77blaz - Recent messages

On our three-week trip through Georgia we (with wife and three teenagers) of course found time for the beautiful mountains too. We didn't climb any, but observing was already very nice.

From Mestia we took the chairlift up to the top of the ski resort opposite Mestia, to over 2,000 meters, where we were rewarded with beautiful views. We kept turning to Ushba, which enchanted us with its sheer walls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LSF6KZLZWA

What else should I add to the above poetic Pika's note besides today's photos?

Some technical data:
In Mihelič's couloir there is one traverse, where it helps a lot if you have one carabiner and a good meter of rope, which can be clipped into the already hammered piton. I descended, via an otherwise closed path, to Kriške pode, where the pitons and cables are in solid condition. I continued via Sovatna to Vrata.

The logbook, already almost 20 years old, would need a new polyvinyl bag, which I didn't have with me.

From Vrata I went up via Plemenice, then along Kugy's ledge, over the glacier, joined the Čez Prag path and descended to Vrata. On the path over Plemenice there is one piton, the last on the wire, uprooted.

The path over Kugy's ledge from this side gently descends, marked all the time with faded red lines. The worn, untrodden trail is protected in places that come very close to precipices, but the wires are old, with partially pulled out pitons. Do not dislodge stones, perhaps there are alpinists below. The path over the ledge, with all caution, takes less than an hour.

On the glacier I refreshed my hands and face with ancient ice, whose time is now measured only by the duration of human life.

From the bivouac I went right into the gully, where there are no rock jumps and at the top I joined the approach via Kotlov.

I descended past the Three Larches, where under them due to scree, bad holds and unfavorable exit I had a bad feeling. There is no snow there.

I also partially unraveled the complication caused by the beautiful singer with a careless entry in the logbook 🙂. Yes, it's nice to look at a more than 30 years old, excellently preserved logbook. Thirty years of beautiful memories.

With sadness I report that in the bivouac Za Akom, less than a year old, something caught fire at the stove for someone. I attach photos. The fire extinguishing device is untouched.

It ended luckily.

Also my experience HOW NOT TO DO from last year's winter route to the "easy" Ciprnik. I went up from Kranjska Gora along the road to Viranc, to the top and then back to Vitranc and down the road to Kranjska Gora.

At one point I decided to go straight down, across the ski slope, which they were then snowing with cannons. The weather conditions and temperatures were such that the snow in contact with the ground turned into live ice on the steep ski slope, which completely surprised me, it was getting dark, I simply didn't see it. Crampons in the backpack, ice axe too, but there was no possibility to put them on and use them. With a lot of luck I got back to the snowy road.

Up and down I went from Vršič past Špička, the shelter is still closed. Luckily I knew that and carried 5l of liquid with me, which I used all up (washed clothes). The protections are in good condition, no snow on the path. The logbook is not full, but it's in poor condition. The metal casing where the logbook is stored doesn't hold to the base, it's just leaning against the rock.

In the morning I was the only one at the top and probably also the only one in Slovenia in long pants and down jacket. That changed quickly ...

Taken on 13.6.2026

Path to the top is snow-free both via Sovatno and via Luknja, the protections are in good condition (one piton is pulled out though and the cable is not taut).

Chamois have put on a real show, attaching a photo story.

Winter equipment over Sovatno to Stenar and further to Križ is not needed. There are some snow patches, but the snow is soft and the descent is unproblematic.

To the shepherd's hut or stable the ground is bare; on the summit there is 30 cm of soft snow. Beautiful colors and strong sun.

.

Now it really shouldn't be salty anymore.

Yes, it's really (too) hot, but they come to warm up in the sun, it was on the path above the Konjščica pasture.

Juvenile viper, above Planina Konjščica.