All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

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All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

Foreword

The Slovenian Mountain Trail is the most popular long-distance path in Slovenia and the oldest route of its kind in the world. After its introduction, several similar routes have been established all over Europe, which are now much more famous and popular. It all started in 1953 when the Alpine Association of Slovenia opened the “Slovenian Mountaineering Long-Distance Trail No. 1”, based on the idea of Ivan Šumljak from Maribor. In 1991, the trail was renamed to its current name: the Slovenian Mountain Trail. Quite a few guidebooks about it have been published, but none of them are structured the way this one is. Descriptions are divided into sections (stages) in a way that is new to Slovenian guidebooks. Mountaineers can follow one stage after another throughout the whole trail, or they can choose the stages they’d like to do and combine them however they see fit. The whole trail is divided into three parts (the same as the guidebook) and three different authors have covered each one of them.

The first part of the trail is described by Gorazd Gorišek, who will take you from Maribor across Pohorje, Uršlja gora, and most of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. At Begunjščica, the trail enters the Karawanks range, signaling the start of the second part of the trilogy.

Mojca Stritar Kučuk will take you through the Julian Alps and onto some of Slovenia’s highest summits (Triglav, Razor, Prisojnik, and Jalovec). Next up are the Trenta Valley (Dolina Trente), Triglav Lakes Valley (Dolina Triglavskih jezer), Komna Plateau, and Krn, before crossing the Bohinj-Tolmin Ridge (Bohinjsko-Tolminski greben) and leaving the Julian Alps at Petrovo Brdo.

Andraž Poljanec was in charge of the third part, which will take you across Porezen and the hills of Idrijsko hribovje to the Karst plateaus of Trnovski gozd, Hrušica, and Nanos, all the way to the Adriatic Sea. The authors have relied on all their knowledge and experience to make their descriptions as accurate as possible.

All three of them are well-known writers with extensivemountaineering experiences. Despite visiting the mountains for as long as they can remember, they hiked (and climbed) the entire trail once again in order to provide descriptions that are accurate and up to date. They encountered many changes, most notably the trail not ending in Ankaran anymore, but going all the way to Debeli rtič.

The authors have noticed quite a few discrepancies when comparing the official lengths and altitude gains with their own recorded numbers, so the editor and the Alpine Association of Slovenia made sure to check all of the data once again. Our conclusions indicate that the trail is now a bit longer than it used to be. Please keep in mind that the provided numbers are the actual distances you will cover on the trails. Altitude gains/losses are approximate and slight variations can be expected.

The guidebook starts with a short introduction with general information about the trails, stages, starting points, equipment, safety, and a list of relevant maps. Next up are the descriptions of individual stages, which are provided in an extremely user-friendly manner. A short description of the stage serves as an introduction, followed by an elevation profile and a map, as well as information about the length of the route, altitudes, and estimated times. Nearby summits are also listed, along with points of interest and possible descents back down to the valley or the nearest settlement. Information about huts is also very useful, and QR codes are provided for easier navigation. There are also many beautiful, large photos dotted throughout the guidebook, which can provide additional motivation while planning your next adventure.

The Slovenian Mountain Trail Guidebook is an accurate and reliable source of information for anyone who’d like to learn all the ins and outs of this wonderful long-distance trail. There are many similar trails all over Europe and the whole world and we’re happy to see that they’re becoming increasingly popular, especially among young mountaineers. I’m sure that this guidebook will help attract more youth to the Slovenian Mountain Trail as well.

Lucky trails!

Jože Drab

All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

SLOVENIAN MOUNTAIN TRAIL: FACTS AND FIGURES

The Slovenian Mountain Trail (SMT) is the oldest long-distance trail in Slovenia and the whole Europe. It opened in 1953 to honor the 60th anniversary of organized mountaineering in Slovenia.

The driving force behind its establishment was Ivan Šumljak (1899–1984), a geography professor, chronicler, mountaineer, and trail marker from Maribor. While resting atop Črni vrh on Pohorje and gazing across a large part of Slovenian mountains, he had a brilliant idea: “Let’s connect all these places with a single marked trail spanning the entire country!”

The trail runs from the northeast to the southwest of Slovenia and covers most of the country’s mountains – from Maribor to Debeli rtič at the Adriatic Sea. It’s marked with the Knafelc blaze (a white dot inside a red ring) accompanied by number 1.

It has eighty checkpoints.

It connects fifty-five mountain huts and one bivouac hut, at least thirty-five summits, five cities (Maribor, Slovenj Gradec, Tržič, Idrija, and Ankaran), five larger towns (Jezersko, Mojstrana, Col, Senožeče, Škofije), and numerous villages. It consists of forty-three stages divided into three sections: northern (Part I), central (Part II), and southern (Part III).

The Slovenian Mountain Trail has no time limit and an average person would need about 252 hours (around 37 days) to do the whole trail in one go. The record set in 2015 stands at seven days, eight hours, and ten minutes. To this day, the whole trail has been finished by more than 10,000 people (about 100 to 200 each year).

SLOVENIAN MOUNTAIN TRAIL IN NUMBERS

Length: 617.4 km

Elevation gain/loss: 37,300 m of elevation gain, 37,600

m of elevation loss

Number of stages: 43

Number of checkpoints: 80

Number of summits: at least 35

Number of huts: at least 55

Estimated time: 252 hours or 37 days

All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

STAGES

The Slovenian Mountain Trail is divided into forty-three stages, most of which start and end at mountain huts. All of the stages are whole-day outings, but you can easily combine some of the shorter stages into single day trips. Wherever the trail goes past mountain huts, you can shorten or lengthen the stages to better suit your fitness or the weather.

The SMT visits some towns, where you can buy extra food and drinks, take a rest for a day or two, or use public transport to get to your desired location.

All of the stages of the SMT are listed in the table below, along with the checkpoints, difficulty rating, and estimated times. Blue color indicates that a stage is easy, red means it’s difficult, and black color is used to mark stages that are very difficult.

TRAILS AND SAFETY

The Slovenian Mountain Trail is marked with the Knafelc blaze (a white dot inside a red ring) accompanied by number one (1). There are countless red signposts indicating the objectives (huts, summits) and estimated times at the various starting points and junctions, and some of them also provide information about the current altitude, the alpine club managing the trail, and the difficulty rating of the trail.

The trails managed by the Alpine Association of Slovenia are rated by difficulty as easy, difficult, and very difficult.

Signposts include symbols indicating the difficulty rating: a triangle indicates that a trail is difficult, an exclamation mark inside a triangle indicates that a trail is very difficult, while easy trails have no special designation.

Up in the high alpine, there are also many trail markers painted on rocks. Although the trails are regularly maintained, certain parts might be damaged or perhaps even impassable.

The initial stages of the SMT consist of easy trails, while countless steep and exposed sections in the high alpine of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, Julian Alps, and (partly) Karawanks are equipped with steel cables and iron pegs. In order to safely enjoy these trails, you should have adequate experience, have a good head, and know how to use a via ferrata kit. A helmet is mandatory. The last part of the SMT is again on easier trails that will take you across Karst landscape and to Debeli rtič.

In case of an accident, make sure that both you and the victim are safe from any additional hazards (falling rocks, avalanches, cold) before calling 112 to notify the mountain rescue service (GRS – Gorska reševalna služba in Slovenian, you will need phone reception). If there’s no cell service you’ll need to get a note about the accident to the nearest mountain hut, farm, or police station down in the valley, where the mountain rescue service will be notified about the event.

A couple of recommendations for a safer outing:

Visit the mountains only if you are healthy and fit.

Plan your outings carefully and pay attention to the weather forecast and current conditions.

Use appropriate equipment and make sure that your backpack isn’t too heavy.

If you get lost, return to the nearest blazes or call mountain rescue before getting yourself into more trouble.

Walk at a steady pace and be careful not to fall or slip.

All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

BEST SEASON AND WEATHER

The easier stages of the SMT can be done throughout the year, except in the depth of winter when there’s a lot of snow, while the high-alpine stages should be done in summer or autumn. In the early summer (June, July), the shady parts of trails are often covered with steep and dangerous snowfields which require the use of an ice axe and crampons in order to be navigated safely. Ask the hut managers about the conditions on your planned trail.

Some parts of the Slovenian mountains can become quite crowded during peak season (August), but the best months to visit the high alpine are September and October, provided there’s no significant early snowfall.

Average annual precipitation data shows that the first stages of the SMT are the driest part of the whole trail. The weather fronts usually come from the southwest and it’s not uncommon to see the Julian Alps covered in clouds, while the sun is still shining on Pohorje and in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. The final part of the SMT also enjoys nicer weather than the highest Slovenian peaks, although it often gets very windy.

EQUIPMENT

hiking boots with grippy soles

warm clothes (including a cap, scarf, gloves, etc.)

waterproof jacket

sun protection (sunglasses, sunscreen, hat)

helmet (for some stages)

headlamp

water bottle

snacks

first aid kit

cell phone and charger

ID and membership card of your alpine association

maps and other navigation tools

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT

Journal of the Slovenian Mountain Trail

collapsible trekking poles

via ferrata kit (for some stages)

ice axe and crampons (from winter to early summer)

emergency foil blanket

matches or lighter

pocket knife

spare underwear

personal hygiene kit

camera

toilet paper

All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

MOUNTAIN HUTS

Some of the mountain huts along the SMT are open throughout the year, while most of the high-alpine huts are open from June to the end of September. Some huts are also open outside these months, but only during weekends and holidays.

Wild camping is prohibited in the Triglav National Park, stay at mountain huts or designated camping sites.

You won’t need a sleeping bag, but bring a travel sleeping sheet to avoid paying a couple of extra Euros. You’re not allowed to wear boots in the rooms and nearly all the huts have slippers that you can borrow. It’s a good idea to book your overnight stay, especially during summer. Make sure to cancel your booking if you can’t make it to the hut for whatever reason.

Most of the high-alpine huts have very little water and all guests are asked to use it sparingly. Warm water for showers (if available) usually costs a couple of extra Euros.

Some huts have winter rooms that can be used free of charge when the huts are closed. Please pay attention to all the rules and clean up before you leave. The descriptions of stages in this guidebook include the contact info of all the huts along the way.

FOOD AND DRINKS

Mountain huts serve various dishes. You can always count on a stew of some kind, a couple of different soups, and some deserts (apple strudel, for instance). The variety of the menu depends on the hut’s location, accessibility, and equipment. People usually eat breakfast and dinner at the huts and rely on their own snacks during the day.

All Slovenian mountain trail guidebook

TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK

The central part of the SMT runs through Slovenia’s only national park, the Triglav National Park (TNP).

The park has certain rules:

Respect the locals and their habits.

Keep your noise down and don’t harass wildlife.

Make sure to leave no trace (take out your trash), take nothing but pictures and memories.

Keep the dogs on a leash.

Stay on designated trails.

Wild camping, sleeping in cars, or bivouacking outside designated areas is not allowed.

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