New Releases from the PZS Mountaineering Publishing House

In anticipation of the 32nd Slovenian Book Fair, the PZS Mountaineering Publishing House presented new releases that will enrich bookshelves and the walls of mountaineers' homes as well as hikers' backpacks: the guides Julian Alps: southern part and Slovenian Istria, Čičarija, Brkini and Karst, the collection of historical stories People in the Mountains, a quartet of renovated mountaineering maps, the 2017 Mountaineering Calendar, and reprints of the guide Extended Slovenian Mountaineering Trail and the Slovenian Mountain Bike Trail Diary. As part of the international Reading Mountains 2016 initiative, mountaineering authors will appear in several locations across Slovenia.



In the series of guides to the Julian Alps, which is a long-awaited revision of Tinet Mihelič's legendary work Julian Alps and a hybrid between classic encyclopedic and modern selective guides adapted to the contemporary user, the duo Julian Alps: Mangart Group and Jalovec by Jože Drab and Western Julian Alps by Klemen Janša will soon be joined by the third – Julian Alps: southern part by Andraž Poljanec (the guide was edited by Mojca Stritar Kučuk). "The guide covers the area of the southern part of the eastern Julian Alps from the Krn Group across the Lower Bohinj Mountains to Ratitovec and the hitherto somewhat neglected Jelovica. The concept is encyclopedic, thus including all peaks, all marked trails, as well as unmarked approaches and some off-trail routes," outlined the experienced writer, who has prepared some more challenging treats from the southern edge of the Julian Alps for avid explorers: "For me, the treats are the solitary peaks around Krnčica, such as Griva and Skutnik, and the Golobar plateau, where you can feel the breath of history; for someone else, it will be the eastern ridge of Vogel. There are many beautiful spots, very precious ones, where you simply have to stop. The widest view is offered if we head along the ridge of the Lower Bohinj Mountains." In creating the guide, Poljanec crafted descriptions that allow visitors to use public transport, with the railway line through Bohinj and along the Baška Grapa being particularly useful; for clarity of descriptions, he used compass directions, and to avoid dryness, he incorporated field-inspired enthusiasm and colorful use of synonyms and less common Slovenian words.



We will also explore Istria, as the freshly published mountaineering guide Slovenian Istria, Čičarija, Brkini and Karst by Milan Vinčec (edited by Gorazd Gorišek) is perfect for those who enjoy easier and marked mountaineering trails and outings with a touch of history and culture. "The varied hilly landscape, mild climate, moderate summers and mild winters, with little snow that lingers only in higher hilly areas, attract numerous visitors, excursionists and hikers all year round. Every season offers something new and interesting, every visit is spiced with a touch of magic," invites the reader on the path the author of the selective guide, Primorje native Vinčec, whose second home for many summers has been the Kamnik Hut at Kamnik Saddle. "Thirty-one mountaineering excursions – from the ascent to Slavnik to rambles below the Karst Edge and exploring old Istrian villages; the guide from the pen (and through the photographic lens) of a local, excellent connoisseur of these places, Milan Vinčec, is not a classic mountaineering guide. Not only because these hills are but a shadow of the mighty Alpine range with mostly easier hiking trails, but also because the landscape with its exceptional diversity invites exploration of both natural and rich cultural-historical heritage of the area. The guide is content-rich with exhaustive and vivid descriptions of excursions and data on these places, culture, history, peculiarities, customs, great people, cuisine... Lovers of botany will especially appreciate it, as this area is a botanical paradise, to which the author devotes part of the descriptions. The photographic content of the guide is rich and nicely rounds off the portrayal of the area's diversity," emphasized the editor of the PZS Mountaineering Publishing House, Mateja Gruden, and added: "Moreover, it is one of the few mountaineering guides that is relevant all year round – the excursions presented in it are more or less suitable in all seasons; and for all generations: from families with children to the older population."



People in the Mountains, a collection of fifteen historical stories embedded in the mountain environment, is the work of renowned mountaineering publicist Dušan Škodič, who narrates humorously and life-bittersweet, fateful, yet throughout vividly and empathetically, complemented by illustrations by Milan Plužar; the book was edited by Vladimir Habjan, the author of the foreword is Stanko Klinar. "Ideas for the garland of historical stories spanning from the Iron Age to the present day I mostly drew from France Malešič's book Memory and Warning of the Mountains, the rest I found while editing historical contributions for the Mountaineering Bulletin, so all are based on real events or at least those preserved in the memory traces of folk storytelling. At the end of each story, there is a precise explanation of the event it refers to, and their depth is emphasized by excellent illustrations," said Škodič, who captivates with his masterful writing style as well as the colorful palette of presented themes: "In the struggle for bare survival, we follow a Venetic hunter in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and experience one of the worst recorded earthquakes on Carinthia, when in the 14th century part of Mount Dobrač collapsed. We experience the horrific medieval experience of herding on the Dolga Njiva pasture near Krvavec, join lumberjacks on the high Pohorje, and witness the harrowing master's battle with wolves on a remote farm high above Idrija, where in harsh winter they destroy all his small livestock. We put ourselves in the skin of Trentard hunters who learned the power of a wounded bear during a hunt. We move to the time of World War I, which drew the front line through our mountains even over the highest peaks, then learn about the later period when our mountains were divided by an unjust border with Italy and when concrete bunkers grew there, which we can still encounter on mountaineering excursions today, perhaps without knowing who they were intended for and why. But there are many completely different stories. The mountain world is a treasure trove from which a good observer can easily draw themes."



If Škodič paints mountains with words, the 2017 Mountaineering Calendar does so with photographs by eleven authors, taking you through the Slovenian mountain world in different seasons and times of day, so the authentic taste of mountaineering in images will be fresh all year. The calendar also marks some international days, e.g., mountains and water, and main PZS events in 2017, added PZS General Secretary Matej Planko, who also presented four renovated editions of mountaineering maps at 1:25,000 scale, namely Jalovec and Mangart, Bohinj, Stol and Triglav, which the PZS Mountaineering Publishing House issued in 2016 in collaboration with the Surveying and Mapping Institute of Slovenia and the Surveyors' Society. “Our data on mountaineering trails is constantly updated, as hundreds of path markers continuously report changes from the field. In addition, we also ensure accurate lines of all other unmarked paths in our mountains, for which no one has cared in the past decades. In this way, our maps are the best aid that mountain visitors can have in the field," highlighted Planko. It is also worth emphasizing that visitors contribute to collecting funds for the renovation and maintenance of mountaineering trails by purchasing maps from the PZS Mountaineering Publishing House.



The PZS Mountaineering Publishing House is also pleased with the reprint of Gorazd Gorišek's guide Extended Slovenian Mountaineering Trail, which after its release in 2014 at the 30th Slovenian Book Fair received an award for the most beautiful Slovenian book in the popular science category, and the reprint of the Slovenian Mountain Bike Trail Diary, which upon the opening of the 1800-kilometer circular cycling trail across Slovenia at the beginning of summer garnered tremendous interest, and the online guide to the Slovenian Mountain Bike Trail is becoming increasingly refined.



With all these presented acquisitions, we will passionately read mountains, so after the successful first edition, the Alpine Association of Slovenia is also joining the Alpine Convention's Reading Mountains 2016 initiative this year, encouraging mountaineering clubs in organizing events and, in the week before December 11, International Mountain Day, organizing several events in collaboration with clubs and libraries – with the common idea: promotion and celebration of cultural diversity in the Alps. Events can still be registered on the Alpine Convention website for almost a month.



Reading Mountains 2016 with PZS Mountaineering Publishing House and Mountaineering Bulletin



Monday, December 5

LJUBLJANA – Oton Župančič Library, 18:00: Dušan Škodič: People in the Mountains (book presentation and conversation with the author)



Wednesday, December 7

LJUBLJANA – Prežihov Voranc Library, 17:00: Mountaineering Fun with Urška Stritar (mountaineering hour for children aged 4 to 9)

IDRIJA – Idrija Municipal Library and Reading Room, 18:00: Among the Hills Reading Mountains and Mountaineering Bulletin (mountaineering reading with PV editorial board members and locals)

LJUBLJANA – Prežihov Voranc Library, 19:00: Gorazd Gorišek: Jewels of the Mountains (mountaineering lecture, presentation of the Extended Slovenian Mountaineering Trail guide and conversation with the author)



Friday, December 9

ŠENTJUR – Ipavec Cultural Centre, 18:00: Jewels of the Mountains with Gorazd Gorišek (mountaineering lecture, presentation of the Extended Slovenian Mountaineering Trail guide and conversation with the author)

KAMNIK – France Balantič Kamnik Library, 19:00: Dušan Škodič: People in the Mountains (book presentation and conversation with the author)



In addition, we will also tread mountaineering trails with Vladimir Habjan and Dušan Škodič at the 32nd Slovenian Book Fair – on Friday, November 25, 2016, at 12:00 in the Visitors' Forum in the II. Foyer of Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana. You are welcome!