At the PZS 2025 Assembly on the Olympic Year...

At the PZS 2025 Assembly on the Olympic Year and Future Challenges.

At the regular annual assembly of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS) on May 9, 2025, in Hrastnik, the delegates of mountaineering associations unanimously approved the reports of PZS bodies for 2024 and the framework content and financial work program of PZS for 2026, elected members of the electoral commission for the new term of office, and partially approved the amendments and additions to the PZS Statute. Three new associations were admitted to the mountaineering federation with 63,931 members, so now 301 associations operate under the umbrella of the national mountaineering organization. The year 2024 was Olympic for PZS in several respects, both in competitive sports, membership, and mountain safety prevention, but a number of challenges remain, including mountaineering infrastructure, training of professional staff, and mountain nature conservation.

The past year was Olympic for the Alpine Association of Slovenia in several respects, but a number of challenges remain, as highlighted by PZS President Jože Rovan. In 2024, it was not only the achievements of Slovenian sport climbers, alpinists, ice climbers, and ski tourers, led by double Olympic champion Janja Garnbret, that shaped the year, but also the renewed growth in membership, which at 63,931 members (nearly a third under 26 years old) is a record in the last 20 years, though the challenge remains how to attract the remaining mountain visitors to mountaineering associations. It is worth highlighting the cooperation of all responsible for safe mountain visits under the Safe in the Mountains campaign, which, according to initial data, has already borne small fruits in 2024, as the number of accidents and interventions has slightly decreased - the mountaineering organization aims for this in the future as well, along with training professional staff, which is an increasingly large undertaking.



Management of mountaineering infrastructure, especially trails, is better than in previous years based on systematic state funding, but the challenge remains preparing a strategy for mountain huts and fighting for better, also systemic, sources of co-financing for hut management. In the PZS direction Walking from Valleys to Heights, which promotes sustainable and environmentally friendly mountain visiting, changing people's habits is key, including accepting traffic calming in alpine valleys, even if it is not yet sufficiently thought out and mountaineers' needs are not always recognized. President Rovan also highlighted the spirit of volunteering, which traditionally permeates mountaineering activities, but due to greater workloads at workplaces, it is increasingly difficult to find time for work in mountaineering.

Maša Kovač, President of the Hrastnik Mountaineering Association, welcomed mountaineers from all over Slovenia; three years ago, it already hosted the Slovenian Mountaineers' Day - at the Kal Mountain Hut, which this time took care of pampering the taste buds with local cuisine. In the mining town, Marko Funkl, Mayor of the Municipality of Hrastnik, which has very well-maintained mountaineering trails and three mountain huts as the central tourist infrastructure in the municipality, proudly greeted the attendees. At the regular annual PZS assembly in the Hrastnik Workers' Home, 138 delegate votes were present, with nearly 46% quorum. The cultural program was enriched by singer Riko Majcen, accordionist Jernej Pikel, and student Regina Zorenč from the Primary School of National Hero Rajko Hrastnik.

The delegates approved all submitted reports, including the reports of PZS bodies for 2024, presented in the PZS Yearbook 2024, and the framework content and financial work program of PZS for 2026. They elected members of the PZS electoral commission for the 2025-2029 term: Anton Murgelj (PD Krka Novo mesto), Milan Ancel (PD Pohorje Zgornja Polskava), and Tadej Dobravc Verbič (PD Črnuče), with substitutes Rok Legan (PD Rašica) and Martin Luzar (Hiking Association Novo mesto). The assembly also adopted the proposed amendments and additions to the PZS Statute, except for the proposal of articles that would set new minimum conditions for associations to retain membership in PZS.

In 2024, three associations were admitted to PZS membership: Športnoplezalni klub Jesenice, Klub ljubiteljev plezanja, and Plezani klub 7b+. Eight mountain huts throughout Slovenia received extension of the family-friendly mountain hut certificate for 2025-2028, the same number as those with extended environmentally friendly mountain hut certificate for the same period.



The next opportunity for mountaineering gathering will be the Slovenian Mountaineers' Day, which with a diverse program invites mountaineers of all generations, ski tourers, and other nature lovers on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of PD Litija on June 14, 2025, to Janče. In a week, on May 17, PZS will host the regular and electoral assembly of the European Mountaineering Associations (EUMA) in Bohinjska Bistrica, which will be held in Slovenia for the first time, with representatives of most of the 36 member European mountaineering federations gathering. The day before, on May 16, the regular annual assembly of the Balkan Mountaineering Associations (BMU) will also be held at the Bohinj ECO Hotel.