Litija-Idrija triumph at the 31st national...

Litija-Idrija triumph at the 31st national Youth and Mountains competition.



Proud elementary school national champions at the 31st Youth and Mountains competition became Litija girls Pepa hrib on January 25 in Spodnja Idrija ahead of the second-placed team Gorski kruhki from Idrija and OŠ Šmartno from Litija in third place. High school awards remained in Primorska: with the winners Nore na gore and second Gorskih mulci from Idrija, third place was celebrated by Nanoške zmagovalke from Podnanos.







Spodnja Idrija was a real anthill of young mountaineers and their mentors on the last Saturday in January at the 31st national Youth and Mountains competition, the most established mountaineering challenge for young people testing knowledge, skills, and experiences from all areas and forms of mountaineering activities, which for more than three decades has been preparing elementary school students for safer and more independent visits to the mountains, and this year high school students demonstrated their mountaineering knowledge for the fifth time. Youth and Mountains is not just a competition, but also an opportunity for socializing and acquiring lifelong mountaineering knowledge, which young mountaineers from all over Slovenia have already shown a lot of at last November's regional competitions in Lendava, Izola, and Preserje pri Radomljah. In the town of last year's winners, where the Saturday atmosphere was set by admirable mountaineering knowledge and good spirit of more than 130 competitors, the 31st national MIG Spodnja Idrija competition was organized by the Alpine Association of Slovenia, PZS Youth Commission, Republic of Slovenia Sports Institute Planica, Mountaineering Association Idrija, and Spodnja Idrija Elementary School.







A cultural kaleidoscope for the introduction to the competition was provided by the choir of OŠ Spodnja Idrija led by Eva Lahajnar, the piano duo of students of teacher Maja Tanšek, and the dance group of Nastja Lakner Čavlović. The competitors were encouragingly addressed by the principal of OŠ Spodnja Idrija Janja Habe, president of Mountaineering Association Idrija Nace Breitenberger, president of MDO PD Posočja Dušan Plesničar, head of PZS Youth Commission Ana Suhadolnik, head of MO PD Idrija Katarina Bončina, and long-time competition coordinator Brigita Čeh; much success and to remain faithful to mountaineering for a long time was wished by the president of the Alpine Association of Slovenia Jože Rovan. The young mountaineers were enthused by a lecture and conversation with the surprise guest - top alpinist Viki Grošelj, who expressed admiration for their knowledge.







Four- or three-member elementary school teams and two-member high school teams started the competition in the morning with tests of mountaineering knowledge acquired in mountaineering clubs and through mountaineering activities. Seven best teams qualified for the final part of the national elementary school competition, where in a quiz format they answered questions from the Mountaineering School and additional material on the work of mountain hut keepers, dangers of snow avalanches, history of Idrija and first records of our mountains, and also had to manage practical tasks in first aid and demonstrate ice axe arrest.







24 teams competed for the national champions title in the elementary school category, with the top seven in a live final that was a tough knowledge challenge for all gathered. Victory was celebrated by the young mountaineers Pepa hrib (PD Litija, OŠ Gradec, Litija), who beat Gorske kruhke (PD Idrija, OŠ Idrija) by one point, third place went to the OŠ Šmartno team (PD Litija, OŠ Šmartno). Fourth place went to Planinske muhe (PD Idrija, OŠ Idrija), fifth to Obiskovalci gora (PD Domžale, OŠ Preserje pri Radomljah), sixth to Pr farski štruklevci (PD Idrija, OŠ Spodnja Idrija), and seventh to Divji svizci (PD Postojna, OŠ Miroslava Vilharja Postojna).







Proud elementary school national champions Pina Lucija Golouh, Nuša Šef, Maša Kristina, and Vita Viktorija Jere, who named themselves Pepa hrib, could hardly believe their success: "The victory seemed completely unreal to us, it really surprised us!" The trio has been competing for the third year, one member is a newcomer, and it was their first time qualifying for the national final: "We had to show very diverse and extensive knowledge from all topics, there's a lot of theory, so it's easiest to divide the topics and complement each other in knowledge, above all you have to be as broadly informed as possible. We acquire mountaineering knowledge also at youth and family camps and mountaineering trips, and we also compete in first aid competitions."







"I'm very happy because the girls prepared very diligently and took the competition seriously, and they also respect the rules in practice and share their knowledge with younger students on hikes, accompany and encourage them - so they maintain that note of solidarity, social awareness, they are wonderful. The competition is very important especially from the perspective of transferring theoretical knowledge into practice; on the path they not only know how to orient themselves, but also listen to nature and preserve it," was enthusiastic Maja Bregar, together with Roman Ponebšek the mentor of PD Litija teams, where they also celebrated third place.







At the fifth Youth and Mountains competition for high school students, 16 high school teams competed in Spodnja Idrija. The top five in a separate final demonstrated knowledge of first aid and mountaineering from A to Z through more difficult practical tasks, searching for avalanche transceivers, and using and arresting with an ice axe. Once again this year, competitors from PD Idrija were unbeatable, taking the first two places: victory went to the duo Nore na gore, second to Gorskim mulcem. Third place was earned by Nanoške zmagovalke team (PD Podnanos), fourth Štrudložera (PD Fram), and fifth Gorazdova ekipa (PD Tržič).







Nore na gore, high school winners Barbara Čibej and Zala Serženta Seljak, are already old acquaintances of MIG, having been at the top of this competition multiple times in different lineups. "I've been with mountaineers since first grade, competing since sixth grade of elementary school, but I value gaining experiences in the mountains the most, as the theoretical knowledge we acquire here is very practically useful on tours themselves. It seems to me that you appreciate it even more when you once organize a trip yourself, especially when you go to the mountains alone, when you're otherwise only responsible for yourself, but that can sometimes be a demanding task," outlined the broader meaning of the competition by youth leader Barbara, who wants to become a PZS guide as well, and Zala is following in her footsteps: "To become a youth leader, I'm only missing the seminar paper, I plan to remain active in the association and perhaps qualify as a mountaineering guide in the future." The tireless mentor of PD Idrija Nace Breitenberger really doesn't have to worry about the mountaineering youth, as five of his teams made it to the final, which is just another indicator of constant and long-term work with young mountaineers, above all acquiring knowledge for life.







Theoretical questions and practical tasks are prepared by experts with a wide range of mountaineering knowledge and experience with the desire that competitors know how to use the acquired knowledge for independent and as safe as possible movement in the mountains. This year they were overseen by Bojan Rotovnik, Franc Kadiš, Uroš Kuzman, Janja Stopar, Barbara Bajcer, Vanja Blažica, Tine Pavšič, and Damjan Omerzu, while Domen Strle oversaw the execution of the competition itself. The best teams were awarded with a mountaineering camp at the Mountaineering Education Center Bavšica, trophies, and medals, all participants with practical prizes. In the literary-art contest titled Wind in the Hair, Lara Badnjal (PD Postojna, OŠ Pivka) proved victorious.