Besides recent accidents on Triglav, I decided to write a short guide for all who want to climb Triglav in winter.
First, Triglav in winter is quite different from Triglav in summer. In summer, it is an easier protected climbing route (better equipped than most of our other mountains); in winter, it often is a real alpinistic ascent. Fixed ropes are often snow-covered, sunny parts below Mali Triglav are often icy, and slopes reach up to 50°.
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What makes the ascent even harder is that we also have to return the same way. If conditions in the morning are still ideal for ascent and the snow holds well, they often change on descent. The snow is softer, crampons ball up, and we can reach the ice beneath it… Moreover, descending technical terrain is harder than the ascent itself.
The above is intended as food for thought for many who are heading to Triglav in winter conditions for the first time. The continuation I envisioned as a short guide: what to tick off before this ascent so that the Triglav ascent itself goes without too much stress and as safely as possible. I will start with complete beginners; you can find yourself at a certain preparation level and more easily determine what you still lack in preparations for your goal.
We start building fitness in spring or summer on the local hill. We start gradually and slowly extend the distance, elevation gain, and time on hikes. In this phase, it is great if we reach 400 meters of elevation gain three times a week and add a longer hike once a week (1000-1500 meters of gain).
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Once we are well acclimatized in the mid-mountains, we can slowly start thinking about high mountains. Some of you are in good fitness and can skip the first step, others will need years for it. In high mountains, we start with longer, easier tours, such as ascent to Stol, Krn…
Once we feel good in this world, we can continue to more demanding paths. Before visiting them, I definitely recommend a via ferrata movement course. When choosing a course, be careful that the course leader has the right competencies. These courses are offered by mountaineering societies, private societies, mountain guides, and unfortunately also other know-it-alls. An alpinistic instructor, for example, does not have specific guiding knowledge. So it can easily happen to you that you end up on a course with 30 like-minded people under the leadership of one person who will teach you “everything” needed on the ground. When you go on a tour as part of the course, you will already be taking care of yourselves completely. Since we know every beginning is hard, such an approach is not recommended. It is better for you to be in a small group where the course leader will have time in case of problems and can devote attention to you.
After completing the via ferrata movement course, you can climb them alone. For starters, I recommend easier ferratas in Mojstrana, Črna na Koroškem, Vipava… If this world draws you in, you can also build your knowledge and muscle strength on harder ones – Gonžarjeva peč, Jezersko, Zelenica, Jerman…
These ferratas will give you a basic feel for your reaction to ‘air’ under your feet. If that does not bother you, you can tackle protected paths in our mountains. I mentioned ferratas before this because protected paths are not protected over their entire length. Fixed ropes are often only on harder spots; easier but possibly still exposed spots must be overcome without them. Here too, you can gradually increase ascents, from mid-mountain paths (Šmarna gora) towards mountains. For orientation, here are some ascents: Mala Mojstrovka via Hanzova, Prisojnik via ridge, Triglav… Once we master all that, we can go to harder rocky ascents: Škrlatica, Jalovec, Mrzla gora…
If you are drawn to even harder pathless terrain and easier climbing routes, I definitely recommend attending an alpinism school. There, for your money, you will get a huge amount of knowledge that will be useful on these ascents. It is true that in alpinism school you will not be a social media star, but probably just an average unpromising greenhorn. Nevertheless, you can find great company there for harder ascents and eventually even become an alpinist. Above all, in school you will get the necessary rope technique knowledge and also theoretical basics about mountains.
With all these summer ascents, of course you can also visit mid-mountains in winter. This way you learn what clothes you need in winter and test crampons.
Before visiting high mountains, a snow conditions movement course in mountains is again recommended. On this course, you will learn basics about dangers in mountains, avalanches, and use of crampons and ice axe. Here too, as with the summer course – check the competencies of the course provider.
Once we have ticked off summer ascents, winter mid-mountains, and all courses, it is slowly time for gear purchase and high mountains.
In high mountains, start with easier more crowded tours where we probably will not need crampons and ice axe. But both should always be with us, as conditions can change from day to day. Examples of tours: Viševnik, Debela peč, Dovška Baba, peaks above Soriska planina…
Once on such tours we have used crampons and ice axe multiple times and transferred course knowledge to practice, we can start grading our ascents towards our goal. We seek slightly steeper ascents where crampons and ice axe will come more into play. Such ascents can be Begunjščica, Kredarica, Mala Mojstrovka, Savinjsko sedlo…
Once we master such ascents, we go to even steeper, easier couloirs such as the central one in Begunjščica, Vrtača, Mala Rinka through Turski žleb, Pripravniška in Mala Mojstrovka…
Once we descend these couloirs without issues, we can slowly start thinking about winter ascent to Triglav.
If you managed to get through these lines, you probably noticed that the list of ascents before the main goal is quite extensive. And this list has only some ideas. I suggest at least 10 ascents from each category before tackling solo winter Triglav. In support of this is the fact that occasionally I guide guests who have completed alpinism school and have recently climbed quite a bit. Yet they still decide to ascend Triglav with a guide.
Mountains are a beautiful but cruel world. Taking shortcuts in our experience can quickly cost us dearly, in the extreme case even our lives. Unfortunately, most people are not physically and mentally capable enough to go from nothing (hill experience) to winter Triglav in one year. For some, preparation for this feat will take five years, for some 10, some will never get there.
The only shortcut I can recommend is hiring a mountain guide. If we talked about different providers with courses, I am firmly convinced that only an IFMGA licensed mountain guide can safely take you to winter Triglav. All other profiles do not have enough knowledge for such an ascent, as it is an alpinistic ascent. A few years ago, a picture appeared online of an alpinistic instructor with 5 guests on a rope. Mountain guides in winter conditions lead at most 2 guests, as that is the maximum we can still do safely.
If someone offers the ascent at half price, the reason may be working on quantity. Unfortunately, such work can really end badly for all involved.
I sincerely hope that this writing touches someone and the trend of at least one dead person per winter season on Triglav ends. I believe that most people go up there because of some inner desire and not because of Facebook likes. At the same time, I believe that quite a few, if they knew what they are getting into, would not go. With this piece, I wanted to describe what you can expect on Triglav in winter and how to prepare so that this challenge is not too big.
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With the recent accidents, there was also talk about needing to know how to arrest with an ice axe. I believe that the terrain where the accidents happened does not forgive mistakes and even a super trained alpinist could not arrest a fall there. When you head to Triglav in winter, you must be 100% sure that you will not fall. If by unfortunate chance you fall on the steeper part from Kredarica to Mali Triglav, knowledge of ice axe arrest unfortunately will not help you.
And a bit about gear inflation and experience deflation. Old foxes go to Triglav with one ice axe. If to feel safe you need two ice axes, maybe this ascent is too demanding for you and your current knowledge. With these words, of course, I do not want to challenge heroism; I just want you to think whether you are really made of the right stuff for winter Triglav or not.
Just at the end, some of my references – I have been to Triglav over 300 times, since 2009 I am a mountain guide and on Triglav in all conditions 20–40 times a year. What we observe on this mountain in all seasons is concerning; my subjective feeling is that given everything seen, there are still few accidents.
Brains in head and with small steps towards your big goal.