Pilsko

Pilsko is the mountain that rises right above Korbielów. Its broad dome stands about 1,000 metres above the valleys and 200–300 metres above neighbouring peaks. The main summit (1,557 m) is the second highest in the Żywiec Beskids after Babia Góra, and from its flat, dwarf-pine-covered ridge you can see the Tatras, Babia Góra, the mountains of Slovakia and, on exceptionally clear days, even the eastern Sudetes.

Two summits and a border

The name Pilsko often refers to the whole massif. Along the ridge run the Polish–Slovak border and the main European watershed – water from one slope flows to the Baltic, from the other to the Black Sea. On the border stands Góra Pięciu Kopców ("Five Cairns Peak", 1,543 m), the last summit on the Polish side. The true summit lies about 400 metres further south, already in Slovakia, and a trail leads there. It is marked by a field altar and a cross placed by the people of the Orava village of Mutné, where Mass is celebrated every July. The Polish slopes belong to Korbielów.

Where the name comes from

There are several theories. The name may come from a high meadow called Pielsko recorded in the 18th century, or from old "sawing", i.e. logging. A folk tale, written down by the mayor of Żywiec Andrzej Komoniecki, links it with Orava highwaymen getting drunk on the summit. The first known climber, the priest Gabriel Rzączyński, described Pilsko in 1721.

What to see

• Stone cairns on Góra Pięciu Kopców and border posts.
• Dwarf mountain pine – the highest vegetation zone of the massif; since 1971 part of the Polish slopes has been a nature reserve, on the Slovak side since 1967.
• High meadows around the dome – Miziowa, Cebulowa and pod Kopcem – with rare plants such as Siberian chives and the moorland grass Sesleria uliginosa.
• The panorama of Babia Góra, the Tatras and the Orava Basin.
• The cross of soldier Basik by the yellow trail, commemorating one of the first casualties of the September 1939 campaign, killed here on 1 September 1939.

Tripto tip

The most popular route goes from Korbielów via Hala Miziowa to Góra Pięciu Kopców, then 400 metres to the main summit. Allow 4–6 hours up and down. The mountain hut on Hala Miziowa is a good place for a break and a meal. The dome is wide and easy to get lost on in fog – in winter 1980 a group of young skiers and their coach went astray here, and three of them died of exhaustion. In poor visibility, stay on the trail or turn back. In winter Pilsko's slopes host a ski area, the highest in Poland apart from Kasprowy Wierch.