SPOT Kobarid 2025 and 70 years of mountain orienteering...

SPOT Kobarid 2025 and 70 years of mountain orienteering in Slovenia.

The Slovenian Mountain Orienteering Competition (SPOT) Kobarid will attract more than 280 competitors from all over Slovenia to Breginj and its surroundings on May 17 and 18, 2025, who will compete in various categories for the title of national champions. The two-day competition, where the best teams from individual regional leagues (Podravska, Savinjska, Gorenjsko-dolenjska, Rogaška, Primorska liga and liga Smrekovec) will compete, is organized by the Mountain Club Kobarid and the Youth Commission of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS).

Mountain orienteering, which has a 70-year tradition in Slovenia, represents a set of knowledge, experiences, and the use of technical devices for movement in nature. The purpose of learning orienteering is for an individual to acquire knowledge with which they can independently and confidently manage movement in the mountain world. Mountain orienteering competitions are one of the most popular methods of learning orienteering, which is also encouraged by the Youth Commission PZS. They differ from other orienteering tests in that they also check participants' mountain knowledge and skills, such as tying knots, knowledge of mountains, flora and fauna, first aid, and other contents of the mountain school. Competitors, who compete in teams of three to five members, are divided into six categories: A - students up to 6th grade of primary school, B - students from 7th to 9th grade of primary school, C - youth up to 18 years, D - members older than 18 years, E - members older than 45 years, and F - families (at least one parent or grandparent and primary school children), they can also compete in three open categories G, H, and I.

The Slovenian Mountain Orienteering Competition Kobarid 2025 in Breginj and its surroundings is organized by the Mountain Club Kobarid with the help of the Orientation Committee of the Youth Commission PZS. Competitors will, in addition to honed orienteering knowledge, general mountain knowledge, protected flora and fauna, and good physical fitness, have to show practical knowledge of the mountain school material and additional material about the rich history and attractions of the Breginjski Kot. This year's SPOT will be attended by 69 teams. More than 280 competitors from all over Slovenia will compete for the title of national champion in mountain orienteering with compass and map in hand.

The competition will start for categories C, D, and H on Saturday, May 17, at 12:30 at the Primary School Kobarid, and in the evening, a night competition awaits the mountaineers. The highlight of the orienteering event will be on Sunday, May 18, as all 69 teams will be at the competition venue. At the Branch School Breginj, the organizers will greet the competitors at 9:30, followed by the start of teams in categories A, B, E, F, G, and I, while competitors in categories C, D, and H will already be on the course after an early start.

The goal of all teams on May 18 will be at the Branch School Breginj, where around 5 PM there will be a closing ceremony with the awarding of recognitions. The first three placed teams in categories B, C, D, and E will participate in the international mountain orienteering competition (IMOC) in the fall.



The true orienteering spirit of the SPOT Kobarid 2025 competition can be felt, recorded, photographed, or filmed for media reporting right on Sunday, May 18, 2025. With a little effort, you can catch the competitors at one of the live control points, where they will be tested both in orienteering knowledge and practical mountain knowledge and skills. The contact person is the competition leader Tanja Žgajnar (PD Kobarid), available at 041 212 946 and mokobarid@gmail.com.

Welcome to the orienteering bustle!

70 years of mountain orienteering in Slovenia

Mountain orienteering competitions began in Yugoslavia in 1951, and the first such competition in Slovenia took place in May 1955. It was organized by PD Univerze in the framework of the I. gathering of student mountaineers of Yugoslavia. The two-day competition, attended by 17 teams, took place on the route Črna v Podstudencu-Ljubno ob Savinji-Travnik-Durce-Logarska dolina.

Among the more important competitions, the Milovanovičev memorial competitions hold a special place, which began in 1959 in Završnica organized by MK PZS and took place across Slovenia organized by mountain, scout, and fighters' clubs until 1987, when the last such competition was in the Savinjska valley. In the early sixties of the 20th century, competitions for the Kozjak Cup, Jelovica Cup, and Šmohor Cup began, which took place fairly regularly for almost 20 years. Also at the republican level, competitions took place from 1965 onwards, which also meant qualifications for national (Yugoslav) competitions. After 1975, a system of selective regional competitions for qualifications for republican competitions was in force. The largest mountain orienteering competition organized in Slovenia was in 1979 on Snežnik, when Slovenia hosted the Yugoslav national championship, and the greatest success in the field of orienteering was achieved in 1982, when it became the team national champion of Yugoslavia.

The first orienteering competition for individuals according to the rules of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) was on October 17, 1976, in Radovljica. Later, more and more competitors decided for competitions according to this system, and fewer for classic mountain orienteering competitions. After 1996, the rise of mountain orienteering competitions began again, first in MDO PD Savinjske, then the competitions spread to almost all of Slovenia. A system of regional competitions (Gorenjsko-dolenjska, Koroška, Podravska, Rogaška, Zasavska, Savinjska, Primorska liga, and liga Smrekovec) was established, according to which the best teams qualify for the Slovenian Mountain Orienteering Competition.

From the beginnings of mountain orienteering competitions, this activity has organizationally fallen under the Youth Commission PZS and the Orientation Commission of the Mountaineering Association of Yugoslavia, in which Slovenian representatives participated. An important milestone is the establishment of the Orientation Committee of MK PZS in 1975. From the beginnings to today, this committee has been led by Jože Pezdič (1975-1979), Roman Novšak (1979-1981), Roman Sladič (1981-1983), Marijan Leban (1983-1986), Bojan Jevševar (1986), Roman Volčič (from 1987 to dissolution in 1989), Bojan Rotovnik (1997-1998), Matjaž Mandelj (1998-2000), Dušan Prašnikar (2000-2010), Matej Ogorevc (2010-2012), Matevž Zih (2012-2014), Tina Arh (2014-2023), and Blaž Čerenak (from 2023). In 1983, the Mountaineering Association of Yugoslavia, and thus indirectly PZS, joined the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and was its member until the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Orienteering has never been only competitive in nature, but has been an integral part of many mountaineering educational programs. From 1957, it is included in the program for voluntary guides, from 1959 in the mountain school program, and from 1960 in the alpine school program. The beginning of organized trainings in the field of orienteering competitions is considered 1979, when a seminar for organizers of orienteering competitions took place on Mrzlica organized by the Orientation Committee of MK PZS. Then, trainings were separated by content into trainings for orienteering instructors (they became qualified for further teaching of orienteering) and for tracers (they qualified for preparing competitions). These trainings began in 1981 and lasted until 1987, mostly taking place on Ig.

In 1997, with the first orienteering seminar on Menina planina, the long period of dormancy in the field of trainings was interrupted. Within the mountaineering organization, the professional title of PZS orienteering instructor was introduced. Until 2000, unified orienteering seminars took place every autumn, then they were divided into two parts: orienteering seminar and seminar for tracers and POT organizers. We still know such a system today. In 2002, the textbook Mountain Orienteering Competitions was published by Planinska založba, which presents a more detailed historical overview of the development of mountain orienteering, in addition, it is a teaching aid at seminars and courses and represents a rich source of information for competition organizers.