Day of Mountaineering Experiences

Yesterday, 15 June 2013, the Kamniška Bistrica area was the venue for numerous mountaineering experiences and a true mountaineering festival. On the Day of Slovenian Mountaineers or Day of Slovenian Mountaineering Experiences, as named by the Alpine Association of Slovenia, more than 2000 mountaineers of all ages and interests gathered to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Slovenian Mountaineering Association/Alpine Association of Slovenia as well as the 120th anniversaries of PD Kamnik and PD Ljubljana–Matica under the Kamnik peaks. At the same time, we opened the summer mountaineering season, as mountain huts are opening their doors permanently until autumn.



The morning events took place at several event venues and on various excursions, strolls, hikes and cycling tours – participants chose their activities according to their preferences. The Alpine Association of Slovenia, together with co-organisers, emphasised quality mass participation and environmental care by inviting mountaineers and mountain lovers to various paths in Kamniška Bistrica and surroundings – of different difficulties and lengths, and provided transport from hikes or to starting points using public transport. With guides from PZS Mountaineering Club Kamnik and touring cycling guides from the PZS Touring Cycling Commission, mountain lovers and those enjoying pleasant gatherings set off to Cojzova koča on Kokrsko sedlo, along Koželjeva path to Kamniška Bistrica, to Velika planina, toured Kamniška Bistrica (Lepi Kamen, Žagana peč, Spominski park, Predaselj ...), some went on a guided tour of Kamnik. Cyclists and touring cyclists embarked on two tours of different difficulty, the easier from Kamnik to Kamniška Bistrica, the harder from Kamnik to Kamniška Bistrica with an intermediate hike to Kamniški vrh (1259 m). All enthusiastic young people – by years and heart – could climb at Jurj on the PZS climbing tower, the youngest went on a prize excursion from the gondola via Belska kopa to Kamniška Bistrica, behind Dom in Kamniška Bistrica enjoyed the meadow of mountaineering fun, social workshops and orienteering adventure. Mountain rescuers of the Kamnik Mountain Rescue Service Association, who also participated in the all-Slovenian Saturday event, demonstrated rescuing a paraglider from a tree using a tyrolean line and showcased the intervention vehicle with mountain rescue equipment.

At the festive ceremony in front of Dom in Kamniška Bistrica, where guests from foreign mountaineering clubs and associations also gathered, all speakers in the cultural programme – Mayor of Kamnik Municipality Marjan Šarec, PZS President Bojan Rotovnik, PD Ljubljana–Matica President Tomaž Willenpart and PD Kamnik President Ivan Resnik – emphasised the importance and popularity of mountaineering in Slovenia, how mountaineers value fellow humans, nature and our mountains, our treasures. Mountaineering is not just walking in the mountains, but a way of life; the mountaineering tradition spans centuries, as this year we celebrate the 120th anniversary of organised mountaineering in Slovenia (PZS), and in the same year 1893, mountaineering clubs Kamnik and Ljubljana–Matica, co-organisers of this Day of Slovenian Mountaineers or Slovenian Mountaineering Experiences, were founded. The cultural programme, hosted by radio host and moderator Blaž Lesnik, was enriched by singer Tjaša Hrovat, young mountaineers of PS OŠ Šmartno v Tuhinju under mentor Lučka Derganc and ensemble Domačini, who led the numerous gathered mountaineers, mountain lovers and participants into a sociable late afternoon. Kamnik Mayor Šarec and PD Kamnik President Resnik also presented awards to the twin town and their mountaineering club from Trofaiach, accepted on their behalf by Janez Ivanc.



At the festive ceremony, following last year's very successful campaign, we presented this year's Nedela and PZS campaign for selecting the Friendliest Mountain Hut by mountain visitors and Nedela readers (last year they chose Koča na Dobrči). On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Slovenian Mountain Trail (SPP), the oldest connecting trail (transversal) in Slovenia and of its kind in the world, Helios and the Olympic Committee of Slovenia – Sports Federations Association donated Helios paints worth 7,000.00 euros to the Alpine Association of Slovenia for renewing SPP markings, and the voucher was solemnly presented at the event on behalf of both Helios and OKS to PZS President Bojan Rotovnik by Polona Stare, assistant marketing director at Helios. The large all-Slovenian event on the 599 km SPP trail with 75 checkpoints will presumably take place on Saturday and Sunday, 6–7 July 2013, marking the 1st Tončkov dan in memory of the late PZS vice-president Tone Tomše and long-time head of the PZS Mountain Trails Commission

To participants of this all-Slovenian mountaineering festival, at the event area in front of Dom in Kamniška Bistrica, we also presented the work and activities of the Alpine Association of Slovenia, PZS Mountaineering Publishing House editions, Planinski vestnik, Vozne rede v Alpah 2013, Zlatorogovo transverzalo ponosa, Annapurna shop, proper waste separation with Slopak, Red Cross of Slovenia presented Mladinsko zdravilišče and letovišče Debeli rtič, we distributed Triglav Insurance Očistimo naše gore in planine t-shirts and waste bags, police Mountain Unit representatives joined young mountaineers on the prize hike for young mountaineers.



Together with the day of Slovenian mountaineering experiences, the 2nd gathering of mountaineering clubs' standard bearers took place, attended by 45 standard bearers from all Slovenia, who added solemnity to the festive event with a procession at the start. At the gathering, discussions focused on the adopted Instructions for using the emblem, flag and anthem of the Alpine Association of Slovenia, issues faced by PD standard bearers and mountaineering clubs in this area, and the Inter-club Committee of Koroška Mountaineering Clubs presented the standard bearer's attire.