The ascent of Rysy is one of the classic hikes in High Tatras. If you still have not been to its top, maybe your next holiday in the Tatras will be a good opportunity to do so.
Rysy is with its 2,499 meters highest mountain of Poland and official border crossing between this country and Slovakia. Below on of the most favorites mountain chalets is located right under Rysy - the highest situated chalet of High Tatras - Chata pod Rysmi. In addition, Rysy and its surroundings are a real natural treasure and yearly attract thousands of tourists.
When planning a trip here it is necessary to count in the fact that Chata pod Rysmi chalet is really packed mostly. The tour to this mountains top, however, can be handled comfortably within one day. The ascent to Rysy starts usually ar Štrbské pleso tarn, where you can park your car, but you can also get here by Tatra tram, or bus.
From there leads a pleasant tourist trail to Popradské pleso tarn where you can relax in a mountain hotel Popradské pleso. The path continues to Chata pod Rysmi chalet thorough Mengusovská valley, where the tourist gets after overcoming significant rocky step secured by iron aids. Here begins so-called ,,free kingdom of Rysy".
Above the chalet the trail rises to mountain pass Váha and from there it is already close to the very top of Rysy that is mostly flooded with masses of tourists. The peak is located in the main ridge of High Tatras and it offers excellent views from it.
Route also leads up here from the Polish side and thus the peak became a border crossing point. Route from Polish side is steeper and secured by iron aids and chains.
The ascent of Rysy can be recommended as a very nice tour during your holiday in Tatras, but it is a physically demanding tour, so you need to prepare well in advance.
The ascent of Rysy from the Polish side
The ascent of Rysy from the Polish side is something for more experienced hikers. In addition to good weather conditions for the safe ascent is as well necessary experience with the right timing of the hike. In general, there is one simple rule valid - the sooner you go, the better. In the case of Rysy ascent it is doubly so. Hike from Morskie Oko trrn on the Polish side of the Tatras - is much steeper than from the Slovak side, while only limited speed is possible on the chains, so your speed often depends on slower hikers.
From Morskie Oko direction, namely from mountain hut - Schronisko pri Morskom Oku - in the morning huge crowds of tourists are pouring to the top of Rysy, which may slow you down and unable to plan the whole ascent properly. Often families with children, or weaker tourists will slow down your ascent and make you just to do gross time estimate, when planning it.
It is appropriate to count a minimum of four hours of time for the ascent from the Polish side to Rysy. However, if you start early in the morning , most likely you will avoid the crowds. The ascent will be much more enjoyable this way.
From Morskie Oko tarn rises a steep rocky trail up to the valley of Czarny Staw tarn and to the start of iron chains. Chains will lead you through rocky terrain, that can be dangerous especially when wet, as there is a lot of slabs. The is demanting in terms of condition but in good conditions suitable for most tourists. Final ridge and top parts are not technically difficult, but caution should be in place.
From the top of Rysy it is possible for about half an hour to descend to the Chata pod Rysmi chalet, or even further to Popradské and Štrbské pleso tarns, where there are good transportation possibilities available. Transition of Rysy peak is possible, of course, from the Slovak side to Poland, but descent to Poland for the above reasons can be time consuming and is much more technical. In general, trails from Polish side are more steep.
Keep in mind that crossing back from the Polish side back to Slovakia is more difficult due to the lack of marked passages around this area. Option is quite challenging traverse from Mengusovské sedlo pass or Chalubiského vráta pass. Marked trail on the Slovak side in both cases is abandoned, so it is only an emergency solution.
There are not very good possibilities for the circular travers of Rysy. Option would be to combine the traverse between countries with overnight stay at one of the chalets in the area.