s51kq - Recent messages

And a couple km on SW side of the valley neighboring Brinjeva Gora above Zreče "Boštjanova ferrata"

Both are short, easy and can be done in one morning.

/@blackt/ In vertical walls, as a free climber you know that safety is always the most important. Here climbing shoes definitely provide higher safety due to better grip and ability to step on the smallest surface, compared to hiking boots. As long as you're on the wall, their use offers great advantage. On hiking terrain though, there's nothing to do with them - they are too dangerous (slips). Personally, I see an important advantage in their use if you have to rescue someone. There without them, you surely won't manage to climb up/down 3x on severely overhanging sections while preparing a system to lift the incapacitated or injured.

The two "??' do somewhat refer to those who might doubt the usefulness in via ferratas. But still, it's self-evident that in difficult terrain we'll use the most suitable equipment, including footwear. If someone is against it, that's their personal view and personal problem. It wasn't meant maliciously.

If you go abroad, you'll see that many real climbers use climbing shoes in via ferratas too, of course in those difficult ones where it's sensible. Climbing shoe soles wear out faster on scree than on slabs anyway.

Otherwise, check some album on my mountaineering web pages and you'll see that I go into via ferratas with them without shame. Safety is first after all!


Best, Mijo
http://atv.hamradio.si/gore

Climbing shoes on extreme via ferratas ??

Extreme via ferratas don't just mean vertical and overhanging walls, but also terrain without big holds, reliable and big enough footholds, often slabby and completely smooth - flat walls. One feature of extreme ferratas is that in the hardest spots they usually don't have pegs or bolts to step on or grab. In short, they can have all combinations of difficult vertical terrain, often with negative slope.

Don't venture into such serious terrain with poor footwear! Climbing shoes have a big advantage over clumsy hiking boots here. With better grip they also mean noticeably easier overcoming of wall slope. Of course, be aware of the dangers of using them. With climbing shoes we only exceptionally step sideways - to the edge. Usually we step on tiptoes and thus transfer weight out of the overhang, even by jamming foot in cracks, etc.

Stepping in climbing shoes on grass, mud or wet rocky terrain at such angle is usually fatal and means immediate slip without possibility of controlled stop. On the other hand, climbing shoe grips excellently on dry, monolithic, dust-free rock. With it we can excellently tiptoe into very small pockets or holes, ideally chimney cracks in ferratas, slabs on friction etc. When rescue is needed on extreme ferratas, they can be crucial, as they allow with proper climbing technique the simplest movement for rescuer up or down in overhang... (passing the immobilized, preparing rope, anchors and rescue systems etc). As happened yesterday when we rescued scared and exhausted Hungarians through the key overhanging section of the waterfall in Maltatal, which is so hard and technically demanding that those without lots of real climbing experience (alpine or from hardest ferratas) have no business there.

In short, in most newer extreme ferratas the keepers officially recommend or even require climbing shoes. For the hiking part, normal approach shoes asap.

Regards, Mijo

Super, then there's nothing else but diligently collect routes so that the conditions for promotion to junior trainee are met. And of course the exam as soon as possible, without it no continuation ... What else are you missing: rock, winter or glacier technique? Which AO are you at?

After alpine school, with a bunch of long routes climbed, you shouldn't have problems in difficult ferratas. You're trained - you know what you're doing, you know how to rescue and have partially developed wall movement technique. So just courageously and smartly forward.

Lots of success!

Bojan, if you enjoy real climbing pleasure, go to alpine school as soon as possible. Since you're young it's very easy. Now in autumn, when most sections start with enrollments, is the ideal opportunity. Remember Nina from the "A" course? Now she's already an older trainee in their alpine section.

Regards, Mijo

In the Königsjodler there are many accidents and rescues every year, and it's not to be underestimated. The most dangerous is the inclined cable, since most don't use ropes and prusiks for descending/belaying during the descent, nor do they have appropriate (thick) leather gloves for braking with them. Most fractures and injuries are in the wall where the FlyingFox cable ends. Also, some don't always respect self-belay rules - they solo, and also go with too little experience for this difficulty.

The last two fatal accidents are only a couple of days old (1 August 2010). Within a few hours' interval, a 50-year-old German detective fell 100m down, and a 47-year-old Czech doctor fell over 50m deep, almost at the same spot.

With emergency exits it's usually like this, if you don't have two 60m ropes, slings, hammer and pegs with you, you're screwed. Of course, you must know at least basic alpine maneuvers etc. The one who can't go on in the ferrata is usually not physically able to descend independently, besides cramps he's also psyched out. Such a one needs to be brought down from the wall by one of the rescue methods.

As long as nothing happens, OK superficially you don't need to know anything and have no additional equipment with you. But is it really like that?

The line between pleasure and accident in difficult ferratas is right next to us. Unfortunately, some realize it when it's already too late. Gaining experience gradually, good psychophysical preparation, good trip preparation, suitable weather, enough equipment and experience for possible rescue, and a reliable partner even in ferratas play a key role.

The Königsjodler ferrata was built in 2001 and has only C/D rating, which might mislead. However, its length, exposure and technical difficulty even today, in the era of harder ferratas than this, represents a serious challenge even for an experienced mountaineer.

Some photos and material for Königsjodler collected HERE

Königsjodler until recently was considered one of the most demanding. It's also one of the largest privately made ferratas overall. But since Austrians this year extended the rating scale to F/G! and also built the first E/F ferrata, Königsjodler is now just a long (time-wise demanding) hard ferrata for the most experienced. Technically the newest are surely harder. That E/F is so hard that I wonder if I'm even able to climb it, despite alpine experience.

Otherwise on Königsjodler you need double trolley and work gloves for Flying Fox (cableway), via ferrata set, and above all good weather all day. The tour is extremely long, no emergency exits! And careful, this year already two dead in it.

Pity, because Kaiserschild was a "dangerous" thing. Especially in terms of ruggedness and length one of the toughest for the heavies. For most experienced participants the hardest so far, personally something average at the top of extreme steel ones... Surely no one will forget it.

For a serious test of abilities climb this school via ferrata without pegs and brackets, only on friction! Up and then down the same way. That is, "allowed" is grabbing the cable and rock, feet exclusively on rock friction. Even in overhanging wall parts.

This climbing simulates a higher difficulty level (D, D/E) than now in the ferrata, which is stuffed with brackets. Whoever can manage such a test without major difficulties can think about D/E vias in the high mountains. Of course, similar difficulty awaits there (lack of brackets and overhanging or slab wall), but on a much larger scale.

Lots of fun gaining experience!

Hi Bojan! Türkenkopf ferrata is routed circularly. You don't reach the summit via it, but just cross vertical walls towards the mine. When you reach the highest point, you start descending also along the cable (A/B) to the place called Türkenkopf. It's a narrow pointed overhanging rock (cable), from which there's a fantastic view of the entire valley from the edge. Then you have a few hundred meters more of cable, then you can choose right up along the wide path to the mines, or left down towards Turkish observatory and on to the parking (from road at sign into forest, left).

Anyway, check the partial description
HERE

Lp, Mijo