Summer maintenance of mountain trails in the high mountains

The mountaineering organization maintains 2008 mountain trails totaling more than 10,000 kilometers. Trail markers, of whom there are more than 700 operating within mountaineering societies in Slovenia, dedicated over 41,000 volunteer hours to work on mountain trails last year, much of it due to clearing the aftermath of the ice storm on trails outside the high mountains. On demanding and very demanding mountain trails in the high mountains, besides trail markers and caretakers of individual trails, we also meet the technical team of trail markers from the Commission for Mountain Trails of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (KPP PZS), which is trained to equip trails with safety gear such as pitons and steel cables. After summer actions on Batognica, Prisojnik, and Triglav, they will be working on the trail from Zaplanje via Triglavska škrbina to Triglav in the coming days, so it will be closed from September 8 to 10, and in September they plan further actions on Škrlatica, Jalovec, and above Tamar. Although trail markers paint, mark, clean, and maintain mountain trails, which are an important part of Slovenia's tourist infrastructure, voluntarily, the question of financing their maintenance and renovation remains unresolved.



Trail markers from mountaineering societies maintain an extensive network of over 10,000 kilometers of mountain trails, of which 449 kilometers are demanding and 225 kilometers very demanding, with the rest categorized as easy. The snow-free part of the year is dedicated to technical work actions by trail markers in the high mountains, such as those already carried out this year on the demanding trail from Krnska škrbina to Batognica, the very demanding section of Kopiščarjeva trail to Prisojnik, and the very demanding trail from Kredarica to Triglav.



The next work action of the technical team of KPP PZS trail markers will be on the mountain trail from the direction of Koča na Doliču, specifically from Zaplanje to Triglavska škrbina and onward to Triglav, so this trail will be closed from Thursday, September 8, to Saturday, September 10, 2016, inclusive. We ask hikers to strictly observe the trail closure and not venture onto it, as they could endanger both their own safety and that of the trail markers during the action. Access to the summit of Triglav will be possible from Triglavski dom at Kredarica and from Dom Planika via Mali Triglav. The next action is scheduled for next Thursday, September 15, on Škrlatica, and in the second half of September, actions are planned on the very demanding section of the trail from Kotovo sedlo to Jalovec, as well as on the trails from Tamar to the Nadiža waterfall and from Tamar to Črne vode. Trail closures are promptly posted on the PZS website and the special subpage stanje-poti.pzs.si.



"The technical team of trail markers from the PZS Commission for Mountain Trails works under special conditions on demanding and especially very demanding mountain trails. During work, they are secured, anchored to the rock, and operate heavy drills and other machines. This reduces their maneuverability, and if rocks are dislodged onto them from higher points, they have no time to evade. Trail closures during work actions on these trails are essential for the safety of both trail markers and hikers using them. During work, the trails are not properly secured, and moreover, it is impossible to avoid the trail markers on certain sections. While we all know that mountain trails are used at one's own risk, we must always ensure we do not endanger other hikers and users of the trails. If we encounter a trail closure, we must strictly adhere to it and choose alternative routes, which are numerous in the Slovenian mountains," emphasizes Albin Žnidarčič, head of the technical issues committee of KPP PZS.



To avoid closures and excessive load on the Triglav massif in the summer months, the mountaineering organization has been striving for more than twenty years to disperse visits across the entire Slovenian mountain and hill world and to encourage mountain visits outside the main summer hiking season, of course with appropriate equipment and suitable psychophysical preparedness.



In 2015, societies and trail caretakers dedicated approximately 41,200 volunteer hours to work on mountain trails. "This high number can partly be attributed to the consequences of the February 2014 ice storm, which will be visible in the long term. Due to the thinned forest, the undergrowth has ideal conditions for overgrowth, so regular clearing and marking take more time. Due to the reduced number of trees that would hold the soil with their root systems, erosion risk has increased, thus imposing more demanding work on trail markers in many places with additional erosion protection and removal of newly fallen trees from trails. Additionally, forests have been attacked by bark beetles such as the spruce bark beetle. Such trees must be removed by owners in the Idrija-Cerkno, Polhov Gradec, and other forests. Logging is taking place in many areas this year, which may result in missing markings in some places," explains Katarina Kotnik, professional associate of the PZS Commission for Mountain Trails, and calls on hikers: "If you encounter work on a mountain trail, whether by trail markers, landowners, or foresters, we urge caution and ask you to follow warning signs about trail closures and instructions from workers on site. We also ask mountain visitors to report all observed damage and deficiencies on mountain trails to the email poskodbe.poti@pzs.si."



Hikers can donate to the renovation of mountain trails under the "Droben prispevek za markanten vtis" campaign. Anyone wishing to contribute 1 euro for the renovation of mountain trails should send an SMS with the keyword POT to 1919.



Although trail markers paint, mark, clean, and maintain mountain trails, which are an important part of Slovenia's tourist infrastructure, voluntarily, the issue of financing their maintenance and renovation remains unresolved. "Mountain trails in Slovenia are widespread and frequently used, as hiking is one of the most popular forms of recreational activity in Slovenia. Moreover, mountain trails represent an important part of Slovenia's tourist offer, as many foreigners visit Slovenia precisely because of our mountain world and preserved nature, which they can visit in the least disturbing way using mountain trails. For all these reasons, the Alpine Association of Slovenia believes that the state should as soon as possible regulate systemic financing at least for the material costs of maintaining the network of easy mountain trails, and actively participate in providing conditions for the long-term maintenance of very demanding or secured mountain trails. In the mountaineering organization, we maintain mountain trails on a volunteer basis, but we cannot long-term provide all necessary financial resources. However, we are very grateful for assistance in maintaining mountain trails provided by the Slovenian Army and Police with helicopter transports of equipment and trail markers, and for financial resources received by PZS from the Sports Foundation, some local communities, and sponsors," highlights PZS President Bojan Rotovnik.