Climbers at the start of the via ferrata climb in Martinky, central Slovakia. (source: P.D. for The Slovak Spectator)
At the fourth information board in the middle of the forest, it looked like a full dressing room. Everyone enthusiastically put on helmets, harnesses with climbing safety straps and carabiners.
At one point, Slovak was mixed with Polish and Czech here.
A board with the name ‘Ferrata HZS’, located next to a wooden shelter and nailed to a tree, explains to climbers how to properly manage the ascent of the oldest Slovak via ferrata (‘iron road’ in English), which was created by the Veľká Fatra Mountain Rescue Service (HZS), Skialp Club Kriváň and volunteers in 2013 and 2014. The climber can also read that it offers two difficulty levels: B (easier) and C (more demanding).
The via ferrata is situated in the Lúčanská Malá Fatra mountain range, central Slovakia, and a short distance from the popular tourist and ski resort Martinské Hole outside the town of Martin.
The map on this board also reveals that climbers will see waterfalls, several bridges and a ladder on their way up. It doesn’t say anything about rope bridges, but they weren’t a big surprise to me. Since it was my first via ferrata climb ever, I checked internet reviews and photos on social media before the climb. The almost five-kilometre via ferrata and the surrounding nature were rated by climbers as ‘wonderful’ and many wrote that it is a place they want to return to, or that it is a place that ‘must be visited’.
And so I decided to experience it myself. For me, the rope bridges were literally the highlight of the ascent, pleasant for climbers in the summer when it cools them down and in winter when it becomes a bigger challenge due to snow and ice (despite iron spikes on their boots and an ice axe in their hand). It is no wonder that people - not only locals - regularly return to the via ferrata in the Fatra mountains.
Although the via ferrata stretches through the forest, there are views of the surrounding hills that you can enjoy, if you find the strength to hike from this via ferrata to the nearby Krížava and Veľká Lúka peaks.
‘Lobsters’ in the woods
The actual trip to the via ferrata begins for climbers at the final public transport stop called Stráne; bus 40 or 41 leaves from outside the Hotel Turiec or Jesenského stop in Martin. At the Stráne stop you can rent a via ferrata kit. There is, for example, the Fatraski rental office, which also offers an adrenaline scooter ride outside the winter season from the Martinské Hole resort back to the rental office near the former Martin - Stráne cable car in the price of the kit (€30).
They will be happy to explain to you how to put the kit on once you reach the via ferrata.
Walking along the asphalt road, tourists continue from the bus stop to the Ferrata Hotel, where there is a sign indicating the beginning of the approximately one-hour hike to the via ferrata. It leads through the forest and along the Pivovarský Stream. The sign also points out that the via ferrata is closed in spring (April 15 - May 31) and autumn (September 15 - October 31).
The hiking trail is marked in red.
In the company of a gurgling stream, I gradually crossed several wooden and iron bridges, read information boards about the location, and admired technical monuments from the times when minerals were mined here. These monuments, including the former rail tracks, were a pleasant diversion of my trip.
The real adventure began at the fourth board, where the tourists were gathering. With helmets on their heads, they made their way to the steel rope and the first ladder rung. As an obedient student, I learned from the others how to properly clip a carabiner onto the rope and then unclip it.
After a while, I could already see a long line of tourists at even intervals behind me. If I exaggerate, there were more of us than there were customers in the shops on Black Friday. Probably it’s better to start the climb in the early morning. But we really looked like ants or lobsters with claws trying to climb up the rocks to the final stop without falling into the creek.
During the ascent, I kept hearing a stream, a waterfall, and carabiners. There was so much water in the stream that hardly anyone could stay dry. The rocks underfoot were wet and slippery, so I decided that my trainers (white, too) were not ideal footwear for this trip. My laziness prevented me from changing trainers.
Anyway, even with trainers, I managed a walk through two rope bridges, which were built here in 2017, and completed the via ferrata trip by the cross where two Polish families were already sitting.
They were signing the visitors’ book.
A place where climbers can get a via ferrata kit. (source: P.D. for The Slovak Spectator)
A rope bridge. (source: P.D. for The Slovak Spectator)
Polish families after their via ferrata hike. (source: P.D. for The Slovak Spectator)
To the TV transmitter
After a while I came out of the forest and followed the blue sign towards the tourist and ski centre Martinské Hole (Martinky). From the asphalt road, you can see several cottages such as Pirmanka or Nová Ponorka, which offer accommodation and meals.
The company Fatraski also has its stand with scooters here.
After a glass of Kofola (Slovak version of Coke) and a rest, I walked up to the TV transmitter, which is located a short distance from the Rotunda. It is a small building from where mountain rescuers supervise skiers during the winter. It is the highest point of the slope on Martinské Hole. With a short walk you can also reach the peaks of Krížava (1,453m) and Veľká lúka (1,476m).
From the top of the ski slope, which I scrambled to via this steep slope (there is also a broken asphalt road leading to it) with a few closed buffets, I enjoyed wonderful views of the surrounding hills and the town of Martin. Since the skiing season was still far during my visit, the surrounding nature was colourful and there were a minimum of people around the transmitter.
In addition, I was able to enjoy a quick scooter ride along a marked route of approximately seven kilometres. Beforehand, every tourist receives quick instructions and a helmet. During the ride itself, I had the opportunity to enjoy a few views of the Turiec region and to stop at a cannon, used by Slovak insurgents against fascists during the Second World War.
I’m already looking forward to the winter version of this via ferrata trip, when everything will be white.
Climbers can take a scooter ride down the hill to where their climb began. (source: P.D. for The Slovak Spectator)
A canon that can be seen on the way down from Martinky. (source: P.D. for The Slovak Spectator)
Where to stay and eat
The Turiec region, in which the via ferrata, the Martinky resort and the Snowland Valčianska Dolina resort are located, also offers many other activities, which you can try throughout the seasons.
There are partisan bunkers in Valčianska Dolina. At the airport in Tomčany you can experience a sightseeing flight. In the town of Vrútky, you can go to a gay club.
If you plan to stay in the region a few days, it is ideal to find accommodation in Martin, the centre of the region. There are a few hotels such as Turiec, Victoria, Bystrička, MartInn and San Martin.
Right in the city centre of Martin you will find several restaurants and bistros where you can have lunch, dinner, coffee or beer. In the pedestrian zone, you can try the Czech restaurant Česká Hospoda, eat local Frito burgers, head to the Vietnamese bistro NhaBe, enjoy a cake at Basta Fidli or great coffee at Kocúr. Outside the centre, there is a popular local brewery called Martins. In Vrútky you can have steaks in the restaurant known as Habanero.
A view up from the TV transmitter. (source: P.D. for The Slovak Spectator)
A closed buffet called Svah (Slope). (source: P.D. for The Slovak Spectator)
Rotunda. (source: P.D. for The Slovak Spectator)
