Gerlachovský štít
2,655 m
Slovakia
Also known as Герлаховски щит, Gerlsdorfer Spitze, +6Also known as
Герлаховски щит · Gerlsdorfer Spitze · Γκερλαχόφσκι στιτ · Gerlachfalvi-csúcs · გერლახოვსკი-შტიტი · Gerlach · Vârful Gerlachovský · Герлаховский Штит
- Elevation
- 2,655 m
- Prominence
- 2,349 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
RegulationReported 28 Mar 2026
TANAP visitor rules in force since 15 December 2023 allow independent ascents of Gerlach by members of national climbing federations who register online and, for terrain up to UIAA II+, hold a basic-training certificate; non-climbers still need a guide. The Slovak mountain guides' association (NAHV SR) published a summary of the rules on 28 March 2026.
nahvsr.sk
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Velická próba → Gerlachovský kotol: straight line 588 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Velická próba → Gerlachovský kotol: straight line 588 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Velická próba → Gerlachovský kotol: straight line: 71° over 25 m (> 60°, high-res DEM)
- danger scan: Velická próba → Gerlachovský kotol: sustained 64° > 45° on a straight line
- Gerlachovský kotol → Gerlachovský štít: closed above ~2500 m (OSM access/foot=no on way 369381774)
- ascent 2078 m vs net gain 1668 m (+25%)
- Velická próba → Gerlachovský kotol: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: DEM path 1414 m > 1.8× straight 588 m + slack, 0.6 km)
- Gerlachovský kotol → Gerlachovský štít: dem (snap_failed, 1.4 km)
Sources differ: I–II (NAHV SR, citing Puškáš guidebook vol. IV) · II–III (Wikipedia (without snow)) · I (TatryPortal (Batizovská próba up and down))
The classic traverse of the highest peak in the Carpathians: from Sliezsky dom (1,670 m) climb the chained Velická próba and a gully to the saddle above the Gerlach cirque, cross the cirque to the summit, and descend the Batizovská próba to the Tatranská magistrála. Unmarked climbing terrain (UIAA I–II); guide or climbing qualification required.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 8.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,078 m
- −409 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,655 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 8h 50m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h 37m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Most parties start from the Sliezsky dom mountain hotel (1,670 m), 6.8 km up a road closed to public traffic from Tatranská Polianka (up to 2½ hours on foot; hotel guests and guided groups can use transfers). Follow the Velická dolina past the Velický waterfall to the Kvetnica terrace, where an unmarked path branches left to the foot of the Velická próba, about 40 minutes from the hotel. Rope up here: the próba is a steep step protected with old chains and iron staples, followed by an exposed gully up to the Sedielko nad Kotlom (about 2,440 m), reached 2–2½ hours from the hotel. From the saddle the route crosses the Gerlachovský kotol (Gerlach cirque) to the notch below Kotlový štít, where the summit comes into view, then crosses the Okno and Počúvajov žľab and finishes along a short ridge. The rock is granite and good if you stay on line, but there are no cairns or marks, many ledges lead nowhere, and in mist the massif is notoriously confusing. Allow 3–4 hours from Sliezsky dom to the summit (about 1,000–1,100 m of ascent). Descend by the Batizovský žľab and the chained Batizovská próba into the Batizovská dolina, past Batizovské pleso (1,884 m), then follow the red-marked Tatranská magistrála east back to Sliezsky dom. The full loop takes about 7–10 hours. In late season, when the Velická próba is icy, guides use the Batizovská próba (grade I) both ways. The climbing season is 1 June to 15 April under the TANAP visitor rules, daylight only from June to October.
Start
Tatranská Polianka986 m
- Tatra Electric Railway (TEŽ) from Poprad-Tatry to Tatranská Polianka; then on foot up the green trail, or by transfer for Sliezsky dom guests and guided groups.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatranská Polianka → Sliezsky dom | 4.8 | 681 | 0 | 2h 52m |
| 2 | Sliezsky dom → Gerlachovský štít | 3.9 | 1,394 | 409 | 5h 57m |
Waypoints
- Station: Tatranská Polianka986 m
Paid car park; road to Sliezsky dom closed to public traffic
- Hut: Sliezsky dom1,671 m
- Feature: Kvetnica1,913 m
Unmarked path branches left to the Velická próba
- Crux: Velická próba2,208 m
Chained step at the foot of the Velický žľab; rope up here
- Feature: Gerlachovský kotol2,066 m
Traverse of the cirque to the notch below Kotlový štít
- Summit: Gerlachovský štít2,655 m
Key Passages
- Velická próba (chains and staples)
- Exposed gully to the Sedielko nad Kotlom
- Traverse of the Gerlachovský kotol
- Batizovský žľab and Batizovská próba (descent, chains)
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 77%Overview
The highest summit of Slovakia, the Tatras and the whole Carpathian arc (2,655 m): a granite massif above the Velická and Batizovská valleys whose normal route is unmarked climbing terrain (UIAA I–II) with old chains. You need a mountain guide or recognised climbing qualifications.
Gerlachovský štít (Gerlach) rises from the southern side of the High Tatras above Tatranská Polianka, its broad massif enclosing a huge cirque, the Gerlachovský kotol, that faces the Poprad basin. With about 2,350 m of prominence it is one of Europe's ultras, and from the summit the view extends over the whole Tatra chain and, on clear days, far into Poland and Slovakia. The rock is granite, generally sound on the line but riddled with ledges and gullies that make route-finding the main difficulty.
There has been no marked path to the top for about a hundred years. The normal route climbs the chained step of the Velická próba from the Sliezsky dom mountain hotel, crosses the cirque to the summit ridge and descends the Batizovská próba, about 1,000–1,100 m of ascent and 7–10 hours for the loop. Technically it is a scramble of grade I–II, but it is exposed, unmarked and dangerous in mist or a sudden storm; accidents, many from losing the way, have given it a serious reputation.
Access is regulated by the Tatra National Park (TANAP). Most visitors go with a certified mountain guide, who will usually take up to three clients and provide the rope, harness and helmet. Since the visitor rules changed at the end of 2023, members of a national climbing federation can also climb it independently if they register online and hold a basic-training certificate.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for a 7–10 hour day with about 1,100 m of ascent and the same descent is the main physical requirement; most guides compare it to the marked route over Priečne sedlo in difficulty. You should be comfortable moving on exposed rock with your hands (grade I–II), wear a helmet and expect to be roped on the próbas. Altitude is not an issue.
Without climbing qualifications, book an IFMGA/UIAGM guide: Slovak guide offices quote around EUR 420–500 per group of up to three for the normal route (2026 prices), plus about EUR 20 per person for the transfer from Tatranská Polianka to Sliezsky dom. To climb independently you must belong to your national climbing federation, register online with TANAP beforehand, carry climbing equipment, and (because the route is below grade III) hold a valid basic-training certificate. A night at Sliezsky dom allows an early start.
The usual season is June to October; from November the route is a winter climb with mixed ground and avalanche risk, done only with a guide or by experienced alpinists. Climbing is allowed from 1 June to 15 April, in daylight only from June to October and between 05:00 and 19:00 in winter. Turn back early if cloud or storms build: most accidents happen on the descent when parties lose the line.
History
The first confirmed ascent is usually credited to Ján (Johann) Still of Nová Lesná in 1834, although the Slovak mountain guides' association records only a failed attempt by Liptov chamois hunters that year and an ascent by Polish botanists in 1855. Forester Ľudovít Greiner identified it as the highest Tatra peak in 1838, confirmed by an Austrian army survey in 1868. In 1875 the guides Ján Pasterňák and Ján Ruman Driečny Jr. made the first ascent via the Batizovská próba, and chains were fixed on both próbas around 1880. The mountain has had many names: Franz Joseph Peak (1896), Štít legionárov (1923–1932) and Stalinov štít (1949–1959), returning to Gerlachovský štít in 1959. In 1944 a military aircraft crashed on Zadný Gerlachovský štít, killing the crew; wreckage is still visible. From the 1970s until 2023 the normal route could legally be climbed only with a certified guide.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter climb: mixed ground, avalanche risk; guides or experienced alpinists only; 05:00–19:00
- Feb
- Winter climb; avalanche risk
- Mar
- Winter climb; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Climbing allowed until 15 April only; closed from 16 April
- May
- Closed to climbing under the TANAP visitor rules
- Jun
- Season opens 1 June; snow in the gullies, especially early in the month
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms; daylight-only climbing
- Aug
- Main season; book guides early
- Sep
- Often the most stable weather
- Oct
- First snow and ice; guides may switch to the Batizovská próba both ways
- Nov
- Winter conditions; climbing 05:00–19:00
- Dec
- Winter climb for experienced parties or with a guide
Access & Permits
- Permits
- TANAP climbing registrationRequired
Everyone climbing in the Tatra National Park must register online in advance. Climbers without a guide must also show ID, a national climbing federation card and, for routes of UIAA I–II+ such as Gerlach's normal route, a certificate of basic climbing training. Non-climbers may ascend only accompanied by a certified mountain guide.
tanap.sk
- Hut Booking
- Sliezsky dom is a four-star mountain hotel (about 100 beds) open all year; book through sliezskydom.sk and reserve the free transfer from Tatranská Polianka for a specific time (required since 1 November 2025).
- Fees
- Mountain guide: about EUR 420 (1 person) to EUR 500 (3 people) for the normal route (TatryPortal, 2026)
- Transfer Tatranská Polianka – Sliezsky dom: about EUR 20 per person return with some guide offices; free for hotel guests if booked
- Paid parking at Tatranská Polianka
- Rules
- Climbing in TANAP permitted 1 June – 31 October (daylight only) and 15 December – 15 April (05:00–19:00); some starts including Sliezsky dom have an extended season from 1 June to 15 April
- Leaving marked trails is only allowed to reach a climb, by the established approach and descent; hikers off-trail without a guide or qualification can be fined
- The road from Tatranská Polianka to Sliezsky dom is closed to public traffic
- Many marked hiking trails above the huts are closed seasonally from 1 November, but the access routes to Sliezsky dom stay open all year
- Getting There
Tatranská Polianka and Starý Smokovec (Vysoké Tatry); Poprad
Poprad-Tatry (TAT); Košice (KSC) and Kraków (KRK) have more flights
- Train to Poprad-Tatry, then the Tatra Electric Railway (TEŽ) to Tatranská Polianka
- Tatranská Polianka to Sliezsky dom: 6.8 km on the green-marked road, up to 2½ hours on foot; transfers for hotel guests and guided groups
- Car: park at the paid car park in Tatranská Polianka
Hazards
- Exposure
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,670 m