Trip Report – Slovenia

 

Each spring we plan a trip to a region we haven't climbed in before. The ideal venue is one where the grades suggest that we're actually climbing quite well, but if they only reassure us that we needn't sell the EBs or the Sticht plates just yet, that's fine. This year we had decided on Slovenia but it wasn't always easy to find the information we were looking for. We don't usually do trip reports (although our facebook page shows you some of the crags we have climbed at) but we thought an account might be of help to anyone else planning a jaunt out there.

 

 

Who?

 

We were a team of five low-grade climbers, looking for routes in the fours and fives and the odd soft touch in the sixes.

 

 

Where?

 

We based ourselves in a village called Vipava, conveniently located both for the extensive local crags and the road networks. Vipava Valley has a host of small vineyards producing small quantities of excellent wine. The village has a bakery, a small supermarket, a restaurant (recommended), a pizzeria (which will deliver), a couple of wine shops - including one at our accommodation (see below) - and a tourist office. And two or three bar/cafés.

 

 

 

Accommodation?

 

We stayed in two apartments (details here) run by the most hospitable and generous mother and son combo you could ever dream of meeting. Rooms were a bit on the small side but had everything we needed and the showers were excellent. We were treated to gifts of eggs, wine and a couple of sumptuous breakfasts, possibly because there were two famous authors in the party. Possibly. On the other hand it could simply have been because of David and Nevenka's natural kindness.

 

 

When?

 

Last week in May, 2015.

 

 

Travel?

 

Flew to Venice Marco Polo Airport and picked up the hire car. Drove approximately 100 miles on dual carriageway / motorway all the way, stopping at Ajdovščina, a few kilometers north of Vipava, to buy essentials.

Vipava is only 50 miles from Ljubljana. If the flights are right it's obviously sensible to make that your destination airport.

 

 

What did we do?

 

We climbed on three crags, Vipava, Vipavska Bela and Črni Kal, the first two being local, the third involving a drive.

 

 

Vipava is a succession of buttresses of varying sizes which emerge from the forested slopes of Gradiška Tura. Park the car (free) at Campsite Tura and head off along the wide, well-made track to the buttress of your choice. Clear signs indicate where to leave the track and follow the paths across the scree slopes to reach the climbs. The rock is sound, unpolished limestone, quick to dry and bolted amply. Some of the multi-pitch routes were a little vegetated in places. Grades were a bit stiff and every buttress had some anomalies.

 

 

 

Vipavska Bela is less than 2km from Vipava. You park at the side of the road and follow steep wooden steps down to the crag. Although there are four buttresses our routes were confined to sector C/II. Almost all were short (<13metres) and involved briefly steep starts. Invariably sound rock and good friction; shaded location, so good if the sun is hot. Some grading inconsistencies. Seeps in places after heavy rain. You could probably tick the buttress at our grades in one visit, although we didn't try and were happy to return for a couple of hours.

 

 

 

Črni Kal is 30 miles from Vipava and is frequented by climbers from Trieste which is clearly visible from the crag top. There are two car-parks (the upper one has portaloos) and access through the woods from a road-side boulder to the foot of the crag is not difficult. We encountered occasional polish here but not enough to stop us going back for more and the grading seemed more consistent. One heavy shower prompted an early lunch-break but the crag dried very quickly.

 

 

 

What was the weather like?

 

Ideal for climbing. One day was overcast, constantly threatening rain but only once did it fall heavily enough to force a 20 minute break and climbing resumed thereafter. Otherwise every day was at least warm with long spells of sunshine (including the one at Črni Kal where we had another shower) but more often hot and sunny. There was a very heavy thunderstorm one night but you wouldn't have known it from the state of the crags on the following day. One feature of the area is the Bora, a strong, katabatic wind which was a constant presence throughout the week. Its effects were beneficial, mitigating the heat of the sun and drying the rock (but the cool yoof in the T-shirt felt decidedly cool one sunny morning!).

 

 

 

Additional information:

 

Guidebook: Slovenija Sportnoplezalni Vodnik (2012) Published by Sidarta

 

Camping Tura is a modern, purpose-built site below the Vipava crags. It has a bar, tennis courts and a climbing wall.

 

Although we didn't see it, there's also a campsite at Vrhpolje, convenient for Vipaska Bela.

 

If you do hire a car in Italy, read the terms and conditions carefully before booking. Many firms don't let you take their cars into Slovenia.

 

You'll need a vignette to drive on the motorways in Slovenia. They're bought on entry into the country or at petrol stations and post offices. €15 for a week.

 

Very fine dining can be had at Zemono, only 2km from Vipava. At Gostilna pri Lojzetu chef Tomaž Kavčič – who cooks for Heads of State – doesn't bother with a menu but will tailor a meal to the number of courses you would like. Not cheap but reasonably priced for a truly memorable meal.

 

 

Summary

 

A very good trip. We climbed well-bolted and varied routes (10 – 90 metres) on sound rock in the range 4a to 6a+. Sensible climbers will drop a grade or two until they know what to expect. Everyone we met was very friendly and our hosts were exceptional. English spoken everywhere. We would be happy to return to the area.

 

Photos

 

You can find more photos on our facebook page: