Mountain Tracks > Hut-to-hut Ski Touring > Julian Alps, Slovenia (Intermediate)

Hut-to-hut Ski Touring > Julian Alps, Slovenia (Intermediate)

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Available trips

Sat 5th Mar 11 - Sat 12th Mar 11	8 Days
Klemen Gričar	£ 895
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Skill: ***/*

The intermediate level hut-to-hut ski tours are aimed at aspiring ski tourers who have completed some day tours and have basic ski touring experience – e.g. familiarity with using skins and skinning technique, conversions/kick-turns. You need to be able to walk uphill on some steep and exposed slopes with boot crampons while carrying your skis on your rucksack.

You need to be a competent off-piste skier capable of skiing 15 - 20 continuous turns off-piste on most slopes and with the confidence to tackle steeper pitches in tricky conditions.

These tours differ from the beginner level tours in that ascents & descents will be more demanding – i.e. longer & steeper.

Stamina: ****

Stamina-wise, you need to be able to ski all day for several consecutive days at a steady pace. On these trips the average skinning will be 3 - 4 hours per day although this is a guideline only. Ski touring is hard work and we do find most newcomers are surprised by just how physically demanding it can be! These tours differ from the beginner level tours in that ascents & descents will be more demanding – i.e. longer & steeper. You need to be able to carry a rucksack with all need for a week staying in mountain huts.

To get maximum enjoyment from these trips you need to be working on your fitness well in advance of the tour which means plenty of aerobic exercise like running/cycling/swimming.

If you have never been to the Slovenian Alps and you're a keen ski mountaineer in search of somewhere new and exciting, then the extreme eastern Alps could be just the thing you're looking for.

Mt. Triglav, the symbol of Slovenia, is quite rightly the main focus of attention, and this area has become much more popular since the Triglavski Dom refuge was opened on the panoramic col close to the summit.

The most interesting ski mountaineering itineraries can be undertaken here in spring, when the long steep gullies are perfectly covered in snow. The natural environment is extraordinary and, despite the relatively low altitude, retains a "wild" feel more commonly associated with the greater mountain ranges.

Itinerary

Day 1
Fly to Ljubljana, transfer to Kranjska Gora and stay overnight in Pri Martinu Inn. Meet up with the guides for welcome meeting, kit check and briefing on the itinerary for the week.

Day 2
Warm up on the pistes of Kranjska Gora. Technique refresher and session on avalanche search & rescue will be included. Stay overnight in Pri Martinu Inn.

Day 3
A day tour to climb and ski Mala Mojstrovka. The ascent is 1470m from Kranjska Gora or 920m if you start from Vrsic. It's a wonderful 1100m descent down to Drevesnica. Return to Pri Martinu Inn.

Day 4
A day tour to climb and ski Kotovo Sedlo. If conditions are good it is possible to ski Jalovec's NE gully and the nearby Kotovo Sedlo. These are two of the most popular itineraries in the Slovenian Alps. The 1290m (4 hours) ascent follows a wide valley and then a steep and narrow gully beneath high rocky walls which makes a fabulous descent.Return to Pri Martinu Inn.

Day 5-6
A 2-day tour to climb Kredarica (2514m) with optional climb on Triglav. The ascent to Krederica is 1290m (5 hours) with an additional 350m from Kredarica to Triglav. Triglav is a climb with crampons and ice axe, suitable for experienced mountaineers only and the guiding ratio here is 1:2. Sleep overnight in the Triglavski Dom hut. Ski down and return to Pri Martinu Inn.

Day 7
A day tour in the Western Julian Alps in Italy. Kranjska Gora to Italy is just few kilometres and this is a fabulous day tour on Mangartsko Sedlo (Forca della lavina) The ascent is 1100m. Return to our hotel in Kranjska Gora.

Day 8
Transfer to Ljubljana and have the morning for sightseeing/shopping. Fly back to the UK in the late afternoon.

We will make every endeavour to carry out the above itinerary but alterations may have to be made owing to weather and snow conditions.

Additional Information

Private group tours are available on request from mid-March until early May.

Price
The price includes: all guiding fees and expenses, 6 nights HB in Kranjska Gora (twin rooms) and 1 nights HB in mountain huts, airport transfers and local transport
The price does not include: flights, lunches, beverages, personal insurance, equipment hire, lift passes.
Single room occupancy (in hotel) may incur an additional charge.

Group Sizes
Minimum group size is 4. Maximum group size is 12 with 2 guides.

Accommodation
In Kranjska Jora our preferred accommodation is in the Pri Martinu Inn. This is a friendly Slovenian Inn serving traditional local food.

Equipment
A copy of our recommended kit list will be sent to you at the time of booking.
Ski touring skis, boots, bindings, skins and ski crampons are essential for this tour. Confused about what skis, boots and binding combination to bring with you, then read our Ski Equipment page to find out more.
You will also need boot crampons, ice axe and a harness for this trip.
All skiers will need to carry a pack (max 30 - 40 litres) with safety gear, a minimal change of clothes and personal items.
Everyone is expected to ski at all times with the three essential items of avalanche safety equipment: transceiver, shovel and probe. If you ski off-piste regularly we recommend you purchase your own set and we have a special offer on BCA’s excellent DTS Tracker.

Equipment Hire
Hiring good ski touring gear in Slovenia is difficult and we'd recommend that you try to hire equiment in the UK. That said, our fantastic Slovenian Guide, Klemen Gricar, has some skis & boots for hire as well as boot crampons, ice axe and harness; so if you do need to hire equipment, check with us first.

Your guides
This tour will be led by Klemen Gricar, a local Slovenian IFMGA Mountain Guide. Klemen helped with our first ski tour to Slovenia in March 2006 and he was just the best! His wife, Manca, also helped with the tour and together they really made a fantastic team.

Comments following the 2006 tour
"This was the best week of skiing I have done and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Klemen and Manca were fantastic and performed well above the call of duty"

Recommended Maps
1:50.000 and 1:25.000 Planinska zveza Slovenije.

Getting there
Easyjet fly to Ljubljana from Stansted and Adria Airways fly there from Gatwick.
The flight time is about 2¾ hrs. From the airport in Ljubjlana it is an 80 minute transfer by minibus to the hotel in Kranjska Gora.

Insurance
It is a condition of booking that you are insured for ski touring covering personal accident, rescue and third party risks. You are strongly advised also to take out cover against cancellation and curtailment.
If you are looking to purchase insurance for your trip we recommend SNOWCARD. They specialise in travel insurance for adventure sports particularly skiing and snowboarding. Their rates for both single trip and annual policies are very competitive.

For details on their policies and to get a quote CLICK HERE or contact our office for further details.

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