Medvode-Kranj victory at the 34th national...

Medvode-Kranj victory at the 34th national Youth and Mountains competition.

Proud primary school national champions at the 34th Youth and Mountains competition became Planinske brihte (PD Medvode) on January 20 in Šenčur ahead of the duo from PD Litija: Gorske podmornice in second and Sitarjevške mukice in third place. Secondary school awards were shared by the winners Neustrašna gorska učenjaka (PD Kranj), second-placed Dehteča sezamova hribolazca (PD Litija) and third Blejska hribolazca (PD Bled).

Primary School Šenčur was a real anthill of young mountaineers and their mentors on the third January Saturday at the 34th national Youth and Mountains competition, the most established mountaineering challenge for young people on knowledge, skills and experiences from all areas and forms of mountaineering activities, which for more than three decades has been preparing primary school students for safer and more independent visits to the mountains, and this year secondary school students demonstrated their mountaineering knowledge for the eighth time. Youth and Mountains is not just a competition, but also an opportunity for socializing and acquiring mountaineering knowledge for life. In the place of last year's winners, where the Saturday atmosphere was dictated by admirable mountaineering knowledge and good mood of around a hundred competitors, the 34th national MIG competition was organized by the Alpine Association of Slovenia, Youth Commission of PZS, Institute for Sport RS Planica, Mountaineering Association Kranj, Primary School Šenčur and Tourism Institute Kranj.

To chase away the pre-competition nerves, Primary School Šenčur students provided songs, also co-creating the mountaineering scenery in the sports hall. The competitors were encouragingly addressed by Vice-President of the Alpine Association of Slovenia Roman Ponebšek, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Šenčur Aleš Perič Močnik, Principal of Primary School Šenčur Stanka Naglič, Head of the Youth Commission PZS Ana Skledar and indispensable Brigita Čeh, competition coordinator for 20 years. At the mentors' meeting, those gathered were greeted by President of Mountaineering Association Kranj Primož Černilec and representative of the Youth Council of Slovenia Maša Brulc. How important knowledge and research are, was impressed upon the young mountaineers by the surprise guest Dušan Škodič, researcher of mountaineering history, member of the editorial board of Planinski vestnik and author of several books with the latest and most resonant Triglav je naš at the forefront.

Three- and four-member primary school teams and two-member secondary school teams started the competition in the morning with tests of mountaineering knowledge that the young people acquired in mountaineering clubs and through mountaineering activities. Six best teams qualified for the final part of the national competition for primary school, where in the quiz format they answered questions from the Mountaineering School and additional material on the 70th anniversary of the ascent of Everest. They also had to manage practical tasks in first aid and mountaineering knots.



Eighteen teams competed for the title of national champions in the primary school category, with the top six in the live final, which was a tough knowledge challenge for all present. The victory was celebrated by the Planinske brihte team (PD Medvode) ahead of the second-placed Gorske podmornice (PD Litija) and Sitarjevške mukice (PD Litija) in third place. Fourth place went to Prežvekani čigumiji (PD Gornja Radgona), fifth to Taborski sokoli (PD Tabor) and sixth to Poredni angelčki (PD Javornik - Črni vrh nad Idrijo).

Proud primary school national champions Manja Goslar, Karin Jakša Jovanovski, Sara Mis and Viktoria Ana Šušteršič, who named themselves Planinske brihte, participated in the Youth and Mountains competition for the first time last year, when mentor Mojca Resnik enthused them and they finished sixth, but this year they were extremely happy with their success: "We can't believe it, we haven't even realized yet that we won. We are really overjoyed and surprised. We had to show a lot of practical knowledge that we acquire in the mountaineering club, camps, trips and preparations with mentor Mojca, who really excellently presents the content. Youth and Mountains is not just a competition, but knowledge for life, as we like to go to the mountains where we learn a lot and also relax." As the Medvode seventh-graders also said, they all attend the mountaineering club, trips and mountaineering camps of PD Medvode, they go to the mountains a lot with their parents too, and for the competition they had special weekly preparations with the mentor. Resnik fell ill, so the competitor was accompanied by her right-hand Katja Porčnik Gortnar, very proud to be part of this story: "The girls are a good team, friends, they stick together, they are highly intellectually capable and mountaineering things interest them - I think that's a winning combination. In the mountaineering club we are very active and with motivation they build on the already acquired knowledge."

At the eighth Youth and Mountains competition for secondary school students, 11 secondary school teams competed in Litija. The victory was celebrated by Neustrašna gorska učenjaka (PD Kranj), second place went to Dehteča sezamova hribolazca (PD Litija) and third to Blejska hribolazca (PD Bled). Fourth place was taken by the duo Stena (PD Idrija), fifth Subuwu (PD Litija), and sixth Podkošutarska golcarja (PD Tržič).

Neustrašna gorska učenjaka, secondary school winners Klara Svetelj and Gaj Strelec, were last year in the team of primary school national champions, so they victoriously continue in the older competition: "The most important for success seems to us to extract the essential data, to connect things and understand them - and to know how to use them. We are happy about the victory, but we compete mainly because we have fun doing it, show our knowledge and meet new friends." The experienced competitors were prepared for Youth and Mountains by mentor Maja Sirše in previous years, this year they mostly honed their mountaineering knowledge themselves and joined the primary school team in preparations.

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 Urška Trček, Nejc Bobovnik, Jure Brečko, Vanja Blažica, Uroš Kuzman and Bojan Pollak. The best primary school teams were awarded free use of the Mlačca camp site and a weekend package in a mountain hut, secondary school teams with a free student camp, the best with trophies and medals, all participants with practical prizes. All competition participants were also excited by the visit to the Kranj trenches. In the art competition titled Naj narava ostane ohranjena za prihodnje rodove, Manja Goslar, Aleks Dvoršak and Tinkara Soklič were awarded.