Zhandarm — also called Dragobrat — stands at 1763 m a.s.l. on the Urdu-Flavantuch ridge in the Svydovets massif of the Ukrainian Carpathians. It sits above the beloved Dragobrat ski resort and rewards hikers with sweeping panoramas that stretch all the way to Hoverla.
The east and west flanks of the peak are steep, while the north and south slopes along the ridge are gentler and easier to walk. Up to about 1400 m the mountain is cloaked in spruce and beech forest; above that, open alpine meadows called polonyny take over, rolling green in summer and brilliantly white in winter. Several streams that are born on the eastern slopes eventually merge and flow into the Chorna Tysa river. Looking south, less than a kilometre away, you can spot the main summit of Blyznytsya (1883 m), and on a clear day Hoverla (2061 m) appears on the horizon 22 km to the south-east.
How to reach the summit
Practical information
The name 'Dragobrat' comes from a local dialect word meaning 'clearcut' — a place where forest was once felled — a quiet reminder of the centuries of pastoral and logging life that shaped these mountains.
Source: Wikipedia (license CC BY-SA 4.0)