Ascent to Lomnicky Peak – popular routes

The ascent to Lomnický Peak is extremely popular. With its height of 2634 m, Lomnicky Peak is the second highest peak in the High Tatras. There are several ascent routes of different difficulties leading to its summit. In the following you can read about the most popular ascent routes to Lomnický štít.

The classic route through Emerici’s lake

The classic ascent to Lomnicky Peak starts with the cable car from Tatranská Lomnica via Štart and Skalnaté Pleso to Lomnicky Saddle. From the saddle it continues along the trail with views to the right of Kežmarský štít and to the left of the entire Malá Studená dolina (Small Cold Valley). After about 20 minutes of walking along the rubble trail, you will come to a place where you will put on climbing harnesses and helmets and tie yourself to the rope. We continue climbing along the edge heading towards the Birkenmajer Route climbing easy climbing up to difficulty II of the UIAA International Climbing Scale. After another 20 minutes or so, we descend to where the belay chain runs off to the right. We traverse this chain to the right and continue along an easy path to the base of the “Emerici’s Lament” wall itself, secured with chains and fixed belay elements on a continuous rope. We climb up the slab using steel footholds and crampons along with fixed belaying. Difficulty rises to II+ to III on the UIAA scale. In the steep part we climb using a fixed chain. Above Emerici’s Lament, the terrain briefly simplifies and we continue on with easy climbing and traverses. The observatory and the cable car station at the top of Lomnický štít are already in sight. At the top we have a short traverse to the right on the chain and then a steeper climb using the chain. Above the lift we traverse left on a pillar, which we climb down to the railing of the terrace at the top of Lomnický štít. At the top there is a small café with a terrace where we can enjoy the views of the surrounding peaks.

The ascent to the top of Lomnický Peak from Lomnický Saddle by this route takes about 2 hours and has an elevation of 450m. This climb is also suitable for beginners and adepts to climb Gerlachovský štít. It is an ideal preparation for more difficult ascents in the High Tatras.

Gipsy’s (Tatarkova) ferrata

First of all, it must be said that the Tatarka Route is not a ferrata in the true sense of the word. It is secured with chains, which are not suitable for securing with ferrata sets. This route is also used as a boarding point for climbing ascents on the western face of Lomnický štít.
The ascent starts with the cable car to the Lomnický saddle. Then climb up the trail along the pillar to the place where the rock men are visible in the left part of the edge of the west face of Lomnický štít. Traverse up to the edge of the western wall at the point where the chains begin. Finding this place is more difficult especially in poor visibility. We put on climbing harnesses and helmets and tie ourselves to the rope. We start with an exposed and belayed descent on the chains in the west face down to Téry’s couloir. After descending, we climb up Téry’s Couloir, up a rubble steep trail and climb to Sedielko below Lomnický Peak. From the saddle, chains lead to the end of the Jordan Route. We climb with the use of chains and footholds. Some sections are quite steep and require belaying with a rope and belay in the shield. At the end of the chains we continue on the final easy pillar with a view of the top of Lomnický štít, the terrace and the observatory. We descend to the railing and then rest on the terrace with views.

The ascent takes about 2.5 hours to the top and the elevation gain is 600m. It is suitable for moderately advanced clients.

Birkenmeyer’s food

The ascent to Lomnicky Peak via Birkenmajer’s Edge starts in the same way as the ascent via the classic route or Gipsy’s Ferrata. We start with the cable car to the Lomnický saddle and then follow the trail to the place where we tie ourselves to the rope. We start climbing the edge of the pillar at the base of the summit with difficulty about II UIAA scale. We climb several rock steps and pitches on the pillar. At the point of the chain traverse to the right we continue straight up the pillar. The pillar gradually becomes steeper and the climbing difficulty increases to III UIAA scale. At several points there are rivets on the pillar for belaying during the ascent. The climbing is done in a standard-style. At the top of the edge of the pillar is the most beautiful point of the climb. It is an exposed slab of difficulty IV with beautiful climbing. It is followed by a short climb to the top of Lomnický štít to the terrace railing. On the terrace we enjoy a rest and views of the peaks in the surroundings.

The whole climb takes 1.5 to 2 hours with an elevation gain of 450m. It is suitable for moderately advanced clients.

Jordan’s Way (Jordánka)

The Jordánova cesta is a spectacular classic climb to Lomnický štít from Téry’s hut. It is possible to climb the hut a day in advance and spend the night. Or get on the day of the climb early in the morning from Hrebienok or Starý Smokovec.
From the chalet, cross the stream flowing from the lake and continue along the unobtrusive path to the massif of Pyšný štít. Traverse under the massif to the right under the Bachledova trough leading to the Bachledova slot. Under the couloir we put on a climbing harness and helmet and tie ourselves to the rope. We continue with easy climbing in the left part of the couloir in difficulty II of the UIAA scale. There is a steel crampon in the middle part of the chute and it serves as a landmark. Further above the crampon, climb to a traverse point to the right into Jordan’s Gully and then up Jordan’s Gap in the ridge. There the terrain changes considerably. The ascent continues by climbing and traversing the Last Tower from the north side as well as the Lomnicka Tower to the Saddle below Lomnicky Peak. In these traverses there are old chains and somewhere also steel steps. From Sedlo pod Lomnickým štítom, the chains lead on through steep terrain up to the pillar below the very top of Lomnický štít. From the end of the chains, the easy terrain continues through the pillar to the terrace at the top of Lomnický štít. Rest on the terrace and views follow.

The ascent takes approximately 3 hours from the hut and has an elevation gain of 650m. The ascent is suitable for moderately advanced clients.

Hockey stick in the western wall of Lomnický štít

The hockey stick in the western wall of Lomničák is a true legend. Among mountaineers, this route is considered an extraordinary line in the compact granite west face of Lomnicky Peak. Its difficulty is VI+ on the UIAA scale which requires a really good climber. The ascent to this route starts in the Lomnicky saddle and leads down the Gipsy Ferrata descent to the Téry couloir below the west face of Lomnicky Peak. It has 8 lengths. The first lengths do not pose any major climbing problem. The second and third lengths are an interesting traverse to the right around the “cross”. Then the route leads under the Hockey Stick itself (a rock formation in the wall). This is followed by an overhang over the edge of the Hockey Stick. In the next lengths there is an interesting chimney, a traverse over the belly and finally a climb down into the cauldron below the summit of Lomnicky Peak. The cauldron is climbed down to the observation terrace on the summit. At the top you will enjoy the euphoria of climbing a real Tatra pearl.

The ascent takes about 4 to 6 hours. It is suitable for advanced and experienced climbers.

Other climbing ascents on Lomnicky Peak

If even Hokejka was not enough of a challenge for you, there are several extremely difficult climbs in the west face of Lomnický štít in the UIAA scale of difficulty VIII. Climbing these routes requires an exceptionally well-climbed client and experience from similar ascents. If you have a desire to try something like this feel free to contact me. We will arrange a climb 🙂

Descent from the top of Lomnicky Peak

The descent from the top of Lomnický štít follows the classic route called the normal route. The descent is in the opposite direction to the ascent via this route. The descent takes about 1.5 hours back to Lomnický sedlo. From the saddle you usually continue by cable car via Skalnaté Pleso, Start back to Tatranská Lomnica.