Mała Fatra · Martin, Žilinský Region
Slovakia’s first genuinely alpine ferrata, built in 2013 by the mountain rescue service in the canyon of the Pivovarský stream in the Lúčanská Malá Fatra. The route starts at the Martin-Stráne bus terminus at 512 metres and ends at the huts on Martinské hole at 1,260 — 913 metres of secured sections and 780 metres of gain, but spread over nine kilometres of trail, of which the climbing itself is about an hour. It passes cascades and waterfalls, a suspension bridge and the remains of old mine adits; the lower part follows an ordinary marked trail, the upper is one-way. At the end you pick the B or the C variant.
| Difficulty | B · C |
|---|---|
| Route length | 913 m |
| Vertical gain | 780 m |
| Climbing time | 1 h |
| Approach | 3 h |
| Altitude | 1260 m n.p.m. |
| Address: | Pętla autobusowa Martin-Stráne (linie 40 i 41), Martin |
Free access, but only in season. Season: June – September.
Free access, no staff, but with two closures a year: the route is shut from 15 April to 31 May and from 15 September to 31 October. Outside those dates it is also open in winter — though then it becomes a crampons-and-ice-axe outing rather than a walk.
A full ferrata kit is mandatory: harness, lanyard with absorber, two locking carabiners, helmet and gloves. There is nobody at the wall to check it or to rent it to you.
Requirements: Guided trips take children from eight years old. There are no limits for going in on your own, but the three-hour approach and 780 metres of gain set their own.
Tickets: Free entry. A crossing with a UIMLA guide costs from about €74–90 per person in a group of three to six, gear included.