| VanSims12. 07. 2013 21:19:28 |
Last Sunday I approached Krniške skale (Gartnerkofel) via a slightly different variant than the predecessors and most approaches to this summit.
I start in the village of Möderndorf next to Šmohor, more precisely at the beginning of the picturesque gorge Garnitzenklamm, where I park in the parking lot around 06:30 in the morning. I go into the gorge, which soon shows itself at its best. Beautiful, wild, picturesque. It is divided into four parts. After the first and second part there is an emergency exit, and after the third as well. The path is not entirely simple. The first part is still technically undemanding, the second and third are partially demanding. So be careful on the protections, especially when there is high water, wet conditions,... The last part already borders on a demanding path, so be cautious there with children and the inexperienced! Nevertheless, for an average hiker accustomed to protections, it poses no major problems and the beauty outweighs the effort. Time: good two hours.
After the end, we can of course go back via the other easy path or continue onward. I continue toward Kühweger Alm (good hour). From there onward to Kühweger Thörl (about an hour and a half). From there, the view already opens to Mokrine and all the standard peaks alongside: Malurh, Konjski špik, prominent Veliki Koritnik,... You can approach up to here also from Mokrine (about an hour and a half). From here go right (left if coming from Mokrine) to Kammleiten, known for its interesting rock different from the surroundings and beautiful crystals (about half an hour to the summit).
Well, to the left (right from the Mokrine direction) is where I headed. That is the climbing NW ridge of Krniške skale. But no signpost, no markings  Well, I go about 50-100 m along a poorly visible path and then on the rock under the scree I finally see a red dot. Red dots and lines then lead the entire path. The path is thus well hidden so that someone less experienced, of whom there are surely many around there, does not stray onto it. The climbing should supposedly be UIAA I throughout according to Vid Pogačnik's note on Summitpost (http://www.summitpost.org/north-west-ridge/204826). OK, an expert is an expert, but I think it reaches at least II- at least at some spots (at least the key ones). Also that the path is just 'easy', as written, well, as for whom. 
Well, the path gets quite vertical right at the start, the initial part is the steepest, the rock is fractured, holds are fine. After the steepest section I reach an exposed ramp, at its end I hear people above me, and a stone flies past  (helmet is of course where it belongs and is recommended for this route). "Achtung!", I shout. The path gets vertical again, and I have to cross the first scary spot, i.e., from the steepness directly into the traverse around the protruding 'nub'. Then I meet those people - Czechs who went down this path.  We greet nicely and I continue. The path then becomes a bit easier for a while (walking on grass, paths, occasional climbing...) but the difficulties are far from over. So I reach the point where the summit cross is already visible but that is only about halfway. Right there is the key part of the path. Steep ascent on rock with slightly worse holds, then on the exposed section where on a meter or two you practically have nowhere to step or must proceed carefully step by step. Vid Pogačnik goes through this part confidently with poles in hands.  Or he just posed like that for the photo. 
Even then it is not all over. The steepness eases but the rock becomes somewhat less fractured. Then follows a spot where you have to downclimb a bit and I am already at the spot with the box. Frequency of entries: about 2-3 per day. I learn that those Czechs are from Pardubice. From there onward it seems quite steep but when I approach the rock I see a gully in it. Well, here it should go. Somewhere in the middle the dots run out for me. I downclimb and discover they lead left. Well, I follow them and get somewhat confused until I realize that I would reach the same spot if I followed the gully to the end, and it would even be easier.
Here the climbing is practically over. There follow some exposed passages similar perhaps to that on the Rogatec climbing route before the climbing becomes walking. That happens here too and this path joins the normal route after a minute or two, from there another minute or two to the summit.
SUMMARY: VERY DEMANDING MARKED ROUTE. Markings were obviously renewed (according to Rok's note from 2007). They are red (old faded blues are still visible in some places). On the path you need to be careful because there is a lot of scree, holds and steps are quite stable. At the start the path is steep, later less so, at the start the rock is well fractured, later a bit less. Although it is a ridge, the path is abyss-exposed only at some places, so it is not that classic ridge (à la Triglav) where we see drops left and right simultaneously. The mountain's structure here is something special, i.e., gullies, towers,... and precisely on the climbing route you see the true meaning of the Slovenian name Krniške SKALE - the route is very picturesque. The route is NOT secured. There is not a single protection, and if I remember correctly no pegs for rope belay either. And since I already mentioned the Rogatec climbing (which is also unsecured): this one is a grade harder than that. Still, I think that whoever managed Rogatec without problems and generally has at least some experience from very demanding routes or better yet demanding pathless terrain, should not have major problems here.
On the summit the panorama was quite good. Italian Julian Alps are visible (up to ours somehow not), along the Carnic ridge to Ojstrnik, to Coglians, and south to Canal Valley, north Gail Valley and Gailtal Alps and of course Dobrač. Well, the remaining Dolomites (also Lienz) and High Tauern are hidden.
I descend the normal route and treat myself to a beer at the upper cable car station, then back to Kühweger Thörl and Kühweger Alm. There I get hungry and order a Bretteljause, i.e., sausage, fatback, cheese on a plate with bread and beer. It went down very well. Well, the landlady (after asking where I come from) surprises me with Slovenian, which she learned for two years in school. She searched for words a bit (I had to whisper some to her) but she did quite well. There was also a black dog (similar to a Newfoundland) that constantly watched me. I don't know if because I was a foreigner or my sausage smelled good to it!
The host tells me where I can go back. He described the path well but I searched for it a bit due to slightly poorer marking (yes, it happens with Austrians too). Actually, on one part of the path there were practically no markings. Then I hear the stream from the gorge again and reach the nice church St. Urbani above it. It is a couple of minutes off the path, it was open and seemed quite nice to me. From there I have another good half hour to the car. On the way back I make a detour to Trbiž for ice cream (Italians have better than Austrians) and from there of course home.
Super trip!
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