STA, 3 August 2022 - A new via ferrata (Ferata Dobršnik )was inaugurated in a gorge in the municipality of Jesenice in the Karavanke Alps in the north-west of the country, to put Jesenice on the country's tourist map.

"There are many well-known tourist areas in our neighbourhood, and I believe we also have a number of attractions we can offer," Mayor Blaž Račič said on Wednesday.

Jesenice joined forces in the project with Kranjska Gora, a very popular tourist area in the Julian Alps, as the protected climbing route in the Dobršnik Gorge runs along the border between the two municipalities.

Kranjska Gora has opened four such via ferratas in recent years, in Gozd Martuljek and Mojstrana, and they have all proved very popular.

Some 1,000 metres long, the Dobršnik Ferrata is graded as moderate, alternating between easier and harder sections, with some caution needed.

It is also very picturesque, offering a view of as many as eight waterfalls while also being rich in flora and fauna, as well as fossils.

According to Almin Gorinjac, director of the Jesenice Sports Institute, there was a tourist route here already more than 100 years ago.

The ferrata, which cost both municipalities EUR 40,000, can also serve as a relatively safe training ground to get prepared for visiting high mountains.

Kranjska Gora Tourism Board head Blaž Veber is convinced the new ferrata in the Karavanke has a lot of tourism potential and rounds off the offer in Gozd Martuljek and Mojstrana. Kranjska Gora Mayor Janez Hrovat said that such protected climbing routes attracted tourist all year around.

STA, 26 June 2022 - Olympic gold medallist Janja Garnbret won the World Cup lead event in Innsbruck on Sunday, becoming the first competitor to notch up 33 World Cup wins in climbing.

The win comes after a long break - she last competed in early April - during which she eschewed bouldering events to focus on lead, in particular the European Championship in August.

The plan did not exactly work out since she got Covid after the previous World Cup event, but it appears she nevertheless got in shape.

While she did not reach the top, her score of 39+ was enough to beat the American Brooke Raboutou and the South Korean Chaehyun Seo, both of whom scored 27+.

Three more lead events are on the calendar before the European Championship.

With its 2864 metres of elevation, Triglav is the highest peak in Slovenia and the Julian Alps, and it’s said one only becomes a true Slovene after climbing it at least once. Triglav is also one of our national symbols and a central element on the coat of arms. Its name means “three-headed”, and could have come from its three-peak shape when seen from the south, or the Slavic god with the same name.

Triglav then and now

The first documented ascent to Triglav was accomplished in 1778. The “four brave men” from Bohinj made their way to its then still present glacier and traversed the sharp ridge to the peak. The ascent took three days, from the 24th to the 26th of August.

100 years later, when the people of Slovenia were struggling to establish their national identity inside the Austro-Hungarian empire, Slovene priest Jakob Aljaž bought a piece of land on the top of Triglav. There, he built a turret that characterizes the peak to this day. He was also the one to lay out plans for several hiking paths to its top. The dangerous and sharp ridge was flattened and made safer with a Via Ferrata, making it possible for more people to reach its peak.

Nowadays, Triglav is one of the most visited summits in Slovenia. Even though it still presents some risks and dangers, around 3000 hikers reach it daily at the height of the summer season. Apart from the symbolic value, the peak is also attractive because of its spectacular views from the centre of the Julian Alps. The prominent peak can be seen from most of Slovenia, always inviting those who see it to climb it.

How to climb Mt. Triglav

Even though many Slovenians do it, climbing Triglav is not that simple of an undertaking. Most of the trails leading to the peak take an approximate time of 6 hours of walking in one direction. That’s why most people choose to do it in two days, spending a night in one of the mountain huts close to its peak.

The most popular is the Triglav Hut on Kredarica, which at 2515 metres of elevation is the highest situated hut in Slovenia. The second choice for most hikers is the Planika Hut, located on the southern side of the mountain. Whichever one you choose, spending extra time in the moon-like landscape of the barren and rocky high-altitude karst of the Slovenian mountains is a must-have experience.

The best time to climb Triglav is August and September since all of the snow is gone. On sunny days of August, it can get pretty crowded, that’s why more and more people climb it in September or even June and July. Of course, early ascenders must research if there is still some snow on the route. Winters ascents are also possible but should only be tried by the most experienced mountaineers. Sometimes it is also possible to ski from the top, which is one of the hardest possible skiing in Slovenia one could try. Otherwise, a ski tour to the Kredarica hut is a must-do for every ski tourer in Slovenia.

All the paths lead to Triglav

There are many different trails from all sides that lead to the top. The least difficult one leads from the Krma Valley, one of the three Triglav glacial valleys. It is one most who want to climb Triglav in one day use since it’s also the shortest. Those who go on multiple-day hikes start from Pokljuka. The trail is a little longer but very scenic, taking advantage of your extra days in the mountains.

The steepest but also the most fun climbs start in the Vrata Valley. They are the most difficult since they have many Via Ferrata elements, which require some climbing skills. They lead you next to the Triglav North Face, the cradle of Slovenian alpinism. One of the bigger faces in the Alps is more than a kilometre high and around 4 km long. It has more than a hundred different climbing routes of different grades that attract a large number of alpinists each year.

A guide makes your experience safer and more enjoyable

Even though the trails leading to the top are of different overall difficulty, they all have a technical upper part. The last hour of every ascent is a Via Ferrata requiring proper equipment and enough experience in mountain climbing. Knowing something about the local weather is also necessary since you never want to be caught in a storm in that kind of terrain.

If you don’t have all of that experience and knowledge, choosing to climb with a guide is the most sensible option. They are certified professionals who spend their lives training how to make your hikes as safe and enjoyable as possible. They know the most optimal routes and how to make your ascents easier. Local guides are also fluent in English and can share some amazing insights about the mountains and the area. Besides all that, they can also help you book your beds in the huts that are very crowded in the high season.

To find the best way for you to climb Mount Triglav, check out this selection of guided Triglav tours.

STA, 15 January 2021 - A climber from Croatia died in a mountaineering accident in the Slovenian Alps on Saturday. The 37-year-old was with a group of eight other climbers from Croatia when he slipped on a steep slope, plunging more than 300 metres.

The accident occurred around midday around Kamniško Sedlo, a saddle in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps between Mount Brana and Mount Planjava, the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration said.

Mountain rescuers were dispatched to the scene and the man's body was airlifted to the valley. The remaining members of the group were not injured.

STA, 9 November 2021 - Slovenian climber Janja Garnbret, who won a gold medal in sport climbing at the Tokyo Olympics, has set a new milestone by becoming the first woman to climb an 8c-rated route onsight, according to the Slovenian Mountaineering Association.

After the end of competition this season, she took a rock-climbing holiday in Oliana in Spain, where she achieved her latest feat. In the beginning of November, she managed to climb two different 8c-rated climbing routes in the span of two days.

Both of her ascents were achieved onsight, which means that she made them on her first attempt on an unknown route, without prior information.

The 8c is currently the highest route difficulty rating ever successfully climbed onsight by a female climber.

"I had never actually thought of trying to climb an 8c, but later I decided to give it a go anyway. No pressure, just climbing, it just happened." the 22-year-old Slovenian climber told planetmountain.com.

"This was my first trip to Oliana. On the first day, I tried some different, slightly easier routes, before trying the harder ones," she added.

"I didn't panic, I was very calm. I think I was climbing quite fast and resting where it felt appropriate. I felt super good, very relaxed and focused," concluded Garnbret.

STA, 27 January 2021 - The Trbovlje power station's 360-metre chimney, the tallest in Europe but no longer in use, has been turned into the world's longest artificial multi-pitch climbing route. Slovenian world-class climbers, Janja Garnbret and Domen Škofic, have already successfully ascended it.

The longest climbing route was designed by licenced Slovenian route setters Katja Vidmar and Simon Margon.

The route has 13 pitches, with the most difficult one graded 8b+. They used some 800 holds, which weighed over two tonnes.

Garnbret and Škofic, two of the world's best sport climbers, took it on in the autumn but managed to climb it only in the second attempt.

The first attempt took 12 hours but did not count because they reached the top only after several falls. The second, successful one took them seven and a half hours.

Their attempt was filmed to make a 48-minute documentary, which premiered online today.

STA, 23 November 2020 - Slovenian sports climber Jernej Kruder became the new European bouldering champion in Moscow on Monday, claiming the first ever European title for Slovenian men's climbing.

Kruder, who will turn 30 on 5 December, so far had a silver medal from the 2014 World Championship and the overall Bouldering World Cup win in 2018 to show for himself.

He won the World Cup event in Moscow last year and sealed the title on Monday before even attempting the final boulder problem.

"This was a lot of fun... I'm very happy, I really wanted this victory," Kruder said after the event.

This is already the 24th medal for Slovenia at European Championships, with Slovenian climbers grabbing at least one medal at ten consecutive championships ever since 2002. Kruder has however become the first Slovenian male climber with a European title.

The 14^th Mountain Film Festival is in Slovenia this week, with screenings, talks and more in Cankarjev dom Ljubljana, Metropol Celje, Mestni kino Domžale, Kino Radol’ca and Kino Slovensko Bistrica.

The festival has an excellent English website, with details of all the events, but be aware there’ll be lectures from the likes of David Debeljak, Jera Musič – the first Slovenian woman to hike the 3,500-km long Appalachian Trail, Jim Donini, Milan Romih and Tomaž Jakofčič, and the chance to buy books, hang out and talk about climbing and hiking, with appearances by many giants of the local scene.

Related: Alpine Warriors, A History of Modern Slovenian Alpinism

With regard to films there’s documentaries, long and short, with programmes that offer great variety while giving the rare opportunity to see these films on the big screen, where the power of the landscapes they celebrate is more readily perceived. Take a look at some (not all) of the trailers below, and see more details here.

CHOLITAS_trailer EN from Arena Comunicación Audiovisual on Vimeo.

Drømmeland - Trailer from Square Eyes on Vimeo.

STA, 18 January 2020 - Grega Lačen, one of Slovenia's top mountain climbers, was killed after falling from a great height while descending one of the peaks in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps in northern Slovenia on Friday afternoon. The police have ruled out any foul play.

The 43-year-old died falling down a high-steep rock face near the Mlinar Saddle despite being well-equipped and familiar with the area. A local rescue team has already recovered the body.

Lačen was part of Slovenia's many successful climbing expeditions, reported the newspaper Večer. He summited numerous peaks, including Mount Everest, having skied down the world's highest mountain.

He also led an expedition to the Karakoram mountain range, which spans the borders of Pakistan, India, China, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

In the wake of several tragic climbing accidents in January, the police have urged climbers to exercise extra caution, particularly when descending steep snow slopes.

September 18, 2019

The Slovenian media reports that Davo Karničar died on Monday in a tree cutting accident near his home in Jezersko.

Davo Karničar was an alpine climber and extreme alpine skier. In 2000 he became the first man ever to ski from the top of Mount Everest.

In his 7 Summits project, he skied from the highest peaks on all seven continents, and in Europe he successfully skied down the northern wall of the Eiger and eastern wall of the Matterhorn.

In the last few years he has focused on becoming the first man to ski down from the top of K2. He was unsuccessful in his 2017 attempt due to bad weather conditions and a back injury.

Davo Karničar was born in 1962 and grew up surrounded by mountains in Zgornje Jezersko.