BushwalkBushwalk
On the Krma Route, with stunning views of the Julian Alps
Slovenia is in Europe, south of Austria and east of Italy at the north of the Adriatic. Climbing Slovenia’s highest mountain Triglav (pronounced tree-glove, meaning three headed), 2864 metres, has a certain allure, particularly over its grand Triglav North Face, a three kilometre wide and 1000 metre high near-vertical face with paint blazes marking only a few of about a hundred routes to Triglav, with most requiring ropes and rock climbing. Our small group of four ventured out there the last weekend in June only to return with incredible stories to tell and even more amazing pictures to show. If I had to describe our trip in three words, it would be sun, thunderstorms and fun.
Mount Triglav, Slovenia
The North Face and the Krma Valley
Neja Fidler Pompe
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Let the story begin …There were five friends, one of whom had never been to Triglav before, one with little hiking experience in the last ten years, a Spanish guy with Triglav tattooed on his arm but with no real experience in high mountains, my husband, who otherwise hikes regularly but does high mountains on rare occasions, and me, so to speak, the most experienced of the gang. With our Triglav team downsized by the most eager member just an hour before our departure – you guessed it, the tattooed guy - it was four friends off to a great new adventure. Our plan was to climb the Prag Route (meaning Doorstep Route) on Saturday up to Kredarica (cree-dah-reeh-tsah), a mountain hut just below an actual peak, spend a nice evening in the hut, reach the summit of Triglav early on the Sunday morning, and then go quickly down the Krma Route (kur-mah, meaning Stern Route) before the storms rolled in at noon, as forecast.
We started the hike relatively late at about 9am from the Vrata Valley (vrah-tah valley, meaning Door Valley). What we had done before was much appreciated the day after; we had driven to the Krma Valley in two cars, left one at our predicted finish line, and drove in the other car for half an hour to the neighbouring Vrata Valley, our trailhead. Why? Wanting to make our trip diverse and safe, while also considering the forecast early storms on Sunday, going up a spectacular yet precipitous route and down an easier and safer route seemed like a good plan.
The start of the Prag Route with a sculpture of a piton and a krab
The hardest part of the Prag Route, steep rock and fixed ropes for 20 metres, clipping in
“... going up a spectacular yet precipitous route and down an easier and safer route seemed like a good plan.
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Going up the Prag RouteThe Prag Route, arguably the easiest route crossing the Triglav North Face, and as such appropriate for intermediate hikers and up (or beginners with a mountain guide), traverses the remarkable kingdom of the legendary Goldhorn, a white chamois with golden horns that had supposedly chased away everyone upon intruding his territory. The Prag Route is high, hard and spectacular. In those 15 kilometres, it first ascends 1500 metres to the Kredarica Hut, at 2515 metres the highest mountain hut in the Slovenian Alps, and then another 350 metres further up to the very top of Slovenia, Triglav. If you’re into adrenaline but prefer adventures that are safe, then the Prag Route is perfect for you.
About two thirds into the hike, right after climbing the steeper parts of the trail, we passed a group of adult and baby chamois wandering around the vast area of Triglav Plateaus. I’m used to super-shy deer, and chamois are a different sort. While they won’t allow being approached too quickly or petted for that matter, they’re usually not bothered by human presence, especially if you go by quietly and slowly. One chamois even paid me a visit when I was hiding behind big rocks taking a pee and curiously observed funny things humans do. (So much for privacy!)
Another steep section with fixed ropes
Just below the Kredarica Hut with views over Mount Rjavina
Location of Slovenia in Europe and world (top left)by NuclearVacuum
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Chamois are one of the few big animals this high in the Triglav National Park
Map by San Jose, retouch by Hayden120, via Wikimedia Commons
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Kredarica Hut and Triglav
On KredaricaJust as the weather started turning bad with thunder striking over five times within an hour, we were relieved to reach the Kredarica Hut. At the hut, the weather changed from sunny to cloudy with a strong wind and showers persisting all afternoon until night. We held off the summit until the next morning and set the alarm clock for 4.30am.
Triglav: to head for the summit or not?Although the weather did improve overnight, it was far from idyllic. With big thunderstorms quickly rolling in from Italy, our chances of reaching the summit were scarce and bound to that one shot in the early morning before running down to the Krma Valley, where we had left our second car. We headed for the summit at 5.10am and climbed almost to
the top of the 140 metres smaller peak Mali Triglav (meaning little Triglav), when a small thunderstorm got so close we could hear its thunder loud and clear, while it also started raining. Between heading for the peak and safety, we chose the latter and returned to the Kredarica Hut to wait until the rain stopped.
Going down the Krma RouteAt 6.20am it cleared up a bit and we set off to the Krma Valley to be past the exposed parts before the big thunderstorms finally arrived. Luckily, the Krma Route is easy with no steep climbs, which allows a quick safe retreat if needed, plus a small bivouac Prgarca (purr-gahr-tsah) somewhere in the middle of the way that can serve as a shelter if need be.
Approaching Kredarica Hut
This is not too bad. Miha, Jure, Mitja and I toasting to our great adventure
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Peter's photo by Lynne Grant
Neja is an adventurer, a dreamer, an explorer. A real mountain enthusiast. A blogger. When not on a dusty trail and exploring great peaks, she loves sharing the adventure with her readers. Check out her blog Exploring Slovenia. She is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
This article was first published at Exploring Slovenia’s Triglav North Face on 28 June 2017. Check out the stunning photos.
We were in a hurry and could actually be down in less than three hours without stops, but one member soon started experiencing aches in his knees, so the descent extended to four hours, with the last hour walking in the rain. But just as the thunderstorm escalated to a full 10 on a scale from 1-10, we entered a local restaurant Psnak, ordered hot tea and a mushroom soup and toasted to a weekend well spent and yet another awesome adventure in Slovenia’s spectacular Alps.
See how the conditions turned out for hikers ascending Krma at Vertical Adventures Slovenia. All I can say is Good luck!
As they say, the mountain can wait.
Climbing down Mali Triglav to Kredarica Hut
Descend to the Krma Valley over the southern route, much gentler than the steep North Face
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