Durny Szczyt (2,621 m a.s.l.) is the fourth highest peak in the Tatras and in Slovakia — a bold, jagged summit that has inspired awe in mountain lovers for generations. Access is restricted to those accompanied by a licensed mountain guide, which keeps this peak beautifully wild and unspoiled. If you are looking for a genuine high-mountain experience in the High Tatras, this is one to put on your list.

The peak towers above the Malá Studená dolina (Little Cold Valley), dropping into it via an almost 250-metre-high western wall that holds the largest rock overhang in the entire Tatras — first climbed only in 2002, after a 12-hour effort rated at VII A4. The eastern face rises a formidable 400 metres from the Medená kotlina basin. The summit rewards climbers with a sweeping panorama: the peaks and valleys of the High Tatras, the Sub-Tatric Basin, parts of the Low Tatras, and on clear days even the Orava Beskids. In summer the landscape is all raw granite and alpine meadows; in winter the peak transforms into an icy, almost Arctic world.

• Téry Hut (Téryho chata) in Malá Studená dolina — starting point for the guided ascent; a licensed mountain guide is mandatory; difficulty: demanding

• Ascent is only permitted with a licensed mountain guide — the peak lies within Tatra National Park and on the boundary of two national nature reserves.
• No marked hiking trails lead to the summit.
• Téry Hut, located in Malá Studená dolina on the southwestern slopes, serves as the ideal base for the ascent.

The first winter ascent took place on 27 March 1910, and the peak has a poignant history — the celebrated mountain guide Ján Breuer from Nová Lesná lost his life here in 1924 during a rescue operation, a reminder of the serious respect these mountains demand.