Malý Kežmarský štít (2513 m a.s.l.) may play second fiddle to its taller neighbour Kežmarský štít, but in one respect it stands alone: its north face hosts the highest concentration of climbing routes in the entire Tatra Mountains. This granite giant in the Slovak High Tatras is a magnet for mountaineers seeking conditions that feel genuinely alpine.
The peak belongs to the Kežmarský štít massif and is built entirely of granite. Its north face drops roughly 900 metres towards Zelené pleso (Green Lake), making it one of the tallest walls in the Tatras. In summer the face is a labyrinth of chimneys, pillars and ledges; in winter it transforms into a serious ice and mixed arena. The summit views are somewhat more limited than those from the higher neighbouring peak, but the wild granite ridges and the deep valleys below — Zelená dolina to the north, Veľká Zmrzlá dolina to the west, and Huncovská dolina to the southeast — create an atmosphere that is raw and memorable.
How to reach the summitThe first recorded winter ascent took place on 8 March 1906, and the legendary north face was described by climber Wiesław Stanisławski in 1933 as 'the greatest abyss of the Tatras' — a title it still deserves today.