Slovenian guide to the Carnic Alps also in Italian and German

The guide to the Carnic Alps by Vladimir Habjan and Irena Mušič Habjan has been published in Italian and German translation by the prestigious Italian publisher Versante Sud. The Italians had not yet had such a comprehensive guide to the mountain group between the Julian Alps and the Dolomites, so they decided on a translation of the Slovenian authors' guide, which is a great success both for the Habjan couple and for Planinska založba and Planinska zveza Slovenije.

The Carnic Alps, an extensive mountain group between the Julian Alps and the Dolomites, despite their geographical proximity to Slovenia, remain less visited than their famous mountain neighbours, but are becoming increasingly interesting for Slovenian mountain enthusiasts. With the selective guide Carnic Alps: Between the Julians and the Dolomites by Vladimir Habjan and Irena Mušič Habjan, published in 2023 by Planinska založba, Slovenians received what is practically an encyclopaedia of the Carnic Alps, which already had its first reprint in June this year.



Because the Italians also did not have a more modern and comprehensive guide to their own mountain group on the border with Austria, the Milan publisher Versante Sud decided on Italian and German translations of the book, which were published on 31 August. The Italian Alpi Carniche sentieri was translated by Alenka Možina, and the German Karnische Alpen Wanderwege by Alba L. Neder. "That the Italians are publishing a guide to their own mountains written by Slovenian authors seems truly exceptional to me. We consider the translation a really great success, not only for us as authors, but also for Planinska založba and Planinska zveza Slovenije. I don't know of a similar case. We know quite a few editions from this area, and we have many of them ourselves, but they don't have one as systematic as this, since they only have them for certain narrower areas," proudly explains the established publicist Vladimir Habjan, also editor of Planinska založba and Planinski vestnik.

The selective guide Carnic Alps presents an extensive area between the Julian Alps and the Dolomites from the extreme eastern edge of the range with the grassy Ojstrnik to Piancavallo above the Friulian plain. This indispensable part of mountaineering literature describes one hundred excursions and mountain tours of various difficulties, from easy to very demanding – it covers 110 peaks, 55 marked paths, eight climbing routes, 51 pathless routes and four alpine ascents, and also describes the Carnic connecting trail and the circular tour between the huts above the Cimoliana valley.



"The Carnic Alps guide has already received a very good response among Slovenian buyers. Although the Carnic Alps are close to Slovenia, they are mysterious and still unknown to many, but on the other hand, precisely because of the lower number of visitors, they are all the more interesting for exploration. The fact that the work of Slovenian authors and a Slovenian publisher has been taken over by a recognised foreign publisher of mountaineering literature and that the guide will thus also be available in Italian and German is a great recognition both for the authors and for the publisher. And further proof that it is a truly high-quality and useful guide," emphasises the General Secretary of Planinska zveza Slovenije Damjan Omerzu, who oversaw the coordination of the contract with the Italian publisher.

The Versante Sud publishing house from Milan is almost entirely focused on mountaineering, climbing, ski touring and other outdoor activities and is considered one of the more important European publishers in the field of alpinism and outdoor sports. Both guides are neatly designed in the style of their publishing house, with soft covers and flaps and a green border, similar to the via ferrata and cycling guides. Both books are extensive, with 464 pages, and the price is 42 euros, while the Slovenian edition is of a larger format, has 356 pages and costs 39.90 euros. Versante Sud offers the purchase of both the printed and electronic versions of the book. The photographs are the same as in the original, the professionally made maps are impressive, and each tour also has a QR code for access to the starting point.



The life, mountaineering and publishing partners Habjan first tasted the charm of the Carnic Alps two decades ago, when on New Year's Eve 2004 they climbed Lepi Vršič on ski touring skis, to the easternmost outskirts of the Carnic Alps, and looked at the multitude of mountains to the west – at that time they could not even dream that in the next 15 years they would traverse all the highest peaks of this wonderful mountain range. Three years later they traversed the rocky pyramid of Monte Sernio, a demanding mountain objective above the Val Aupa valley, then in the dry season. The year 2007 thus marks the beginning of their long journey across the peaks of the Carnic range, to which they returned more than 150 times, crowning it in 2023 with the publication of the guide in Slovenian, and three years later also in Italian and German.

"The difficulty of the selected ascents is nicely distributed, so that the guide to the Carnic Alps is really intended for all mountain lovers; people just need to open themselves outwards to visit them and also get to know the beauty of these mountains. Some of the selected destinations are suitable for family visits, as they include trips through valleys and gorges and to rounded peaks, many ascents are for lovers of marked protected paths, some increasingly popular sports via ferratas are also included, and experienced mountaineers who are already flirting with alpinism will also find something for themselves," explains co-author and mountain rescuer Irena Mušič Habjan.



The Carnic Alps are also suitable for visits in the autumn months. "In autumn the Carnic Alps are absolutely ideal. When nature calms down and temperatures drop, we will be able to experience genuine contact with mountain nature in the Carnics. Because the day is getting shorter, we recommend visiting mountain groups closer to Slovenia, for example the northern chain from Trbiž to Lonice and further to the Plöcken pass, as well as the Sernia and Zuc dal Bora groups, or the eastern Carnic Prealps south of the Tilment river. Personally, Montusel in the Zuc dal Bora group is absolutely ideal for me; it is undemanding, offers nice views also of the Western Julians, and the tour is not long," recommends Habjan, a long-time mountain rescuer, who also warns about proper preparation for the tour: "Because of the shorter day it is worth setting off from home early enough, and among the equipment warm clothing with a hat and gloves, as well as a headlamp, must not be missing. There are not many visitors in the Carnics, so the mountain experience will be all the more intense. The Carnics never disappoint!"