Climbing for All - Slovenian-spiced Alpine winter week

All paths of climbers from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia lead this week to Planica, where the Alpine Association of Slovenia is hosting a meeting of the three-year international Climbing for All project. The fourth exchange under the Erasmus+ programme places winter alpinism activities at the centre, mainly ice climbing and ski touring due to the conditions this time, and the week is passing under the sign of participant networking, exchange of knowledge and experiences, and seeking ideas for further bringing climbing and mountaineering closer to the wider public.



The aim of the international Climbing for All project, in which the alpine associations of the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia have united their forces, ideas and experiences, is primarily to encourage young people to engage more actively in climbing, alpinism, mountaineering and other related sports, and to enhance international cooperation between countries. It is co-financed by the European Commission through the Erasmus+: Sport, Youth and EU Aid Volunteers programme, with key activities being international meetings. "With the Climbing for All project, we are entering the final phase. For the PZS, it is certainly the highlight of organising the weekly event in Planica and hosting 90 alpinists and mountaineers from six partner countries. All partner organisations are national alpine or mountaineering organisations, so the exchange of experiences and knowledge is very effective. Despite similarities, we are quite different, but together we all face the challenge of further developing mountaineering and climbing in the EU. The special contribution of the project is the exchanges, where we have forged numerous acquaintances and new international connections, which is an excellent foundation for everyone's further alpinistic activity," emphasised Damjan Omerzu, project leader from the Alpine Association of Slovenia.



The first exchange took place in autumn 2016 in Adršpach in the Czech Republic, the next in June 2017 in the High Tatras in Slovakia, in October 2017 the meeting was in Paklenica in Croatia, between 5 and 11 March Slovenia is the host, and in autumn the final event follows in Italy. "The Erasmus exchange, which we Slovene are hosting this time in Planica, is dedicated to winter climbing and other mountaineering activities. Already in the project preparation, the PZS got the organisation of the winter meeting due to the numerous opportunities offered by the Slovenian Alps in winter. Unfortunately, the weather and snow conditions are not serving us best this week, but nevertheless the participants are fully winter active every day. The previous polar week left us some ice, with adaptations there is quite a bit of ski touring and winter hiking, expert workshops are dedicated to learning and new experiences, and something else winter-related is found to fill our days. Despite the grey and sour weather, the Slovenian winter experience is a good opportunity for participants to gain first or upgrade their winter experiences. With the additional afternoon and evening educational and social programme, this is a real Alpine winter week, spiced Slovenian-style," vividly describes Miha Habjan, head of the PZS Alpine Commission.



The leadership of the alpine organisations is also participating in working groups covering work with youth, the issue of free access to mountains, inclusion of the elderly and disabled, international networking, training for activities in the mountain world, and inclusion of different groups in the work of alpine organisations. The week in Planica is thus an opportunity for exchange and enhancement of knowledge and seeking ideas for further bringing climbing and mountaineering closer to the wider public, as well as for presenting Slovenian mountains, knowledge, techniques and successes to foreign alpinists. After consulting with Slovenian alpinists about conditions and difficulties, exchange participants independently choose targets and set off in small groups for ski touring or ice climbing in Tamar, Krnica, towards Vršič and in the Karavanke, on Wednesday, 7 March, it was lively under the Poncami too. Žiga Šter from Dynafit company led a ski touring workshop and enabled equipment testing, as winter mountain visits are marked by the danger of avalanches, the avalanche workshop by PZS expert collaborator and GRZS instructor Matjaž Šerkezi aroused great interest, the company Veriga Lesce also presented itself. In the evening, alpinistic skier Davo Karničar amazed the gathered with a film about skiing from the highest peaks of the seven continents and a demonstration of Elan's foldable ski. At the beginning of the week, Professor Igor Mekjavić from the Jožef Stefan Institute enthused with an expert lecture on acclimatisation and medical insights into high-altitude ascents, alpinist Andrej Štremfelj will take the international company through Slovenian alpinistic history.



Participants of the Climbing for All meeting in Planica said ...



Yáchym Srb, Czech Republic: "I have attended all meetings, in Adršpach, Tatras, Paklenica and now in Planica. The project is a good experience, as you meet many new climbers and climb together. The workshops in the entire programme so far are also very interesting, I would especially highlight Dr. Mekjavić's lecture on hyperbaric training and how it affects your physical fitness, and Davo Karničar's lecture, which I would like to see him ski live. In Slovenia, I mainly ski tour, if conditions improve, I would like to climb Jalovec."



Antonijo Begić, Croatia: "This is already my fourth Climbing for All project meeting, which I rate as excellent, as it brings us full of new experiences and acquaintances from different countries. Conditions in Slovenia are not the best, but they can be adapted. I arrived a day before the start and used every day for ice climbing, one day also for ski touring. Such cooperation is very welcome due to sharing experiences and knowledge - everyone does something differently and so you can take the best from each and try to implement it at home, both in climbing and regarding content in working groups."



Thomas Gusmeo, Italy: "These exchanges give me the opportunity to meet climbers, mountaineers and also friends from countries I hadn't previously thought of as climbing destinations. I always climbed in Italy, France, Germany, so I was surprised how much we have in common with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia. I met many friends and with some who don't attend all meetings, we have kept in touch. I would like to ski through the Jalovec couloir, but due to avalanche danger it will probably remain for another time."



Viktor Agoston, Hungary: "In Slovenia I am at the fourth climbing meeting, and if at the beginning we didn't exactly know what to expect, now it is clear that the most important aspect is social networking. We cooperate different countries, different people, but we have the same interests, activities and similar goals. We have befriended climbers from different countries and also between meetings we maintain contacts and try to organise joint climbing trips. In Planica we wanted to ice climb as much as possible, but unfortunately conditions are deteriorating, but there are still enough opportunities for good ski touring."



Vlado Linek, Slovakia: "I have been participating in the project for the third year. The first meeting in the Czech Republic with special climbing ethics was an interesting experience for climbers from Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Hungary. The exchange in Slovakia offered summer alpinism, in Paklenica it was climbing experience in big walls, in Slovenia we are getting to know ice climbing, ski touring and winter hiking, each time a different way of climbing and thus we gain different experiences. The meeting is not intended only for climbing, but also for working groups, I lead the one on free access to mountains and together with examples of good practice we seek solutions."



Matija Volontar, Slovenia: "The first action in the sandstone in the Czech Republic differed the most from the climbing we know, so it was the most successful for me, as they have low walls, different climbing ethics and very complicated climbing rules. We usually don't go to such places ourselves, because we always seek some big targets or walls. Climbing for All is certainly a positive experience, as it enables us to visit places and climbing areas we otherwise wouldn't, but I would like more cooperation between climbers from different countries and more exploration, not just deciding based on good conditions."