The wind grabbed a waft of mist the size of an aircraft carrier and propelled it up and over the edge of the ridge. That huge, floating, swirling mass was as stupefying a sight as a pirouetting hippo. Reaching the edge of the ridge and the thick, white mass, we met the light of the low evening sun. The mist kept on rising and was full of light, as if someone had turned on a switch. The next second the wind stopped. There was not the slightest motion of air and the wide snowfields absorbed every noise. Suddenly a silence could be sensed which was so expansive it seemed endless. At this moment any talk was superfluous. At this moment there was only one thing to do: listen. The silence evoked all one needs to know about the Tatras.
The Tatras are the highest part of the Carpathian Mountains. Four-fifths of the Tatras belong to Slovakia (Vysoké Tatry) and one-fifth to Poland (Tatry Wysokie). With a total length of 50 kilometres and a total width of 15, it’s not really a giant range. The highest summit, the Gerlachovský štít (2,655 metres), hardly impresses any serious altitude freaks. The common nickname of “smallest high mountain range in Europe“ underpins the impression that climbing and mountaineering in the Tatras are not really challenging but rather more of a neat pastime.
The flat hinterland out of which the Tatras majestically rise is perfect for wind and weather to generate force, accelerating toward the mountains like a raging bull and hitting them at full speed. If you’re smart, you will have already finished your climb and be sitting back in the valley in a snug hut, drinking the mandatory après beverage: climbing schnapps. If not, you´ll find yourself sitting out the apocalyptic side of the Tatras. The Tatras are definitely not a place where you casually stop by to score some nice winter climbs. Regardless of who you are and where you are from, climbing in the Tatras is no fast-food fare. Visiting climbers are served up traditional fare that only the boldest and strongest can digest. Only those willing to invest some time in getting to know the Tatras, their peculiarities, moods and characteristics will be able to put to use their wealth of experience - and avoid the gallows when the shit hits the fan.
