The beauty of the Slovenian mountains is famous far and wide and attracts an increasing number of hikers every year. The special feature of Slovenian mountains is that they are lower compared to mountains in other Alpine countries, which is why many people are misled by their altitude into going to our mountains completely unprepared. We notice that the number of hikers from foreign countries in the Slovenian mountains is increasing. In 2022, GRZS mountain rescuers intervened in 667 accidents in mountains and other difficult-to-access terrains, of which foreign hikers were involved in 371 accidents, which means in percentage terms that mountain rescuers rescued hikers from foreign countries in more than 55%. The most common cause of accidents among foreign hikers is inappropriate hiking equipment, so below we provide instructions for visiting the Slovenian mountains.
What should we watch out for?
• Choose a tour suitable for your physical and mental fitness. In a larger group, it is necessary to adapt to the capabilities of the weakest participant. Consider your health and the health of other participants.
• Heart patients, asthmatics, diabetics, people with high blood pressure, allergies, overweight, elderly people should be very careful. Special attention should be paid to children: a gradual, compassionate, motivated and adapted (age and ability) introduction to walking in the hills. We recommend watching the video With children in the mountains, in which we advise how to make it safe and interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KYl_FV8q3k
• If the tour is too demanding to do on your own, hire a mountain or mountain guide. We especially recommend this to foreign citizens. The contacts of the mountain guides are published at: https://www.zgvs.si/
• Consider the possibility of severe heat in the summer (hydration) and equip yourself appropriately for crossing snowfields in early summer (use of crampons and ice ax).
• In winter, consider the risk of avalanches and choose tours in the highlands, where the risk is significantly lower.
• Do not walk alone on the off-roads that you have learned about in book guides, on websites and from acquaintances or social networks, if you do not have this kind of experience, but rather hire a mountain guide.
• You use the right maps and the right apps to plan your route. The Mountaineering Association of Slovenia also has one of them: https://mapzs.pzs.si/home/trails. According to experience, Google maps is not suitable for using mountain trails.
For each mountaineering destination that we have chosen based on our psychophysical fitness, we must choose the appropriate equipment, on which the quality and safety of our ascent greatly depend. We know several types of equipment by purpose: clothing, footwear, technical and protective equipment (belt and helmet), bivouac, etc.
Today, there is a very large selection of equipment from different manufacturers and quality on the market. We must know what equipment we need and that we know how to use each piece of equipment we take with us properly.
An ice ax in hand will not save us if we have not first learned to use it to stop a slide. Even a helmet in a backpack will not protect our head. Given that high-quality mountaineering equipment is quite expensive, we advise beginners in particular to consult with mountaineer friends, mountain rescuers, alpinists or even sellers. Even though we need different equipment for different types of climbs, some pieces must always be with us on the hills. The possibility of borrowing or rental of suitable equipment is also provided by mountain guides.
Other equipment, which is also listed in the following chapters, is specific to the type and difficulty of the climb. Be aware that temperatures can be very low in the hills even in summer.
Mandatory equipment is always taken with us, regardless of the type and difficulty of the climb:
• aluminum foil and/or bivouac bag,
• personal first aid kit,
• headlamp and batteries,
• a mobile phone with a full battery and an external rechargeable battery (power bank),
• an ordinary pencil and a piece of paper.
• hiking shoes with good soles,
• hiking socks,
• long hiking pants,
• several layers of clothing,
• fleece, windbreaker,
• cap,
• gloves,
• sun protection cover (e.g. hat),
• sunglasses
• sun protection cream,
• we recommend folding walking poles,
• non-alcoholic drink (tea, juice, energy drink…),
• snack (sandwich, fruit, chocolate…),
• a suitable map and compass, especially if we do not know the terrain,
• a helmet if the path is exposed or winds through terrain where there is a risk of falling rocks or minor slips.
• the same equipment as for a one-day hike,
• extra underwear, socks and T-shirts so that we can change clothes,
• sufficient amount of liquid and food,
• a suitable map, possibly GPS,
• if we plan to sleep in mountain outposts, we inquire about their operating hours and capacities,
• if we plan to sleep outdoors, we need appropriate bivouac equipment, such as a sleeping bag, tent, sleeping pad, cooking utensils…
If you are not adept at walking on challenging mountain trails, hire a mountain guide.
Such routes require better psychophysical preparation from us. To walk on them, we need similar equipment as for mountaineering, as well as technical and protective equipment:
• the same equipment as for walking along marked paths,
• helmet and climbing harness,
• mountaineering attachment (for climbing),
• self-protection kit (also ferrate), suitable for the weight of the user,
• gloves (for an easier grip on the steel cable).
It is necessary to distinguish between different path expressions. We distinguish mountain routes (easy, demanding, very demanding or protected), via ferratas, and climbing routes.
A mountain path (EQUIPPED PATH): a path that runs over slopes, passes, ridges, valleys, usually marked with Knafelč markings. Some are also named. We distinguish:
• easy mountain path: a path on which you do not need to use your hands to walk. When an easy path crosses a steep slope, it is wide enough to allow even less experienced visitors and hikers to walk safely. It only requires vigilance and physical fitness from them. There are no warnings on the way! EXAMPLE OF ROUTE: Vršič – Sleme.
• challenging mountain path: it leads over more difficult places where we help each other with our hands for the sake of safety. Any safety devices are intended for the safety of the mountaineer and are not necessarily necessary to overcome more difficult places. At the starting points of such routes, there is the inscription “CHARGING ROUTE” on the direction board. On the new direction signs, these routes are marked with a triangle. EXAMPLE OF ROUTE: Vršič - Prisank (J route).
• a very demanding mountain path: it is one where the use of hands is necessary when walking. Safety devices enable the passage of difficult places (a large part of which may be unsecured), which would otherwise require protection with a climbing rope. An ice ax and crampons are often needed on such routes even in the summer months. It is only suitable for trained climbers. At the starting points of such routes, the direction sign has the inscription “VERY DEMANDING ROUTE”, and on newer signs the routes are marked with a triangle with an exclamation point in it. EXAMPLE OF ROUTES: Kopiščar’s path through Prisankov’s window, Hanz’s path to Mala Mojstrovka.
A ferrata (eng. VIA FERRATA) is a kind of sports field in nature, which is overcome by climbing. The via ferratas are named and have information boards at the starting points that contain: a sketch of the via ferrata with difficulty ratings, possible emergency exits, information about the necessary equipment, etc. Ferrates have steel cables for self-protection during the entire length of the ascent.
A climbing direction is a climbed direction in rock, ice, mixed world, described and shown with a sketch or drawn on a photo.
The mountain rescuers recommend everyone who goes to the hills to check the weather forecast several times and on various reliable sources before going on the tour, and above all, it is necessary to go to the hills early in the morning, as storms are often possible in the afternoon during the summer.
• Before you go into the mountains, make sure the weather is good before, during and after the tour - for a gold reserve if your tour is delayed.
• Our body gets cold already at 10 °C (improper clothing, rain, wind, injury, stress, illness, etc.), so it is always necessary to have a piece of warm clothing with you, as the weather in the mountains can change quickly.
• In winter, there is a risk of avalanches when there is snow or wind.
• There is a high chance of thunderstorms in spring, summer and autumn. Follow the 30-seconds and 30-minutes rules. The rule means conditional safety when at least 30 seconds elapse between lightning and thunder. Then the storm is 10,800 m away (30 s × 360 m/s (speed of sound) = 10,800 m). Lightning can still strike 30 minutes after the last thunder.
• Heavy rains turn dry torrents into raging rivers in a very short time. The paths become slippery and slippery.
• Mountain rescuers will need more time to reach the village in bad weather, and with the risk of lightning and avalanches, we can wait for them for a longer time if the conditions are too dangerous.
• Helicopter rescue is not possible at night, in fog, during snowfall and in strong winds.
• When you go on a tour alone or in a group, always write to someone staying at home or in the valley where you plan to go and when you will be back.
• Sign in the log books at the huts and on the summits, especially if you are alone or in a small group. With this, the rescuers can help each other a lot in a possible search and rescue operation.
• Start slowly to warm up well.
• The pace should be moderate, also suitable for weaker participants.
• Stop in time, take off extra clothes, have something to drink.
• Choose safe places to rest.
• If you suspect that a rock may fall on you, immediately put on a helmet.
• Protect yourself on exposed routes (use a climbing harness and self-protection kit for ferratas). We recommend hiring a mountain guide.
• When something breaks, you have to turn around in time, the mountain will wait.
• You must know how to walk with crampons on snowfields in winter and also in summer and use an ice ax when walking to prevent slipping.
• Use an ice ax, crampons and a helmet on the snowfield in summer.
• When wearing crampons, be careful not to trip over your other leg.
• Don’t forget the strong UV rays in the highlands (danger of snow blindness, burns of exposed and unprotected skin, possibility of sunburn and heat stroke). Protect yourself appropriately (sunglasses with UV protection, cream with a strong protection factor, light and breathable headgear and choosing shady paths in the heat).
• Consume enough food and drink regularly to avoid dehydration. It’s hard to make up for it later.
• In a storm, hurry to the huts, if this is not possible, at least get off the exposed ridges. Do not continue the ascent in a storm.
• Be especially careful when descending, because then you are no longer so collected.
• If you went on the tour in a group, stay together until you return to the valley.
• If a participant is very tired, it is better to sleep in a mountain hut than to continue with all your might.
A mobile phone is an electronic device that works flawlessly in (urban) settlements. However, it can be different in the mountains, so caution is necessary there. When choosing a tour, we should not rely on the help of a mobile phone. This cannot protect us from a stone falling on our head, from slipping, or from getting lost somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
You can use your mobile phone to call for help for yourself or someone else. Since the GSM signal is usually very poor in the mountains due to the distance between the stations that receive and transmit it, the phone tries to find the best signal. It needs a lot of energy for this task, and is therefore depleted much faster than in the valley. Even the cold is not an ally of the small batteries that are in the devices.
Therefore, we recommend:
• Before starting the tour, charge your mobile phone battery.
• On the tour, it should be set to airplane mode or turned off, which significantly reduces consumption and creates a reserve that you can use in an emergency (conversation with rescuers, possibility of orientation). You can also take an external battery (power bank) with you.
• Keep it stored with you in a warm place and protected from moisture, both sweat and rain.
• If the signal is very poor, you can try SMS messages.
We thank our long-time supporters who help us on our way.
