The ski touring conditions this season are pretty poor, so we made a last-minute decision to go climb Krčmárov Couloir in the High Tatras. It was one of those classic last-minute alpine adventures. Martin and I checked in—weather looked promising, and we both had time—so at 11 PM on Saturday, we hit the road from Ostrava towards Tatranská Polianka. Around 2:30 AM, we´ve parked, caught a 30-minute power nap in the warmth of the car, and then set off on our climb.
The approach to Sliezsky Dom went smoothly, and since there wasn’t much snow, we cruised up Velická Valley, past Večný dážď, toward Dlhé pleso, and finally to the base of Krčmárov Couloir, arriving around 6 AM. As the first rays of sunlight appeared, we had a quick breakfast, sorted our gears, and suited up before heading into the couloir.
It didn’t take long before we reached the rocky step, where we tied into our Tendon Master 7.8 ropes and prepared for some drytooling—about 15-20 meters of mixed climbing on bare rock. Under normal (ideal) conditions, there’s at least some ice, but not today. The only protection I managed to put in was a single nut wedged between two frozen rocks—probably useless in a fall, but at least it gave me some psychological comfort. This section slowed us down a bit, mostly due to my cautious (or let’s say incompetent) climbing—well, no one becomes a master without practice!
What followed was an endless slog through deeper snow than I’d have liked, but we moved steadily, placing gear only at rope-length intervals until just below the summit. The final two pitches steepened to about 67 degrees, and with the snow being soft and unconsolidated, progress toward the avalanche ramp was tricky. We finally reached it right at noon.
The views from the ridge were unreal—a complete inversion covering the entire Tatras, adding a mystical atmosphere to these “small” great mountains. After a quick snack break and some well-earned self-congratulations, we continued along the ridge toward Gerlachovský štít. Progress was steady, though slow, until we reached Gerlachovská veža, where we veered off the summit route and traversed into Batizovský Couloir.
What followed was a never-ending descent, involving multiple rappels to Batizovské pleso. We managed to get the last rappel done before darkness set in, but by then, the fog had rolled in thick. The “never-ending” descent turned into an even longer hike back to the car.
After nearly 18 hours in the mountains, we arrived at the parking lot, totally drained. We changed into dry clothes, jumped in the car, and settled in for another four-hour drive home. What a day!
Author: Jan Navrátil
Photos: Jan Navrátil
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