A short winter hike with overnight stays in a shepherd's hut (kolyba) with a stove. The goal of the hike is to climb the third highest mountain of the Ukrainian Carpathians, Pop-Ivan Chernogorsky (2028 m). At its top there is an abandoned observatory, which in winter is covered with a meter-thick layer of ice and turns into a fabulous “White Elephant”. If you are lucky with the weather, stunning panoramas of the snow-capped Montenegrin ridge (Hoverla is visible) and the Romanian Carpathians await you. And if you are unlucky, then you will feel firsthand what waist-deep snowdrifts and a snow storm are like. But how nice it will be to return to a warm stove later:)
RouteRoute map
Open the map →The GPS track is not digitised yet, the line is approximate (by key points).
Along the trailWhat you will see
Day by dayItinerary
1 Day 1. Ivano-Frankivsk, Verkhovyna, Shibene village, Vesnarka valley.
The group meets at 10 am at the Ivano-Frankivsk railway station. The instructor checks the “completeness” of the participants, distributes food and rental equipment. We take the bus and go to Verkhovyna (2-3 hours on the way). There we change to a minibus going to the village of Shibene (another 2 hours), from where our winter hike will begin. If a large group gathers, then instead of slow regular buses, you can go to the start of the route on a chartered minibus. Šibene is located very close to the Romanian border, there are border guards on duty at the checkpoint, so be sure to take your passport (regular, civilian) with you.
2 Day 2. Mount Pop Ivan Chernogorsky (2028 m), ruins of the White Elephant observatory.
Today is a very long day - we need to run to the top (without load) before dark and return to the hut. Therefore, we get up before dawn, have breakfast, and pour hot tea into thermoses. Regardless of the current weather, you should take maximum warm clothes, a raincoat (!) and a flashlight when climbing.
The first half of the climb again goes through the forest (this is good - there is shelter from the wind). On the way we pass the mountain lake Maricheika. Then we climb out onto the open slope and continue to slowly climb among the snow-covered dwarf trees. Once at the top, we climb into the White Elephant Observatory and have lunch under the protection of its walls. A short rest, photo session, then we turn back. In the evening we return to the hospitable kolyba.
3 Day 3. Descent to Shibene, return to Ivano-Frankivsk.
DetailsIncluded
- 🍽Three meals a day on the route
- 🧭Instructor services
- •Registration in the rescue service
- 🎒Group equipment (first aid kit, forceps, boilers, chain saw, etc.)
- 🎒Rental of personal equipment
- 🚐Travel from the station to the beginning of the route and back (in the amount of 200 to 400 hryvnias)
- 🛡Medical insurance
- •A discount of 100 hryvnias is given for the feedback about the hike
Trip conditions
Winter hiking in the Carpathians is a difficult event with an increased level of risk. Difficult weather conditions can lead to hypothermia or even frostbite. Each participant in the hike, realistically assessing his level of physical, technical and psychological training, independently decides to participate in this program and is responsible for his actions or inaction.
The instructor makes every effort and takes all precautions to reduce the above risks, but is not responsible for damage that may be caused to the participant if any of the risks occur. The instructor has the right to make changes to the route based on his personal assessment of the weather, the condition of the group and other factors. Participants undertake to abide by the instructor's decisions without question.
The hut in which we will spend the night is by no means a luxurious cottage. It looks more like a barn. To sleep in it you definitely need a rug and a winter sleeping bag. The stove in the kolyba heats exactly as long as it burns, and it burns until the last tourist falls asleep.
