Volovec (Tatra)
Encyclopedia
Volovec or Wołowiec (in Polish) is a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...

 in the Western Tatras
Western Tatras
The Western Tatras are mountains in the Tatras, part of the Carpathian Mountains, located on the Polish-Slovak borders. The mountains border the High Tatras in the east, Podtatranská kotlina in the south, Choč Mountains in the west and Rów Podtatrzański in the north...

 at the border of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. It lies on the main ridge between Ostrý Roháč and Rákoň, standing over three valleys: Chochołowską, Roháčska and Jamnícka.

It offers views over the Polish Western Tatras, and Slovak Roháče. Janusz Chmielowski wrote in 1898: "The summit is extremely interesting (...), in the south rises the jagged group of Rohacz/Roháče (...), toward the east the High Tatras just like a giant rocky island (...) On the north stands the dome of Babia Góra. On the west lie below the Roháčske Ponds."

History

The mountain's height was determined already in 1820 and it was used as an important triangulation
Triangulation
In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly...

 point.

Location and topography

The peak is located at a junction of three ridges:
  • from the east from Jarząbczy Wierch/Hrubý Vrch and Łopata/Lopata
  • from the south from Ostrý Roháč/Rohacz Ostry and Plačlivé/Rohacz Placzliwy (towards Roháče)
  • from the north from Rákon/Rakoń and Grześ (towards Bobrovec)


Distances of other places in Western Tatras from the summit:
  • Jarząbczy Wierch/Hrubý Vrch: 2 hours 10 minutes

Description

The mountain consists of metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock is the transformation of an existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change...

 (Alaskite and Mylonite
Mylonite
Mylonite is a fine-grained, compact rock produced by dynamic recrystallization of the constituent minerals resulting in a reduction of the grain size of the rock. It is classified as a metamorphic rock...

). Local fauna include the Tatra chamois
Tatra chamois
The Tatra chamois is a subspecies of the Chamois of the Rupicapra genus. Tatra chamois lives in the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia and Poland and, unknown to many, the Low Tatras in Slovakia....

 and Alpine marmot
Alpine Marmot
The Alpine Marmot is a species of marmot found in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe. Alpine marmots live at heights between 800 and 3,200 metres in the Alps, Carpathians, Tatras, the Pyrenees and Northern Apennines in Italy...

.

Access

There are two marked hiking trails which lead to the summit of Volovec, red and blue. A third, green one, connects with the blue one at the saddle beneath the mountain. All routes pose no technical difficulty and when taking into account the relatively large distance and altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...

 difference involved, the summit is one of the most challenging climbs in Western Tatras accessible even to children.
An exception to this is trying to access Volovec through Ostrý Roháč and Jamnícke saddle, which is one of the most exposed climbs on the main ridge of Western Tatras.
  • Red trail from Jarząbczy Wierch/Hrubý Vrch
  • Blue trail from village Oravice
    Oravice
    Oravice may refer to the following places:* Oravița, a town in southwestern Romania* Oravice , a town in northern Slovakia...

     through Jamnícka valley


Hiking off-trails is forbidden in Polish Western Tatras and allowed only at certain areas in Slovak Western Tatras and only when accompanied by a mountain guide
Mountain guide
Mountain guides are specially trained and experienced mountaineers and professionals who are generally certified by an association. They are considered experts in mountaineering.-Skills:Their skills usually include climbing, skiing and hiking...

or when holding a UIAA license.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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