Spend any time in Slovenia and you’ll soon notice how active the people are, especially when it comes to enjoying the great outdoors. Whether it’s hiking, biking, mountaineering, skiing or simply foraging in the woods for mushrooms and plants, a close relationship with nature and the joys of physical exertion seem to be baked into the national character, as evident in the appearance of Mount Triglav on the Slovenian flag.
Of course, not all such activities take place on dry land, nor would they in a country blessed with so many rivers and lakes. And it’s a water-based sport that’ll be the focus of much attention this weekend, as one of the stages of the Canoe Slalom World Cup is being held, once again, in Tacen, where visitors will be able thrill to world-class athletes competing on a world-class course, all in the open air and not far from the centre of Ljubljana. Perhaps best of all, the tickets are only €5 a person, and can be bought at the event, which takes place at the Kajak kanu klub Tacen, Marinovševa cesta 8A. Note that children under the age of 15 enter free, and that dogs are not allowed.
The action officially runs for three days, from Friday 28 June to Sunday the 30th, but the programme started on Monday with various training events, and Day 1, on the official schedule, is Thursday, with extreme slalom time trails in the afternoon, and course construction and demonstration in the evening. The formal event then begins at 09:00 Friday, with heats for Groups 1 and 2, and runs until 18:00. Saturday then has the Group 1 and C2Mx semi-finals, finals and medal ceremony, the day starting at 09:00 and ending at 13:15. The same happens on Sunday for Group 2 and Extreme Slalom event, with the day running longer, to 16:00. The full programme can be found here, while all the events will also be livestreamed (here).
So if you’ve been meaning to get the River Soča all summer, but never found a free weekend, then why not head to Tacen to enjoy some white-water action, the kind you can safely watch from the stands with a cold drink in your hand.
