowing where I would be bivouacking. I was desperate enough after the first icy night, that I was even considering staying at Melocík, if they would provide accomodation.
A chapel with the moon before Melocík.
I got on exposed ridge called Čerenka (948 m), with ski-lifts. From a distance I saw there was a building with a kind of veranda. I was overjoyed to see a good place to stay in. My joy was only short-lived. The saddle was very windy and the wind was howling through the terrace. It was a chilly and bad smelling place to stay at. I opted to go farther toward the approaching evening. There was moon on the eastern sky and sun was setting. From my position there were no good views, so I went farther without stopping.
Out of desperation I considered building a tent directly in the skitrack and putting green spruce twigs underneath me as a good mattress. But I was in Slovakia, knowing that crazy folks, ilegally driving snowmobiles or ATVs on forest roads, might run over me at night.
Past a hill came a saddle with several cottages, a settlement called Gregušovci. I scanned those buildings for a good veranda or any kind of a shelter. Nothing found! Then came another small hill and yet another saddle. Out of semi-darkness emerged an inviting view-an open abandoned cottage with dried grass on the floor.
There could not be a happier camper in the world! Althoug the grass was wet and icy, it provided far better isolation then icy snow. Doors were missing, so I covered the entrance with the rain fly, just to block the wind from passing inside. I set up the stove, at first outside and started to melt snow to obtain water. The stove didn’t worked well in freezing conditions and it took a lot of time to make enough of water for a tea, then for food, then another round of tea and a coffee. It was never ending ordeal, the stove eternally required my attention. The flame was always about to cease, I had to shake the gas cartridge every few minutes just to keep the stove going. It was cold and I had wet boots. It was better to lay in my sleeping bag. The cold passing through the mattress reapeared. There must be something wrong with either the sleeping bag or mattress. I did not knew what exactly it was, because I did not experience such problems on previous winter trips, except the most recent winter trip to the Vrancea Mountain in Romania, where I slept on naked frozen ground, and felt the cold passing through my mattress. With the same equipment I was in the Nemira Mountains in Romania and in the Králický sněžník Mountains, having no problems with cold. The only different thing was that on those trips there was dry powder snow, not wet icy snow.
Again I had to lay on my side, not being able to lay on the back due to the cold. The night was a repetition of the night before, even though the comfort was better, because there was no sliding mattress underneath me.
Day the 2nd
I woke up at about seven o’clock. I tried to fire a stove, but to now avail. The flame had ceased instantly. The burner valve seemed to be blocked. I tried to clean it and finally it worked. Otherways I would have to leave withought breakfast or any drink. The first mountain hut was about two hours away.
A look into Slovakia.
Another look into Slovakia
A look on Stážovské Vrchy in Slovakia.
Strážov-the highest peak of the Strážovské Vrchy.
I walked all the way there, without any attempt to use my skis. Once I was there I ordered two cups of a tea and a coffeee.
Skiing through here-impossible!
Better to walk!
This place was called Kasárna and from there it was possible do descend to Velké Karlovice, where there was a railway station. The distance was 10 km from the ridge. From farther on the ridge there was no possibility to get down until the next mountain hut, named Portáš. The hut was also about 10 km away.
I thought that I could make it to Portáš, would have a lunch there, and having climbed down on asphalt road I would still manage to catch my train on time.
To be able to do this I had to use my cross-country skis. First section behind the hut was in shadows of forest, the track was icy, so I walked instead of skiing.
The Beskydy Mountains are much closer then theye were on previous day.
The Beskydy Mountains and Vsetínské Vrchy from the crest of the Javorníky Mountains.
Mountains in the Czech Republic.
When I emerged onto the ridge, on sun exposed terrain, where the snow has softened in the warmth, I put on my skis. I glided easily on downslopes and climbed with difficulty on uphills. On steep downslope to Frňovské sedlo I walked with the skis fixed on my pack. At the saddle starts a yelow tourist mark leading down to the valley. There were no tracks made and slopes were too steep for skiing in icy conditions. There was no way to get down for me. I was trapped on the ridge! Skiing was a kind of dangerous thing during the weekend. After my return home I have red an article about a cross-country skier who killed himsef in a fall on ice downslope in nearby Beskydy Mountains.
From there I skied remaining three kilometers to Portáš. The hut was a salvation for me. It gave me drinks and food and provided an escape road to the valley bottom. I almost run remaining 8 kilometers with skis fixed on the pack, with ski poles in hands. At first I walked on asphalt road, then walked on hard pista of ski slope, stabilizing myself with the poles. At the valley bottom I walked on the road through a village called Vranča, which name reminds me the name of the Vrancea Mountains in Romania, where I had been two month ago. The pronuncination of both names is exactly the same.
Obchod Vranča (Vrancea shop) in the village of Vranča. It reminds me the Vrancea Mountains in Romania, where I have been two month ago. The pronuncination of the word is exactly the same.
Crosses atop Ztratenec Peak.
In total I covered around 70 km of ski tracks and asphalt roads. The crest of the mountains is set in between the Beskydy mountains on the north-west and the Malá Fatra Mountains and Stážovské Vrchy on the south-east. Views were great in every direction. But there was no feeling of a wilderness, due to well prepared ski tracks all the way from the beginning to the end. The track made possible to make the trip very fast. When I was there in April 2007, there was no snow and it took me three days instead of just two to cover ther equal distance. The physical effort was great. When I am typing these word three days after my return home I can still feel weakness in my body. I was quite worn out after the trip, the heavy pack, great distance, and skiing on the ice, plus chill of the night simply left traces. Those artefacts will disappear soon and only good memories will remain. I already plan three more several trip to Slovakia. I will return there when the winter snow melts.
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