Podčetrtek Castle, which rises above the spa town, has been hiding a new educational center in the forest since April 16, equipped with everything needed for the first real mountaineering experience - and it is the first in Slovenia where it is possible to try all mountaineering activities in one place. Paths leading to the castle include both the mountaineering educational trail and the challenging mountaineering path, and below the castle they have also arranged a natural climbing wall and educational via ferratas. The educational center is freely accessible to everyone, provided they have the appropriate equipment. Visitors can obtain this equipment, including guidance, from the local Mountaineering Association Atomske toplice Podčetrtek.
The mountaineering educational center in Podčetrtek is the first in Slovenia where it is possible to try all mountaineering activities in one place.
Podčetrtek Castle, which rises above the spa town, has been hiding a new educational center in the forest since last week, equipped with everything needed for the first real mountaineering experience. Paths leading to the castle include both the mountaineering educational trail and the challenging mountaineering path, and below the castle they have also arranged a natural climbing wall and educational via ferratas. The educational center is freely accessible to everyone, provided they have the appropriate equipment. Visitors can obtain this from the local mountaineering association.
The mountaineering educational center was arranged very quickly, in just over two years, with donors and more than a thousand hours of dedicated volunteer work by the mountaineering association Atomske toplice Podčetrtek. It started with the idea of a mountaineering educational trail, recalls the association president Gregor Ogrizek: "When we were discussing this trail in the association, our member Albin Volavšek suggested making another steep path towards Podčetrtek Castle. During the inspection, we came across rocks suitable for a climbing wall. Then the idea for a climbing wall and via ferrata came up. That's how the concept for a center suitable for older and younger, families, groups, locals and tourists was born."
The educational center was opened last week, giving Podčetrtek additional recreation options. They already have more than a hundred kilometers of mountaineering and hiking trails and more than 35 kilometers of arranged cycling paths. With the mentioned center, they have gained a mountaineering educational trail with six panels with educational content and local stories, three of the six panels are also interactive, explained David Ogrizek, youth representative in the mountaineering association.
Climbing
The challenging mountaineering path is named after its initiator. "Albinova challenging mountaineering path is 380 meters long, on it you overcome 115 meters of elevation gain via 280 steps, five pegs, and there's also a small bridge in between. Below the castle is a natural climbing wall with twelve routes graded from 4a to 7a, as well as two educational via ferratas of difficulty A and C," noted David Ogrizek. The via ferratas are named after the largest donors, while the routes on the natural climbing wall have local-fun names. For example, the 6b route is called For Grandpas, 6a+ is called Nadčetrtek, one is Debeluhova, and the hardest route at 7a is Krvava rosa.
Both at the via ferratas and at the natural climbing wall, there are panels with instructions for use and important warnings. Mandatory equipment includes a helmet, climbing harness, lanyard, self-belaying is described, as is proper movement on the via ferrata. David Ogrizek said that the entire center is intended for everyone, but appropriate equipment is essential: "In the association, we have prepared educational packages for schools, kindergartens, anyone who wants to try our activities. They can rent equipment and get a guide who takes them through everything."
Precisely because of its educational aspect, the educational center is very important, said the recent president of the Alpine Association of Slovenia Jože Rovan at the opening: "We have 64,000 members, but around 400,000 citizens of the Republic of Slovenia and a huge number of foreigners go to our mountains. Accidents happen and there are more and more of them, despite our preventive campaigns, so such educational centers are all the more important. We have a few, but they are mainly limited to one or two secured paths; here something comprehensive has been created, and at a location where tourism and mountaineering meet. I believe we can thus prevent many accidents that would happen to those without experience who come to the Julian Alps or Kamnik-Savinja Alps for the first time, where it's very serious and they can be at risk."
Via ferratas are very popular
The Podčetrtek via ferratas were arranged as part of the O.S.P. project, Equip Slovenian Climbing Areas. As project representative Marko Guna emphasized, safety comes first in arranging via ferratas and climbing areas: "Mountaineering is on the rise, especially via ferrata climbing and sport climbing. If with such a center we enable younger generations to prepare for this, it is really good prevention against frequent accidents." According to him, this educational center is the first of its kind, and he hopes something similar will develop elsewhere in Slovenia.
The president of the Savinja Inter-Association Committee of Mountaineering Associations Manja Rajh rated the newly arranged mountaineering path as excellent: "It is very well secured, nothing is too difficult if you're not in a hurry. But now the views are starting to close a bit because the beeches are greening." She also recalled the rise of via ferrata climbing: "In 2011, the first via ferrata in Slovenia was officially opened, Gonžarjeva peč in Vinska Gora. Such educational via ferratas are important because climbing via ferratas is now very widespread. If you look at the invitations from mountaineering associations, they definitely have some via ferrata trip, they often choose Italian ones. This is also very important for tourism in the area."
Jože Rovan added that a via ferrata is a gym in nature: "There is no such thing in the high mountains, but these are actually sports facilities intended for tourists and mountaineers, and a kind of attraction. Our paths in the high mountains are made to find the easiest passage, which we secure where it would still be too difficult for an average mountaineer. Modern via ferratas, however, are made to seek difficulty and not natural passages. In that sense, it is a special sport."
Source:
https://www.delo.si/magazin/potovanja/plezanje-ferata-planinska-pot-podcetrtek-grad-ucna-pot-planinski-ucni-center