Slovenia is not a place normally associated with your typical stag do! However this trip was not your typical stag do, there were no week long hangovers from copious amounts of alcohol and no dodgy fancy dress outfits. The plan for our 4 day stay was to climb Triglav, Slovenia’s highest peak.
Up until now I would have never thought of travelling to Slovenia, why I’m not sure, as it is by far one of the most beautiful countries I have visited. Here’s a useful bit of pub quiz trivia for you, Slovenia is the only country to have a mountain on its national flag.
There are a lot of routes up Triglav, we chose to walk up to the head of the Vrata valley, and take a path up to the Triglavski hut, spend the night here and summit the following day. Our route took in some very impressive views, mainly on protected paths with the odd section of via ferrata. Razor (2,601m) dominated the skyline towards Kranjska Gora. I have been told that there is a pub in Kranjska Gora with a great view of Razor! For me the most impressive view was of the north face of Triglav. It has some great looking rock routes up it. The most famous buttress on the face is the Sphinx, a large tower which is capped by a huge roof. Fingers crossed for a trip back next year with climbing gear.
From the hut we headed up the north ridge and onto the summit. This section of the route was a little tricky and can get pretty busy, especially in summer, so wearing a helmet is a must. I got the chance to put my new Mammut Rock Rider lid to the test. There is a local tradition that Triglav virgins must be lashed with birch wood in front of the summit bivi. We avoided telling the locals that this was our first time. After spending an hour or so on the summit, we descended along the Plemanice ridge and back into the Vrata Valley.
The Plemanice ridge is quite spicy in places and puts you in some stunning positions over looking the sphinx. I would advise using the Plemanice ridge as your ascent rather than descent as it gets pretty loose in places.
If you are looking to get away from the crowds then Slovenia and the Julian Alps is a great choice. I will definitely be going back.
I agree with all that you said about Triglav and Slovenia, Great place, and Congratulations!