Silver at the European Championships: Slovenia's First Medal in Ski Mountaineering

With the evening mixed relay race on 12 January in Chamonix, the 2024 European Championships in competitive ski mountaineering concluded – the most successful to date for the Slovenian national team. Junior European vice-champion Klara Velepec secured Slovenia's very first medal at major competitions in this sport, which will join the Olympic family in 2026. The team success was complemented by junior Maj Pritržnik with fifth place in the vertical and sixth in the mixed relays with Klara Velepec, Klemen Španring with sixth place in the vertical among younger seniors, Rea Kolbl and Luka Kovačič in the top ten in the senior mixed relays, while senior Ana Čufer and cadet Jon Pritržnik also performed well.

The Slovenian national team in competitive ski mountaineering, operating under the auspices of the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia, successfully competed at the Flaine-Chamonix 2024 European Championships in France. More than 160 competitors from 19 European countries took part in the continental championships, competing in four disciplines – individual, sprint, vertical and mixed relays. Sprints are the most attractive discipline on standardised courses; in the vertical, competitors had to cover 2.2 kilometres horizontally over 500 vertical metres; in the individual race – depending on the category – a varied course awaited them with 820 to 1230 vertical metres, numerous transitions, descents and ascents, and foot sections. Mixed relays are a new Olympic discipline consisting of two ascents (one also including a foot section) and two giant slalom descents.

It was no coincidence that, after most of the continental championship took place in the French ski resort of Flaine, the final mixed relay race was held in Chamonix. After all, it marks 100 years since the first Winter Olympic Games, when ski mountaineering was already on the programme, albeit as a military patrol event. Competitive ski mountaineering will have its true Olympic premiere at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, where competitors will contest the sprint and mixed relay disciplines.

Slovenia's very first medal in ski mountaineering was won by national team newcomer Klara Velepec (TSK LiMa), who surprised both herself and her rivals with an outstanding performance to become junior European vice-champion in the vertical in the cadet category (U18). She had to concede only to the winner, Spain's Laia Selles Sanchez, with Italy's Melissa Bertolina taking third. "I'm really happy with my first appearance at the European Championships. The whole process of the races and the competition in general was completely new to me. I gained a huge amount of new experience and knowledge that will be very useful in the future. Of course, I'm most satisfied with my performance in the vertical, where I won a shining silver medal for myself. With an excellent and fast start, I led from the beginning. Only the Spanish girl caught and passed me. The next day came the mixed relays. Maj and I squeezed out the last atoms of strength and secured an excellent sixth place," said the enthusiastic 17-year-old from Radovljica, also an excellent mountain runner, who finished sixth in the mixed relays with Maj Pritržnik among juniors. The young Slovenian also competed in the individual race (9th) and sprints (10th).

In addition to sixth place in the mixed relays with Klara Velepec, Maj Pritržnik (TSK LiMa) shone among juniors (U20) with fifth place in the vertical, 11th in the individual and 12th in the sprints. "I arrived at the championships with good form from the junior World Cup and quite high goals. I knew I could achieve the most in the sprint and vertical races. I aimed high in the sprints and after good qualifications the final seemed within reach, but in the semi-final everything went wrong right after the start when I lost a skin and with it my chance of reaching the final. The disappointment immediately after the race was considerable, but I had no choice but to gather my thoughts and channel all my energy into the vertical race. Right after the start I positioned myself at the front and then followed the best in my own rhythm. Finally everything clicked and I could be satisfied with my performance. Still, there was a slight bitter aftertaste because the places were once again very close. On the last day I could start the mixed relays relaxed and without pressure, where I felt great again and gained positions throughout the course. It's hard to wish for a better end to the championships, and I'm glad to see that my form is top-class – just a bit more sporting luck is needed for the very top. I'm leaving France with positive feelings and extra motivation for future races and training, while already looking forward to the upcoming junior World Cups," said the 19-year-old from Dobrna, the current national sprint champion who was also fifth among juniors in this Olympic discipline at last year's World Championships.

His brother Jon Pritržnik (TSK LiMa) also represented the cadet category, finishing 14th in both sprints and vertical and 15th in the individual. "The European Championships in France were an excellently organised and executed competition where I gave everything and proved my abilities at European level. The competition is getting denser and a bit of luck is needed for success. In the individual race I handled the course excellently despite a fall on the second descent. In the sprints a fraction of a second cost me the semi-final, but that's part of such a short discipline. In the vertical I started great, later lost a few places, but gave my maximum. I thank everyone for their support and am overjoyed for my teammates' successes," said the 17-year-old from Dobrna.

The vertical is Slovenia's flagship discipline, so Klemen Španring's (TSK LiMa) 6th place among younger seniors (U23) – or 12th overall in the men's category – is encouraging. He finished 15th in the individual and, with Ana Čufer, 16th in the senior mixed relays (4th in the B final). "I'm very satisfied with my performances at the championships. The races went as expected; I anticipated my best result in the vertical, where everything came together and I achieved a truly satisfying result that shows there is still room for improvement. The relays provided an excellent conclusion, where Ana and I fought for the top places in the B final. Once again the great team atmosphere proved crucial in achieving top results," said the rightfully pleased 21-year-old from Poljčane, who was eighth in the vertical at last year's World Championships and the previous European Championships. At the opening World Cup event this season he and Rea Kolbl took 9th in the mixed relay – Slovenia's best ever result in the discipline.

In the vertical Španring even beat national teammate Luka Kovačič (Društvo za razvoj turnega smučanja), Slovenia's most successful ski mountaineer in recent years, who with Rea Kolbl reached tenth in the mixed relays, 16th in the vertical and 31st in the individual. "A slightly different championship this year, as it was my first race of the season, so it was a step into the unknown. I always go in with high goals and this time was no different. Drawing the line, I'm leaving with mixed feelings: 16th in the vertical, around 30th in the individual and 10th in the mixed relay are realistically top results, but of course I wanted more – I hope the upcoming World Cups will fulfil those wishes. We're right there, the gaps are truly minimal, and the team is working superbly, so I'm moving forward with confidence," assessed the 28-year-old from the Gorenjska region who lives in Bled. His greatest success remains 4th in the vertical at the 2018 European Championships among younger seniors and 12th in the vertical at the 2021 World Championships in the senior category.

This year the Slovenian squad was strengthened by Rea Kolbl (Društvo za razvoj turnega smučanja), the 32-year-old from Ljubljana who competed for the United States last year. With Kovačič she finished tenth in the mixed relays at this year's European Championships in France, 16th in the individual and 24th in the sprints. "A great week with the Slovenian national team; I'm satisfied with my races, especially my sprint form, where I've made significant progress in explosiveness since last year. There were some mistakes, but the mixed relays made up for them, where Luka and I raced without major errors. The competition is intensifying with each race, but I'm glad we're competitive both individually and as a team," said the endurance athlete who became North American champion in the individual discipline in 2022.

National team newcomer Ana Čufer (TSK LiMa) impressed on her first international ski mountaineering competition with 14th in the vertical, 16th in the mixed relays with Španring and 23rd in the sprints. "My first European Championships and my first ski mountaineering races in general. I didn't know what to expect; everything was new and my head was full of information. I don't know if I've ever been more afraid before competitions, but once they started I forgot everything and gave all I had in that moment. I'm very satisfied and above all very motivated. I still have a huge amount of work ahead – I can't wait to get started! I've found a new sport that I've truly fallen in love with. The ski mountaineering community is also something special – a great week with a great team," said the delighted 27-year-old mountain runner from Ajdovščina.



"I rate this year's European Championships as very successful – in fact the most successful so far. Klara Velepec won Slovenia's first ever medal in ski mountaineering history. In the vertical discipline we again proved our great potential and top results. We had bad luck in the junior sprints and I believe we can do even better. I'm also satisfied with the performance of all the mixed relays, and it's encouraging that we had two competitive senior relays. I look very positively towards the rest of the World Cup season and next season, when places for the Winter Olympics will be distributed," concluded Robert Pritržnik, head coach of the Slovenian competitive ski mountaineering team.