Two New Books from PZS Mountaineering Publishing House

These days, two new releases from the Mountaineering Publishing House of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS) will arrive from the printer, appealing to different readers but united by their love for the mountains. Tipanje v neznanem is a new book by seasoned writer Vladimir Habjan, while the new climbing guide Moderne večraztežajne smeri is the work of two authors, Andrej Grmovšek and Viktor Relja. Both books invite you to more and less known Slovenian walls. Next week, the 36th Slovenian Book Fair will take place, different from previous years as it moves online. Visit our online store and take advantage of numerous fair discounts.







The week from November 23 to 29 will be specially dedicated to the book industry. This year, for the first time in its history, the 36th Slovenian Book Fair moves to virtual space, where you will stroll among the stands on the website knjiznisejem.si. There, the PZS Mountaineering Publishing House will also present itself with very realistic and full of exciting adventures. Among them will be the two new releases.







Vladimir Habjan with a new work







Editor of Planinski vestnik and PZS Mountaineering Publishing House, Vladimir Habjan – Haubi, is an experienced text writer who has written eight guidebooks and collaborated on more than 20 different book projects. His last collection of travel mountain reflections was published eight years ago. This time, the moment has ripened for a new one. According to the author, the book Tipanje v neznanem is intended for everyone who loves mountains and writing about them. "Not only them, but also those who do not know mountains or do not visit them. For me, experiences are more important than the goal or achievement itself. In my opinion, there are too many achievements, especially since the rise of social networks. It's not about comparing times or difficulties of ascents, or anything competitive, but about presenting my way of visiting mountains. Everywhere you walk, you can describe nature and your experiences. Whether on flat paths of Pohorje or in steep walls where you hang on three points of support. If the reading is interesting even for those who do not know mountains, then I think the purpose of the book is achieved."







The book collects 16 mountaineering adventures/trips that Habjan did alone, with his wife or son, between 2011 and 2019. Approximately half of the chapters were already published in Planinski vestnik, but they are considerably expanded in the book. "These notes were created on the go, during mountain visits. The rest was created this spring. Then I combed through my trips of this decade and selected those that seemed most interesting to me. Unfortunately, the agreed scope at the publisher was so modest that a lot of action remained unwritten."







In addition to Slovenian ones, the book describes many foreign mountains, including distant Japan, where the mountain world is something completely different from ours. "Everywhere you are alone. There is only the way how and where you will tackle the mountains. The approach is the same, but the path to it is different. But it's precisely this difference that attracts. That not everything is cut from the same cloth."







The book has a red thread visible from the title - Tipanje v neznanem. "The title refers to a trip that didn't stand out particularly, only in that we did it in two stages because the first time we weren't successful. And that's essentially everywhere. You always find yourself in front of the unknown and search for passages – technical, orientational, or otherwise spiced," Habjan concluded.







The first guide to Slovenian modern multi-pitch climbing routes



The second novelty we present is the guide Moderne večraztežajne smeri, published with the support of the Foundation for Financing Sports Organizations in RS. What the climbing routes in the guide have in common is that they are partially (at least belay stations) or fully equipped with bolts, the routes are of completely different difficulties, lengths, and demands. "This is the first such guide here. It's true that some multi-pitch routes have been equipped for years, but their number has grown a lot in recent years, which certainly greatly influenced the guide being created only now. We started collecting material less than two years ago, intensively in the last ten months," said editor of the guide Marta Krejan Čokl at the release. "The guide is for all those who like to climb multi-pitch routes but for various reasons do not choose classic alpine climbing," the editor added.



The authors of the new guide are Andrej Grmovšek and Viktor Relja, well-known names among climbers. Andrej, in over thirty years of climbing career that won't end anytime soon, has climbed many demanding routes around the world, but in recent years, unknown walls of our mountains tempt him most. Andrej is most often accompanied by his wife Tanja, also an excellent climber. Viktor also has a climbing companion. With his wife Suzana, in forty years they have climbed almost two hundred first ascents, two-thirds of which they also equipped; not only in our walls, but they have also left their mark in foreign mountains.







The climbing guide aims to show and bring closer Slovenian walls to both domestic and foreign climbers on one place, as key highlights of the guide are translated into English. "Slovenia is well covered with guides for crags, while there was no guide to equipped multi-pitch routes in the mountain world. Such guides are common abroad. Until now, Slovenia was the only one among alpine countries without comprehensively collected, so-called pleasure, plaisir, climbing routes. I hope this guide successfully fills that gap. It includes equipped routes of all difficulties that run in good rock. In short, suitable for a wide range of climbers. For domestic users, the guide will be useful mainly because the routes of our alpine world are collected in one place, completely," explained Viktor Relja.







Climbing modern and sport routes in Slovenia is on the rise. "It's important to know that the walls of our mountains, due to their friability and also poor structure, are often not the most tempting for this type of climbing. The guide presents virtually all sport and modern multi-pitch routes in Slovenian mountains," added Andrej Grmovšek.







Such walls are mostly equipped by experienced alpinists with a great desire for exploration and climbing. The book allows a walk through the history of sport and modern routes. "The authors of most Slovenian easier 'pleasure' modern and sport routes are the tireless Suzana and Viktor Relja. Real multi-pitch crags - walls with a bunch of sport routes were equipped by Albin Simonič, Franček Knez, Samo Supin, and the Meglič brothers. Under most extremely demanding modern routes are signed Andrej Grmovšek, Luka Krajnc, and also Grega Lačen," Grmovšek added. The guide has a chapter dedicated to the ethics of movement and climbing in the Slovenian mountain world, which certainly also touches on climbing technique.







All routes have one more interesting feature. Original and different names. "The name of the route usually reflects the authors' thinking, often also a response to the times," Grmovšek concluded.







This year, besides the mentioned novelties, PZS Mountaineering Publishing House also released a collection of mountaineering humoresques Smeh z gora (Dušan Škodič), a collection of fairy tales and stories Čez drn in strn (Anka Rudolf), a collection of Idrija mountaineering stories Griči (Rafael Terpin), and maps Ljubljana and surroundings, Slovenian Istria, Karst and surroundings, and a very special Mountaineering Calendar 2021.







May it be sunny and safe on mountaineering paths, so you can read another good mountaineering book in the pleasant shelter at home. When visiting mountains, as well as on home walks, follow measures to contain the spread of coronavirus infections. See you next week at the 36th Slovenian Book Fair!