Hrebienok, which means ‘saddle’ in Slovak, is a terraced ridge in the High Tatras, located in the massif of Slavkovský Peak. It has a height of 1,285 meters a.s.l. It is the most popular viewpoint in the High Tatras. From the top you can see the skyline of Poprad, as well as the pyramids of Indirect Ridge (2440m) and Lomnica (2632m).
The top can be reached by train from Old Smokovec at the base. The train is very similar to the one that goes up Gubałówka in Poland. The journey takes 7 minutes and costs 7 euros per adult (one way up). The railway runs every half hour, and at the same time can take 128 people.
The mountain lift is the simplest method of getting to the top. Especially in the winter and with children. For children it is an additional attraction.
At the top there are several attractions for children: inner tube downhill on ice, there is also an exhibition of figures made of ice and ice temple. Every year a competition called Tatry Ice Master is organized to select the best sculptor of ice figures.
There is also a restaurant, a holiday home and a panoramic terrace. There are, of course, ski lifts and the main attraction we went for – downhill on a sled.
You can borrow a sled at the lower station in the store of Tatry Motion. You can also do that at the top, but there are only wooden ones. The ones borrowed at the bottom were very sturdy metal sleds that could easily be used in 1+1 and 1+2 configurations. The sledging route leads along the train tracks. It has a length of 2.5 km. The route leads through an open area that was once covered with forest. There was, however, a hurricane in November 2004, and the forest was totally destroyed. In place of the old forest they planted new trees, but that new forest was burnt in 2013.
Sledging from Hrebienok was great entertainment. We just liked it so much that we decided to drive to the top again and take a ride one more time.
After the end of the sledging we were all soaked. Snow got into our boots, gloves, everything was soaked, even our hats. Luckily, we had a change of clothes in the car.
Be sure to see the movie showing our fun! We recommend everyone to go to Hrebienok on a sled with children.
We drove in the direction of Poprad, to get to the next accommodation. This time we moved to Liptovsky Mikulas area – to village Trnovec.
In Mikuláš we ate dinner in the restaurant Soda Club. A restaurant with good recommendations from Foursquare users. Once again, it turns out the community was right, giving high marks. Prices were reasonable and the meals were tasty.
Liptovský Trnovec is a small town located nearby the lake Liptovska Mara. For us it was an ideal base for trip to Tatralandia, which we wanted to take the next day.