Lower-lying mountain destinations inviting in winter, including huts

Mountains in winter require a mature visitor who masters technical aids, has knowledge of dangers in the mountains, meteorology, orientation, movement, but above all a great deal of knowledge, experience and responsibility, as well as respect for the mountains and awareness that the mountain will wait for them. Numerous lower-lying destinations throughout Slovenia offer diverse opportunities for excursions even in winter - always in the spirit of thoughtfulness, gradualness and responsibility, as highlighted by the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS) at a press conference at the start of the winter mountaineering season at Dom pod Storžičem on December 10, 2025. A winter mountain destination can already be a mountain hut, as more than a hundred are open in winter throughout Slovenia, and by visiting them, we also support their operation.

In these days, temperatures in the hills are considerably above the usual for December. It is unusually warm for this time of year and before International Mountain Day, December 11, which this year focuses on glaciers, we can draw a parallel with climate change and its impact on winter mountain visits and the operation of mountain huts. "Mountains are changing. In the light of climate change, we cannot overlook the disappearance of glaciers, rockfalls and falling rocks, extreme drought periods that dynamically alternate with heavy precipitation events. All this affects changes, damaging events, the safety of people who go to the mountains, and last but not least, the consequences of climate change are a challenge for managing mountain infrastructure, such as paths and huts," highlighted in this year's PZS message the vice-president of the Alpine Association of Slovenia Martin Šolar and added: "Heavy rainfall, landslides and falling rocks cause faster mechanical changes in the parent substrate and of course also damage to paths, which must be maintained for safety and the existence of this infrastructure. A special challenge is also the increasing shortage of water, which is needed for the operation of mountain huts. There is less water, theoretically there will also be less polluted wastewater, but this should not stop us from seeking effective solutions for discharges in huts."

Winter activities in the hilly and mountainous world are more complex than summer mountaineering, hillwalking and alpinism. "Shorter days, lower temperatures, harder accessibility to starting points, more difficult movement and orientation, additional technical equipment, upgrading of knowledge, skills and experiences needed for better assessment of conditions on the terrain and assessment of dangers, a more demanding decision-making process, the danger of triggering snow avalanches and other things require from all who venture into the hilly world in winter much more than in summer conditions - namely additional training, more experience, more preparations for the tour, knowledge and skill in using the necessary winter equipment and knowledge of dangers in the mountains in winter. Thoughtfully, gradually and responsibly, we can also find a suitable mountain destination in winter," emphasized the PZS expert collaborator and mountain guide Miha Habjan, and he also laid on the heart of mountain visitors that we must be respectful both to people and to nature, which also needs rest in winter, and that we park only where it is allowed.

Practically the entire Slovenia is dotted with hills, highlands or high mountains and crisscrossed with mountain paths, so everyone can find a destination suitable for their abilities. "Choosing an appropriate mountain destination that we adapt to our psychophysical abilities, training and experiences is one of the key things in ensuring the safety of tour participants. Numerous lower-lying destinations throughout Slovenia offer diverse opportunities for excursions even in winter, both for beginners who are just gaining experience, as well as for more experienced ones - always in the spirit of thoughtfulness, gradualness and responsibility," added PZS vice-president Šolar, also a mountaineering education instructor, and listed some winter destinations, such as e.g. Krim, Nanos, Slavnik, Vremščica, Kum, Blegoš, Pohorje, Mrzlica, Lisca, Boč, Snežnik, Slivnica, Trdinov vrh, Čaven, Kofce, Lubnik ... On numerous peaks or below them are mountain huts, open also in winter.

To prepare as best as possible for a winter visit to the mountains, appropriate equipment and knowledge of its use are important, which we must not overestimate, even if we set off on a less demanding and shorter path. "For an easier winter tour, we first need appropriate footwear, high-quality high mountain boots with a good sole, and clothing in multiple layers. We can use hiking poles - with wide snow baskets if there is snow. In the backpack, don't forget gloves, a hat, sunglasses, first aid, a map, a headlamp, spare clothes, some hot drink and an iron reserve. If there is more snow, we need gaiters that prevent snow from entering the boots, if the path is icy, also chains or crampons," showed Habjan.

A winter mountain destination can be a visit to a mountain hut, for which Tržič is an excellent starting point, and the target of the press conference was Dom pod Storžičem, which is open in winter on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. "Tržič is a destination where practically all paths to the surrounding hills start in the center of Tržič, for which on one hand there are natural conditions, on the other hand the development of paths and the construction of mountain huts are connected with the railway, with which mountaineers once arrived. From Tržič to Dom pod Storžičem it is a good two hours' walk, from Grahovše, where there is an arranged parking lot, a good hour. Depending on conditions, parking lots are also higher along the road, shortening the path, but I recommend at least the approach over Senožeti, where we climb to the hut in less than half an hour," said the local, president of the Tržič Mountaineering Association Uroš Ahačič. According to his words, Dom pod Storžičem is also suitable for education, mountaineering and children's camps, schools in nature, as access is safe in all seasons (especially in winter), and the surroundings of the hut are suitable for various activities in nature. The hut also has a multimedia-equipped classroom for 50 people and 70 beds. "Excellent cuisine with local ingredients is already known to everyone - from near and far - and they return again and again because of that or precisely for that reason."

Lower-lying mountain huts with open doors expect visitors all year round, even in winter, when mostly only huts in the high mountains are closed. Some posts, especially easily accessible ones, are open permanently, quite a few huts are open only on weekends, some all year, some in winter time switch to openness only on weekends. In Slovenia there are 159 mountain huts, of which 117 are open in winter or currently, which is around 70 percent. Information on the operation of huts is available on the website of the Alpine Association of Slovenia pzs.si/koce/ - there is also a map with open/closed huts. More detailed data on individual huts are available in the maPZS platform. "Mountain huts are catering facilities that offer accommodation, food and drink and also shelter and accept all visitors. In huts, they hospitably serve tasty simpler dishes that are generally characteristic of huts. In some, they also offer some other local or regional specialties. In mountain huts, it is not desirable to consume only your own food and drink. Instead of bringing a sandwich with you, the profit from which goes into the hands of trading companies, support the operation of mountain huts by ordering a meal and drink in the hut. Mountaineering associations, caretakers and tenants strive to keep the huts open, take care of the expected homeliness and provide quality offer. But without revenues, this cannot be well ensured," explained PZS vice-president Martin Šolar.

The Tržič Mountaineering Association manages four popular mountain huts: Dom pod Storžičem, Dom na Kofcah, Planinski dom na Zelenici and Koča na Dobrči, which is a big challenge for the association. "Mountaineering associations face the requirements of inspection services, the same standards are required as for premises in the valley. In the past, the operation of huts was supported by local factories and companies, there were enough volunteers for maintenance, today times are different. Huts are mostly old, revenues - except for a few most besieged points - do not suffice even for regular operation, as these are energy-consuming objects, due to exposure to high-altitude influences there is more maintenance than for objects in the valley, due to harder accessibility it is significantly more expensive," listed the facts Ahačič and continued: "In PD Tržič, we have thoroughly renovated three huts in past years, and on Zelenica a new one was built after the fire in 1999. But there is no end, when we have completed the first round, we can already go into the second. Problems for us are supply with energy, drinking water, as well as wastewater, as there are no suitable treatment plants for hills that would work uninterruptedly, given the harder conditions and variable load. A big challenge in recent years is becoming staff, which we are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain, younger generations are harder to decide for work in a mountain hut or are interested in quick and large earnings. Some see full terraces on weekends, especially at lunchtime, when kitchen capacities cannot satisfy all visitors, but they do not see that huts are open and waiting for visitors also in bad weather conditions, so it is hard to satisfy the desire for high revenues, and associations have no other incomes."

For many, a mountain hut can already be a winter destination, but many are tempted by something more demanding, but if we go higher, we must be aware of the demanding terrain, warned Ahačič: "Storžič is in suitable conditions very interesting for alpinistic ascents, unfortunately several experienced alpinists have already had accidents in the north wall, so such an ascent is recommended only to the most experienced. Dom pod Storžičem is - of course depending on conditions - a nice starting point for the approach to the Malo and Veliko Poljana pastures, from where a beautiful view opens to the south side, we can also continue further to Tolsti vrh. On the other side, we have the picturesque Javornik pasture with the Ženiklovec peak, which is usually even then, when there is avalanche danger everywhere, a beautiful and safe ski touring destination."

Although in recent days there are higher temperatures in the mountains, in the high mountains there are real winter conditions - above 2500 meters there can already be more than a meter of snow, as emphasized by PZS expert collaborator, mountain guide and alpinistic instructor Miha Habjan: "Especially on sunny slopes, the snow melts during the day, freezes at night, so there are more possibilities for icy ground there. Otherwise, the snow is transforming in these conditions, but on higher shady slopes it can still be untransformed. Currently there is no increased avalanche danger, but locally conditions can also be unfavorable from the standpoint of the strength of the snow cover. Most mountain paths together with markings are snow-covered in the high mountains, which hinders orientation. In short, in the high mountains it is real winter and if we are heading there, we must be appropriately fully prepared for the tour."

For more demanding mountain ascents in snowy conditions, we need more thorough preparation and more equipment, as well as additional knowledge and a lot of experience, which we gain gradually. "It is very important that we know our equipment well, that it is flawless and we know how to use it correctly, at the same time we choose it according to the tour, as for differently demanding tours we need adapted equipment. Special caution applies to preparing equipment for high mountains. When we use crampons, we have an ice axe in our hands and not mountaineering poles, mandatory also gloves, on the head a helmet. For visiting high mountains, we also need an avalanche trio, that is an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel - perhaps even a quartet, the trio together with an avalanche backpack -, which helps us in searching for possible buried in a snow avalanche," warned Habjan during the equipment demonstration. In addition to technical equipment for walking in snow-covered mountains, we also need all the equipment as for mountains in dry conditions, additionally good winter mountain boots, quality clothing that protects against wind, cold and moisture. Protection against strong sun is needed, we must not forget spare clothes and more hot liquid and food in the backpack, where also belong a map, headlamp and phone with full batteries, first aid and aluminum foil or a large bag for protection against hypothermia. As a reliable source of information for tour preparation, Habjan recommends the maPZS application, the ARSO website regarding weather and avalanche conditions and the website of the Alpine Association of Slovenia and the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia. Šolar at the starting point of the path to Storžič through Žrelo also showed a new bilingual warning sign, which PZS has placed this year at the starting points of some very demanding mountain paths and are an upgrade of the joint campaign Safe Path to Slovenian Mountains with the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia, Slovenian Tourist Organization, Police and Triglav National Park. They are intended to warn less experienced mountain visitors in areas where there are also more interventions by mountain rescuers.