Through Tri Vody to Luková

This route can be taken in adverse weather conditions and high avalanche danger. A large chunk of the route runs through the forest and is protected from the wind with the exception of the final section, which lies above the forest zone and can get windy. The route is usually well-trodden and easy to follow and is also suitable for beginners. The ascent is relatively gentle, ideal for the advanced tourers.  You can return back to the resort at several points along the way. The advantage of this route is that it can also be taken when the snow conditions are not ideal.

The tour starts at the chalet called Mikulášska Chata (1,113 m.a.s.l.). It follows the yellow-blazed trail leading past the Marmot Hotel and continues along the Zadná Voda Valley. The initially wide forest road, which sometimes serves as a cross-country skiing trail, gets narrower and crosses several smaller streams. At Tri Vody, the crossroads of the hiking trails, the route turns left and continues along the red-blazed trail traversing towards the upper station of the Brhliská cable car. If you don’t want to  continue further here, you can shorten the route by skiing down the Vrbická piste (10), but we recommend you to continue following the red-blazed trail to the Pod Orlou Skalou crossroads (1,475 m.a.s.l). In this part, the forest thins out and gives way to a series of low and sparse pines. The last section of the climb follows a serpentine-like trail leading right to Luková. At Luková, there is a number of places where you can hide from the wind, take the skins off your skis and rest.

Several options are available. One of them is to ski back the same way to Brhliská and further down the Vrbická piste (10). The second option is to ski down the Spravodlivá piste, which is not groomed and its terrain often gets bumpy in winter. Although exciting for many, bump skiing is not suitable for beginner skiers. Please be considerate of other skiers. This area is popular with free-riders, especially after a powdery snowfall. The last option is to descend down the Majstrovská piste (7). It is not always covered with snow, so it is good to follow the ski conditions of the pistes in the resort.

The Vrbické Pleso mountain lake is of glacial origin and is the largest natural lake in the Low Tatras.

by bus: the Demänovská Dolina bus stop, the ski bus will take you to the Grand Hotel bus stop

by car: there are parking lots with limited parking spaces situated right at the start point of the route

Bufet Bernardino snack bar on the Brhliská piste, the Restaurant von Roll (Luková)

There is a wide variety of accommodation options to choose from, with the Liptov Hotel, the Grand Hotel, the Marmot Hotel, the Koliba Jasná Hotel and Mikulášska Chata being the closest. Accommodation can also be found in the Demänovská Valley and Liptovský Mikuláš.

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a pleasant, undemanding hike with a number of places to stop for refreshments on the routes and no avalanche danger

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gets crowded in the season