Gorazd Gorišek, FROM MARIBOR TO THE ADRIATIC SEA AUTHORS Mojca Stritar Kučuk, 1. EASTERN POHORJE The Slovenian Mountain Andraž Poljanec 2. CENTRAL POHORJE Gorazd Gorišek (1976) works at the Post 3. WESTERN POHORJE of Slovenia. He started exploring the hills FROM MARIBOR TO THE ADRIATIC SEA 4. URŠLJA GORA around his hometown as a young child before Trail starts in Maribor and goes across Pohorje, 5. SMREKOVEC MASSIF his parents introduced him to the high Slovenian 6. RADUHA the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Karawanks to mountains. Mojstrana. It then enters the Julian Alps and climbs 7. ACROSS RIVER SAVINJA TO KOROŠICA Together with his wife he later focused on some of Slovenia’s highest summits. The last part of 8. OJSTRICA difficult unmarked trails and nowadays he the trail leaves the high mountains, heads west and Mountain 9. ACROSS SAVINJSKO SEDLO explores the mountains with his family. ends on the Slovenian coast. His first writings about the mountains 10. KRIŽ AND SKUTA in Slovenia and abroad were featured on • Length: 617.4 km Trail 11. GRINTOVEC AND JEZERSKA KOČNA Gore-ljudje, a Slovenian website dedicated to • Elevation gain/loss: 37,300 m of elevation gain, 12. THROUGH JEZERSKO mountains. He writes for Planinski vestnik, 37,600 m of elevation loss 13. STORŽIČ a renowned Slovenian mountaineering • Number of stages: 43 14. FROM KRIŠKA GORA TO DOBRČA magazine, as well as for other publications. • Number of checkpoints: 80 15. BEGUNJŠČICA He’s written several guidebooks and • Number of summits: at least 35 co-authored a monography on Slovenian • Number of huts: at least 55 16. STOL mountains. He’s also involved in the making • Estimated time: 252 hours or 37 days 17. FROM GOLICA TO MOJSTRANA of hiking maps of the Alpine Association of 18. FROM MOJSTRANA TO VRATA Slovenia. SLOVENIAN MOUNTAIN TRAIL MOUNTAIN SLOVENIAN 19. FROM VRATA TO KREDARICA BENEATH TRIGLAV’S SUMMIT 20. TRIGLAV Mojca Stritar Kučuk (1979) has a PhD in the 21. ACROSS BOVŠKI GAMSOVEC TO KRIŠKI PODI Slovenian language and works as a linguist, 22. RAZOR AND PRISOJNIK publicist, editor, and teacher of Slovene as a 23. BENEATH THE MOJSTROVKA PEAKS foreign language, but her heart beats for the mountains, traveling, and caving. 24. JALOVEC She’s the author and co-author of countless 25. TO THE SOURCE OF THE SOČA RIVER publications for adults and children. 26. ALONG THE SOČA RIVER Her favorite pursuits are long treks, 27. THROUGH ZADNJICA TO PREHODAVCI forgotten unmarked trails, ski touring, 28. TRIGLAV LAKES VALLEY and high summits, while lately she’s been 29. FROM TRIGLAV LAKES TO KOMNA rediscovering the simple joys of easy hikes with children. 30. FROM KOMNA TO KRN LAKES 31. KRN 32. FROM KRN TO PLANINA RAZOR Andraž Poljanec (1972) is a musician who 33. BOHINJ-TOLMIN RIDGE loves to spend as much time in the mountains 34. FROM ČRNA PRST TO PETROVO BRDO as possible. He enjoys ski touring immensely A. POLJANEC KUČUK, G. GORIŠEK, M. STRITAR so it’s no surprise that his favorite time of 35. FROM PETROVO BRDO TO POREZEN 36. FROM POREZEN TO ERMANOVEC the year is winter. He loves to explore the 9 789616 870412 mountains together with his kids, who are 37. THROUGH IDRIJA TO HLEVIŠKA PLANINA CENA experts on birds and wild orchids. 38. ACROSS TRNOVSKI GOZD He’s worked on numerous mountaineering 27,90 € 39. FROM ČAVEN TO JAVORNIK and ski-touring guidebooks covering all ISBN 40. FROM JAVORNIK TO NANOS corners of Slovenian mountains. 978-961-6870-41-2 41. FROM NANOS TO ŠKOCJAN CAVES 42. FROM ŠKOCJAN CAVES TO SLAVNIK 43. FROM SLAVNIK TO DEBELI RTIČ 2019.06.29_ovitek.indd 1 18/07/2019 13:34:12 GORAZD GORIŠEK, PHOTO CREDITS-1 DRAWING CREDITS Ojstrica MOJCA STRITAR KUČUK, Gorazd Gorišek: pages 9, Tone Rojc, ANDRAŽ POLJANEC 13, 19, 20-21, 28-29, 46-47, Jadran Lasnibat, Slovenian Mountain Trail 50-51, 56-57, 58-59, 60-61, Špela Oblak 74-75 EDITOR Franci Horvat: front cover, All rights reserved. No part Jože Drab pages 24-25, 32-33, 38-39, of this book may be used, 44-45, 51, 52-53, 63, 64- reproduced, distributed, EDITOR OF THE ALPINE 65, 67, 68-69, 82-83, 85, or altered in any manner ASSOCIATION OF SLOVENIA’S 92-93, 96-97 (including photocopying, PUBLISHING HOUSE Andreja Tomšič Drab: printing, and conversion to Vladimir Habjan pages 73, 78-79, 86-87, electronic form) without 90-91, written permission from TRANSLATION Oton Naglost: pages 10, the publisher. Gorazd Pipenbaher 42-43 Jovan Cukut: pages 77 LANGUAGE REVISION Aleksandra Kocmut PHOTO CREDITS-2 Andreja Tomšič Drab: front TECHNICAL EDITOR cover, page 33 Emil Pevec Franci Horvat: pages 20-21, 24, 26-27, 40-41, 50-51, 56 MAPS AND ELEVATION PROFILES (top), 57, 76-77 Geodetska družba d. o. o. Gorazd Gorišek: pages 25, 48-49, 54-55, 58-59, 61, CARTOGRAPHY EDITOR 70-71, 85, 92 Andrej Stritar Peter Strgar: pages 19, 36- 37, 47, 68-69, 74-75, 82-83, BOOK DESIGN 86-87 Grupa Ee Jože Drab: pages 9, 13, 39, 44-45 LAYOUT Oton Naglost: pages 10, Meta Žebre 30-31, 34-35, 56 (bottom) Jovan Cukut: pages 62-63, PRINTED BY 78-79 Grafika Soča d. o. o. Tomaž Marolt: pages 66-67 Nova Gorica, Slovenia Lidija Ramovš: page 73 PUBLISHED BY PHOTO CREDITS-3 Alpine Association of Franci Horvat: pages 9, Slovenia 18-19, 20-21, 24-25, 54-55, Ob železnici 30a, 56, 58-59, 62-63, 64-65, SI-1000 Ljubljana 69, 74-75 Slovenia Oton Naglost: front cover, www.pzs.si pages 34-35, 48, 70-71 [email protected] Jože Drab: pages 10, 12, Ljubljana, 2019, 44, 45 Lidija Ramovš: pages 40- PUBLISHER’S REFERENCE 41, 50-51 NUMBER Gorazd Gorišek: pages 498 28-29 Andreja Tomšič Drab: FOR THE ALPINE ASSOCIATION pages 42-43 OF SLOVENIA Gal Pavel Pazlar: pages Jože Rovan 76-77 Andrej Ranfl: page 32 NUMBER OF COPIES 600 5 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Table of contents Foreword 6 35. From Petrovo Brdo to Porezen 36. From Porezen to Ermanovec Slovenian Mountain Trail 8 37. Through Idrija to Hleviška planina • Slovenian Mountain Trail: Facts and Figures 8 38. Across Trnovski gozd 9 39. From Čaven to Javornik 1. Eastern Pohorje 40. From Javornik to Nanos 2. Central Pohorje 41. From Nanos to Škocjan Caves 3. Western Pohorje 20 42. From Škocjan Caves to Slavnik 4. Uršlja gora 24 43. From Slavnik to Debeli rtič 5. Smrekovec Massif 28 6. Raduha 32 Checkpoints of the Slovenian Mountain Trail 7. Across River Savinja to Korošica 38 8. Ojstrica 42 9. Across Savinjsko sedlo 46 10. Križ and Skuta 52 11. Grintovec and Jezerska Kočna 56 12. Through Jezersko 60 13. Storžič 64 14. From Kriška gora to Dobrča 68 15. Begunjščica 74 16. Stol 78 17. From Golica to Mojstrana 82 18. From Mojstrana to Vrata 86 19. From Vrata to Kredarica beneath Triglav’s 82 summit 20. Triglav 98 21. Across Bovški Gamsovec to Kriški podi 22. Razor and Prisojnik WARNING 23. Beneath the Mojstrovka peaks 24. Jalovec Even though one of the main goals of every mountaineering 25. To the source of the Soča River guidebook is to increase the safety of mountaineers, the 26. Along the Soča River author and publisher of this publication cannot assume any 27. Through Zadnjica to Prehodavci liability for eventual injuries or damage resulting from the use 28. Triglav Lakes Valley of this guidebook. Dangers and hazards are specified for each 29. From Triglav Lakes to Komna described tour, but please bear in mind that all the descriptions 30. From Komna to Krn Lakes are subjective and conditions in the mountains can change 31. Krn within an hour. The user embarks on the tours described in this 32. From Krn to Planina Razor guidebook at their own risk. 33. Bohinj-Tolmin Ridge Very difficult trails require the use of a via ferrata set. Please hire 34. From Črna prst to Petrovo Brdo a guide if you lack the required experience. 6 SLOVENIAN MOUNTAIN TRAIL 7 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Foreword The Slovenian Mountain Trail is the most popular scriptions that are accurate and up to date. They encoun- long-distance path in Slovenia and the oldest route of its tered many changes, most notably the trail not ending in kind in the world. After its introduction, several similar Ankaran anymore, but going all the way to Debeli rtič. routes have been established all over Europe, which are The authors have noticed quite a few discrepancies when now much more famous and popular. It all started in 1953 comparing the official lengths and altitude gains with their when the Alpine Association of Slovenia opened the “Slo- own recorded numbers, so the editor and the Alpine Asso- venian Mountaineering Long-Distance Trail No. 1”, based ciation of Slovenia made sure to check all of the data once on the idea of Ivan Šumljak from Maribor. In 1991, the trail again. Our conclusions indicate that the trail is now a bit was renamed to its current name: the Slovenian Mountain longer than it used to be. Please keep in mind that the pro- Trail. Quite a few guidebooks about it have been published, vided numbers are the actual distances you will cover on but none of them are structured the way this one is. De- the trails. Altitude gains/losses are approximate and slight scriptions are divided into sections (stages) in a way that variations can be expected. is new to Slovenian guidebooks. Mountaineers can follow The guidebook starts with a short introduction with one stage after another throughout the whole trail, or they general information about the trails, stages, starting can choose the stages they’d like to do and combine them points, equipment, safety, and a list of relevant maps.