Carpathians in winter: pros and cons

I go on short (4-6 days) winter hikes, incl. This was not my first time in the Carpathians, so I knew exactly what I needed. Namely: take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city, breathe fresh air and directly communicate with nature. And also look at the snow - unfortunately, for many years now December and the New Year holidays have not been blessed with snow cover, but more and more slush and rain.

However, it was on the day the group met and started on the route that the weather decided to catch up, and our event began in Ivano-Frankivsk at 20 degrees below zero, and a storm warning was announced for the mountains...

According to the instructor’s decision, serious adjustments were made to the route, which, in fact, turned it from “Montenegro Ridge” into, for example, “Hoverla and its neighbors”. The route became significantly easier. It’s hard to say whether this is right or wrong, the group was small, almost all the participants had experience, and, probably, we would have completed the declared track. For me, this issue was not fundamental, because... the change also provided snow, nature, and silence in full.

In total, the hike lasted 5 days (4 overnights).

First day

Transfer to the route (Vorokhta village, checkpoint of the Carpathian National Park), then about 8 km. on the rise. The frost in the mountains became even stronger than in the city, and wind began to blow in open areas, so the choice of the kolyba as a place to spend the night was absolutely correct.

When we arrived at the place, the frost immediately made itself felt (it’s hot when you walk, and when you stop, you understand that it’s not summer outside). Therefore, a fire was quickly assembled (the hut was equipped with a fire pit), we had dinner and spent the night.

It was cold, and almost all the clothes at our disposal were needed to keep us warm.

But the night was indescribably beautiful. The contours of the mountains, as if cut out of black paper, a scattering of stars overhead. Ringing silence. Calm.

Second day

The morning greeted with much milder weather and the sun came out.

Slowly getting ready - and the group set off to the Kozmeschik shelter.

A short (about 4 hours) and leisurely descent - and we came to the houses. After a short discussion they stayed there. The day was boring, nothing much to add. We spent the night comfortably by camping standards - a stove and bunks. “Mattress pads”, in a word.

Third day

As compensation for the dull second day, today there was a climb to Hoverla. But not just an ascent - Goverla was supposed to cross the mountain with backpacks and go down along another path and move to the Zaroslyak camp site.

And the transition lived up to expectations. Until the last moment, Goverla took pity on us, and we went through more than half of the climb easily, it was almost windless. But the further journey took away our debt of comfort: blizzard, snow, fog, gusty headwind. And - up, up. A short rest in an eco-shelter, the finish line - and we are at the top!

The summit did not greet us kindly - the cloud did not dissipate, the sun did not come out. Visibility 4-5 meters. We didn’t stay at the top for long, didn’t really see anything - and after 5-7 minutes the descent began.

At that moment it seemed that we would quickly go down and go to rest. But, in fact, the most difficult thing was ahead. The wind died down, but there was also very poor visibility and slippery, hard, completely untrodden snow. Apart from trekking poles, almost no one had special equipment for the descent. This moment was probably the only one in the campaign that could be called a test. It was scary in places, especially when someone started sliding down and clinging to the snow. Maybe it would not have been dangerous, but the fog created the impression that about 10 meters down there was a cliff. The group was great, they helped each other and everyone descended safely.

The road to Zaroslyak was already a matter of technology. Part of the group went to spend the night in the premises of an abandoned ski jump, and part - in a tent.

Fourth day

Radial day. In the morning, leaving our backpacks on the springboard and filling our thermoses, we went to Lake Nesamovyte. We walked along picturesque trails, climbed the ridge (in some places I remembered yesterday’s ascent and descent to Goverla) and reached the lake.

Fifth day

Descent to the checkpoint of the national park, where we came from. 2.5 hours by bus - and we are in Ivano-Frankivsk. This is where our hike came to an end.

Now the actual review:

General impressions

Firstly, all the tasks I set before the event were, in general, completed: I saw snow, spent time in nature, took my mind off the city, and warmed up well. Overall, the hike went quite smoothly; everyone passed without injuries or colds. For some decisions (in particular on general adjustments to the route, choice of cradle, etc.) the instructor gets a plus.

On the contrary, the adjustment of the route made the hike, in my opinion, too lazy. Still, it would be possible to spend the night in tents for a couple of days, and the radial day could be made into a full-fledged transition. Moreover, you don’t really listen to a group that, seduced by comfort, asks to go to the base, and not to the tent. In addition, more attention is still needed to those lagging behind - there was a moment when the help of an instructor on the descent of part of the group would have been very helpful.

Overall I'm pleased.

Nutrition

The most important thing in nutrition for me is not to leave the table hungry. And this was accomplished; there was enough food. At the same time, after the hike there was little left, i.e. We didn’t carry anything extra on our backs. There was plenty of snacks - sausage and chocolate. I would also like to note the weight of the layout – relatively small, this is important. The only downside was that there wasn't enough bread for the last breakfast - we ate cookies. Well, there was no classic layout for the packages “Breakfast 1 day”, “Snack 2 day”, etc. But these are details.

Equipment

As for the group, everything was simple - everything was there.

Personally, I’ll just share my experience:

• Gather according to the list, which is given in the corresponding section. Just according to the list. He's very to the point. Once you get ready, you can think about adding or subtracting.
• I decided for myself to take a replacement set of socks (thin + warm) for every day. And I didn’t regret it. Even if this is plus half a kilo of weight, they are worth it.
• The self-inflating mat is a thing! You sleep like a king on a feather bed.
• The down sleeping bag is worth the money. It is warm and light.
• Rubber pool slippers with thick soles weigh a little, but are so comfortable in the evening after taking off your heavy boots. You can also walk in the snow by immediately changing your socks.
• In general, the weight of the equipment should not be neglected. There the sleeping bag is light, there you took a fleece instead of a woolen jacket, there you threw away an extra third fur coat and didn’t take your favorite teddy bear - and your back will thank you. But it’s also important not to overdo it, of course.
• They did the right thing in not taking snowshoes (they simply turned out to be unnecessary), but there were often not enough crampons. Well, here everyone decides for themselves what to carry and what to sacrifice for the sake of a light backpack - everyone has been warned.

And one more piece of advice: if you are going on this hike, allow, if possible, 1-3 days for your stay in Ivano-Frankivsk. It’s a nice, original city, with places to walk, relax, and see.

Thank you for your attention.

Evgeny Fionov, St. Petersburg