janezs73 - Recent messages

I used the nice weather in Lombardy to visit two neighboring peaks, Corna di Caspai and Nasego.

For the first one, I started from the village Lodrino. The trail quickly takes us under the south walls (multitude of pillars in steep grassy/forested slope), where the ferrata starts with crossing a nice slab (C). Follows multitude of slabs (B to C), chimneys (some D), small shelves, ledge (C), gully. Mostly we go left, sometimes up or down, always following nice natural passages (which doesn't mean all are easy). Towards the end a vertical wall follows, where the ferrata shows its more sporty character (D/E). Unlike most Austrian sport ferratas that sometimes rush over slabs without aesthetic feel, this ferrata has "its soul", strongly reminds of famous Dolomite ferratas (in Brenta!).

In the afternoon from the neighboring village Briale I climbed to Nasego via the namesake ferrata. A concreted path leads to the parking (narrow and occasionally steep!). From one of the parkings (packed in summer season) quickly to the ferrata entrance (above scree to the east). The ferrata ascends to the summit in 5 parts (C/D, D, D, D/E and D), with intermediate grassy inserts. The last part is poorly marked, so I missed it on the first attempt. Descent via Nasego hut.

Yesterday I visited [url=www.ferratecasto.com]ferrata park[/url] near the village of Casto north of Brescia. It has 18 ferratas, heights mostly between 40 and 65 m. Since Casto lies low (elev. approx. 350 m), one would expect it not to be freezing cold. But it shows that it's a closed valley, similar to our Baška grapa, where cold air lingers and therefore the temperature is significantly lower than at Lake Garda just 30 km away and not significantly lower-lying.

Due to confusion with ratings, I climbed some ferratas with wrong gear, unnecessarily overloading my arms and in the end only climbed 9 ferratas.

Also the ferrata through Luina gorge is by no means easy (according to them A/B). Since in many passages you hang on your arms, difficulties are definitely B/C, if not C, certainly not A/B.

Otherwise it's quiet there in winter, few visitors, so I had plenty of time for photography.

Ratings of climbed ferratas
(ferrata label : their French rating .. translated to Austrian rating .. my rating):
No.15 : AD .. B/C .. C
No.14 : TD .. C/D .. D
No. 6 : PD .. B .. B/C
No. 5 : TD .. C/D .. D
No. 7 : AD .. B/C .. D, maybe D/E (similar spots in Železna kapla)
No. 8 : TD .. C/D .. D/E, E spot (similar to spot on our right Zelenica)
No. 9 : AD .. B/C .. B/C
No.10 : TD+ .. between C/D and D .. D/E or E
Stretta di Luina: F+ .. A/B .. B/C or C

the hardest, which I didn't climb, are above parking (both overhang nearly 55 m):
Colpo di Strega : ED+ .. E .. my rating E/F
Arcobaleno : ED+ .. E .. E/F, maybe even F (looks harder than C.d.Strega).. but true it has additional pegs next to cable in places, so definitely easier than Arena Variante in Austria

hope these infos will be useful to you.

Razor?

Maybe helpful comment on the difficulty of both Renke vias - last week I accidentally passed by and "looked" at both up close.

The first (older, easier) is equipped in "French" style i.e. with loose cables that have a loose loop at the bottom and which cushion forces in case of fall. This is certainly true for vertical sections, for more horizontal (quite common here) it's physically nonsensical and quite annoying for some. Anyway, despite brackets C/D rating is realistic - still overhanging parts that always lean to one side, so you need strong arms despite brackets.

The second (newer, much harder) has taut cables of course - without it difficulty would exceed all we're used to in this part of Europe (except Arena variant in AT). Take E rating very seriously - I even think the entry move combo is harder. Start is quite overhanging and when bracing feet on rock, legs are so high that force on arms is considerable - like every roof, so arm moves require lots of strength. Move combo here harder than right Zelenica, Gonžarica much easier. Similar hard moves on far left of last segment of newer via in Črna na Koroškem, just longer section there.
Continuation not much easier. Sections D/E, but first issue body always overhangs, second rock slippery (think dust from ground slowly trickles from above with wind or rain, despite secured ground above via).
And this - one of rare vias where resting on lanyard on intermediate pegs not easy due to geometry, if resting on pegs body usually above cable, unsafe and hard to continue. This via is serious sports challenge.

Safe steps to all.

On Saturday it was the day for this beauty on the far west of the Julians. After two years this time alone in this immense wilderness. When climbing the ramp I gladly treated myself to some harder passages, since the summit was not planned - the path itself was the goal.
With the car in Dunja the return was of course obligatory by descent via Amalia and crossing back to Dunja.

Such nice descriptions really tempt up there.. this year for sure again

Yesterday royal loop - from Kot (too early forced by circumstances) to Gube and from there via PP8 to the window and on to Luknja peč, then further (almost) to Temen and to the top of Rjavina. Descent via secured path to Pekel and further to Kot.

Of 4 PP parts (1,3,6 and this 8), this seemed the hardest to me. For proper passage from HeavyBull's last year pic 20 to southern shoulder of Luknja peč yesterday I wasn't ready so I diverted to the ridge, where there was "only" climbing without impossible hanging scree that begs to sweep you away.
Of course descent from Luknja peč wasn't far from that either, but it seemed manageable to me anyway .
Just before Temen in total enthusiasm I followed the beautiful original PP path a bit too long and thus searched for the ascent gully too late, then turned around and up the previous gully (in my opinion like Trobec and company last year, his pic 22) - this wasn't easy either.

On Rjavina well-deserved rest after long hours of searching, which this time unlike previous PP searches led to the end of the stage on first attempt

I fear SVK is not the cause of the problem. It's just a market response that is developing. It can benefit many (if there's infrastructure), but it also misleads (if there isn't). And since this market is developing as it is, but infrastructure isn't (developing), we have a problem. That's the expectation that you can safely do harder tours just by buying gear that should compensate for lack of experience moving in such terrain without serious consequences.

Since I don't believe infrastructure will develop (say, unbroken cables, probably for various reasons), it would be easier to point out that it's not there. That SVK is useless and without knowledge people won't get home safely.

Helmet though is mandatory everywhere here in my opinion, since rocks can fly at you. I sometimes keep it on longer during descents so the sun doesn't bake my head .

I'd like to open the issue of what a "secured" path even is - an issue I've been thinking about in recent years, when (ever less frequently and more out of necessity) I venture onto marked paths. The problem is the completely different population of people using our "secured" paths today compared to 40 years ago, while the equipment of these paths remains the same.

Let me describe my thoughts from the last tour - crossing Mojstrovke, Travnik, Šit (clear pathless to here), which ended with ascent to Jalovec (from Škrbina) and descent to Kotovo sedlo.

In the past we were accustomed from a young age to climbing near rare pegs and even rarer wire ropes. As kids we tempered ourselves on these paths with parents, grandparents, more experienced peers, at camps, courses and of course alone. Above all we mastered our shady ledges, slabs, scree gullies and couloirs and perceived loose ridges as normal.

Today the population going to the mountains mostly lacks these experiences (in muscle memory). They go to the store for SVK, harness and helmet and get a sense of safety and full readiness for tours.

The last ascent to Jalovec and descent from it filled me with horror again at how dangerous our secured paths are for people unprepared for such terrain. Especially in light of equipment on similar paths in neighboring countries.

And from this viewpoint the ascent and descent from Jalovec stands out. Even if it's easy for some, please refrain from such comments, because objectively this path is not and never will be.

In my opinion these paths should at least be recategorized and equipped with a sign "very demanding marked unsecured paths", so people at least think that maybe they won't use the SVK anywhere.

What's your opinion?

(Let's leave the formal side now, what all would be needed for something like that).

Once upon a time, but it's over - they would say.

The truth about Ute is actually quite different from what YouTubers and Instagrammers want to portray.

Unfortunately, we mountain lovers have opened the path for them to places they should never have reached, because with our posts we lure people who do not respect this beautiful world into it. And they see everything that exists as their property and right to (mis)use it.

Some background:
when I arrived at Ute late in autumn, a couple from Styria was cleaning (!) the hut (note: neither owners nor managers, just nature lovers): they carried down about 2m3 of trash, bottles and cans, picnic leftovers, armaflexes, punctured and burned sleeping bags, etc. rubbish (I also helped carry one big bag to the valley); but that's not all - they were patching holes in the hut's perimeter because people used the boards for their BBQ feats. Let's think about it

At that time I swore I would never describe any more hikes on hribi.net, because these posts are read by people unworthy of them. Our most beautiful corners are destroyed precisely by such advertisements (intentional or not).

That's why I'm against such videos and condemn them, as they are usually just egocentric calls for attention from the owners.


Now about access and safety:
Access from Strelovec direction is a serious pathless tour with all hidden dangers. Crossing the notch requires a secure step on steep scree terrain and a cool head. Any wrong body position or panic attack can end with the worst possible outcome.
Passage to Ute, now "secured" with an ultra-thin steel cable (say 6 mm) with tensile strength just under 3 tons, is truly dangerous. At the most problematic spot, the attachment points are almost 8 m apart, increasing the force in the nearly rigid cable by almost 20x. Imagine someone suddenly leaning on it with full weight (slip, nausea, or rock hit) - it will be loaded almost to max permitted load. If "someone else is hanging on the cable" at that moment, it means almost certain cable breakage.

Now think with your head, those inviting masses to this world!

Those not used to crossing this ledge both ways without touching the cable once, don't go there. Especially not in groups. For reasons hopefully clearly described above.

For early-summer refresh of "scree monkey" feelings I chose the SE ridge of Dolk Peak this year.

Evening to bivouac IV (it seemed to me that this year's fitness level really sucks ), morning to grassy shoulder and enjoyment of slalom around various horns and hornlets and lakes of sliding sand on more SE wall than SE ridge. Maybe I should write scree field.

But at least fun is guaranteed - so many guys I didn't see from nowhere until I almost bumped into them, I haven't had the chance to follow for a long time

As many have written, there are only a few climbing moves in the tour, maybe more on the ridge from Lower to Upper DŠ (and even that not the first notch everyone photographs, IMHO). Of course if you don't intentionally linger on compact horns or couloirs.

Although almost everything slides down (sand, stones, rocks), I don't remember a spot without something solid for hold/step.

So, a mountaineering tour for gourmets.

From memory I'd say like this. The upper part is crucial. Cables are there where the strong shadows are on the photo. In the middle part follow logical passages.

From bivouac towards MKM the route is visible on your pic 39. From those grasses under walls strongly right, then up the gully, stay more on left. Cable is in middle part of gully on left. Nowhere else.

Well, actually it wasn't that white - I expected it to be cleaner under the surface. I first cleaned 5 cm of the surface (dirty from various sands), and it was also dirty deeper down here and there. Then I cut out blocks 10x5x5 cm with the ice axe so I could melt them with the stove.

Nothing to do about it, thirst is a nasty thing!

This was really for the soul.

Drago, really thanks for the tip for the last gully before the Rokav summit! Elegant!

Tone, next to your stop I was melting snow!

Tone, that "boy" who was descending from Rokav was I .

To many more Rokavs!

This time Martuljek in all its glory:
On Monday after rain first from Črlovec towards Gulce, through grasses, junipers and heather full of water (too much for my shoes ), then through Škrnataričin gully to the top (why those ugly screes, when left of the head there are such nice "kahlice").
Then of course the ridge towards Dovški križ, as far as I had to chase the chamois over all passages, who would rather sit on every ledge and munch his grass. When I already thought he was lost, he waits for me again at the passage from Jugova grapa towards the lower meadows above Šplevta.
To the "double" I just can't get enough of the views of the magnificent north Triglav wall. In the mists it was even more photogenic.
On Tuesday morning already at four I gently wake three Dolenjska lads and enjoy the sunrise a bit below the summit of Oltar. The gully above Grlo is eroded right to the rocks - another 10 years and we'll need a Nepalese bridge over it .
Then the real Martuljek begins - traversing the south slopes of Oltar towards the saddle between it and V.Rokav - this time it seemed to me a shade harder than ever before and even harder than further towards the summit of Rokav. How subjective sensations are, right?
On the 3rd approach this time without problems I find the upper Dragotov (and additional Jušev) hint for the gully that bypasses the penultimate tower in the ridge. The gully under that notch is really the nicest part of the traverse, compact, pure delight.
On Rokav after good 4h from the "double" worth photographing and enjoying the morning views.
Follows descent to Rokavska škrbina and to the end in Kotel. The time was barely 8:30, so plenty of time for rappels with rope (I know specialists don't need it, but if the rope is in the backpack, let it serve its purpose). In between I greet Tone (I only realized that now ). Hats off. Like a chamois he flew up past me to V.Rokav.
In Kotel for a whole hour I melt snow to get extra two liters of water and treat myself to rehydration soup.
Towards Škrlatičina rama it went without complications, despite occasional fog and the fact that I was walking this for the first time.
The last 200m just wouldn't go anymore, I stopped myself. Perhaps there was no real desire anymore, perhaps I simply didn't want to leave the kingdom of the Rokavs. Anyway, after Škrlatica I abandoned the original plans to continue to Kriški podi, and instead descended to Vrata. Surely the too strong sun also contributed to that, which left a mark on my face

Tour for gods or into their lap. As you take it.