Fogy days in scrub.

Chopok South - back Derese

Insert: 10.08.2009

Exploring Chopok South began with a weak in winter 2007, where all "spoiled " from previous winter, waiting for significant snow cover and still would not come. But suddenly the front, cumming mostly from the west or north, turned, and came unexpectedly from the south. After considering all the possible meteorological sites fell clear choice to Chopok South.

None of our freeriders gang had with Chopok South more experience. We have known well North side at that time we have known very well, but the south side we saw just through the window of hut under peak Chopk. We just sat in the car and went toward SK. The Chopok South can be reached by 2 different ways. One leads through a classically Lipovský Mikulas , then continued towards Poprad, then you must turn from the highway to Liptovský Hradek and go towards Vysna Boca. Followed Certovina climb into the saddle and then way down to the village, you see turning direction Bystrá Chopok - Srdiečko. Followed by a further 7 km to Srdiecko. Here is a car park. In this part of the journey is necessary to have in car at least have snow chains, the best all-wheel drive.We have experience with road jam in these part, car which stopped in the steep road can’t get back to ride up and stuck. We try to pushing car to ride and it was quite crazy.When you got up on these steep road, you almost won, it is not important to find suitable parking space. Best is to miss all the parking's and go and park somewhere on the drive to Srdecku so you do not hike 1 km to the lift.

Then followed necessary buying lift tickets and way to lift. Chair lift begins at the hotel Srdiecko is 4 seat and quite fast. It takes you to hotel Kosodrevina and from there you can take old good towins. Chopok Juh has total of 3 this towins and all are quite long enough. Snowboarders really suffering on them , and when you see their faces on the top you really don’t envy. On the way up you can see how the experienced skier, non experienced fell down :-)).

The biggest problem on South part of the resort is unstable weather, but it is a problem of all Chopok resort. On South I've spent a few days, but I tell you that there is sunshine in 3 days of the year and usually days when you ride either ice or no snow at all. When we were there , we had mostly good weather in morning to 8.30 am and then clouds spread out around 15.45, just in the switching off lift time. So we had a really nice :-)). Due to the fact that since Kosodrevina hotel up you do not see the tips of your skis we managed to find much luxury freeride in forest areas in which so many people do not go. The north part of resort has impassable forests to ride , because they are already at the bottom parts , but here are all in above parts.

Then two years ago, we caught a lot of pow…, so the ride in the woods was really nice. I like to remember because it was 2 long weekends in a brutal pow, without people and queues at lifts, because the fog nobody wanted to go ...

And now to the right side of the resort.

Trace 8
Leads from upper station towins number. 2, or if you are lucky you'll hit a day when going to connecting towin to Chopok, so you can start at the top.Top is the scrub ride, which will help you to orientate in the field, when is fogy. Going down slightly to the right to the forest, forest continue to trough (stream), which usually get to the road (No.13), which will direct you to towin 5 and that will take you back to 4seat chairlift.

Trace 9
Faster passage through the forest itself. Thus we go where on the top is really nasty, fog and wind is blowing. Again there is enough space for any number of rides through the forest. Again you will come to a path that will direct you to the bottom towin.

Trace 10
These track starts from 4 seats chair lift ,little while under it to the pillows or on the edge of the forest, then along the way and once you see the place in the woods that you like, so it dropping down. Forest is very interesting here, in these places is mixed. Everywhere else is usually tall spruce, but here you will find beech (more in bottom line). Again you have to arrive on the path to towin.

Trace 11
It is from the towin, which leads to Vyhliadku. Here is again pine on the top, followed by occasional spruce and then comes very sharp and beautiful large trees. This is only really recommend riding for experienced guys, because the last big wind calamity (in 2005) there occurred many conifers and created some very difficult to ride. It's good here on the hardcore BC jumps on huge fallen trees and other natural obstacles. Be careful when crossing the stream, there is enough water and under pillow are sharp rocks.

Trace 12

Is other option of back Deres. Here I recommend to keep you neer the towin, you can override the mountain ridge (which is very easy) and avoid to get to the next valley. On top of the scrub you can ride on high speed wherever you like, it's quite wide there for large turns, there are no traps or obstacles. Then you cross over the ski slope and turn left into the woods. There are 2 more routes lower and higher. Higher trail go through tall pine forest and the lower trail leads from the woods.

Deres side of Chopok South is a very interesting change compared to steeper north. In upper parts of south resort you can pull it on hing speed. Please note only one thing that there is path that leads to the entire area through scrub to the rear lifts. Happened to us here, that one day we went down and nothing was there, and the next day some snow catch decided to restore path. And I saw it on my own eyes riders did’t know and tumble frontflips ... They did not marked that way and you definitely fall down on it, sometimes the edge is high 1.5m . So be careful at the first ride and enjoy this part of Chopok as we did.+

In another article about Chopok South we will look at the right side under the legendary peak Chopok. This side is characterized by beautiful long areas just below Chopok and then "hardcore" roll-up to road leading to the lifts .

Attachment : Chopok Juh - Zadné Déreše

| Chopok Juh - Mapa s vrstevnice

| Chopok Juh - Lyžařská mapa

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Fogy days in scrub.

Chopok South - back Derese

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