SKI TOURING IN SLOVENIA

Sorica plateau (Soriška Planina)

Soriška planina is a good starting point for shorter ski tours for beginners. Not only is it often pleasantly sunny and partially sheltered from winds, there’s lift accessed backcountry with dense forested slopes to be used in times of bad weather and/or higher avalanche danger when high-alpine world is too dangerous to explore.

The single best ski touring to be had in the area is a round tour covering a couple of peaks in a day, all with amazing views and some great skiing. It is well suited for entire winter, as steeper slopes are relatively safe from avalanche danger.

Starting at Soriška planina you take a line of ascent toward west, toward the ski slopes. Please respect local rules and stay off pistes following service track and keeping right off the slopes the entire time to gain the ridge on the mountain called Kor. There’s an old military building you will walk by and reach the first summit. Slatnik is a 1,598-meter mountain in northwestern Slovenia. It stands southwest of the Sorica Plateau and on a perfect day you will see all the way to the Adriatic Sea and an amazing views of Mount Triglav. If you fancy, you can visit Možic and Dravh mountains, both are an easy stroll away on a relatively flat terrain, all with amazing views.

It’s time for a first ski descent! Storing skins away, you drop into a North facing slope that takes you to a plateau about 200 h.m. lower. Put your skins back and on ascend south slopes of Šavnik (1574 m), waving through forest following marked summer path. A rather steep upper part requires some attention on the ascent. In great conditions, the ski run off to the west makes for one of the best tree runs in the area and though rather short, it’s downright amazing. 

Time to reattach the skins again and follow the abandoned (in process of complete revitalisation) ski resort piste to reach the summit of 1498 m Kobla, which marked the top of a ski resort once. Now is the time for a 1000 h.m. run on abandoned ski resort pistes with views of Mt. Triglav. Once in the valley of Bohinjska Bistrica, continue on foot the the bus station, catch a cab or even better - rejuvenate and rejoice at Sunrose 7 - Heritage Boutique Hotel.

Built in 1964 the cable car to Vogel is an amazing shortcut to an even more amazing high-alpine terrain. A ski resort is in operation and although somewhat outdated, the views of the Lake, the Julian Alps and especially Triglav outweigh the downsides of slow lifts.

But even these slow lifts are way faster than the best ski-mountaineering runners and so offer easy access to a beautiful area of numerous skiing options. Be it freeride with a combination of ski-touring ascents and lifts or a quick access to a good starting point for Rodica (1.966 m), one of the more popular ski tours in Bohinj.

PLANINA BLATO

Planina Blato is located high above Lake Bohinj. A road from Lake Bohinj to Planina Blato starting point is sometimes open in winter. However, with a good winter and snow cover to the valley floor, this road is only used as long approach to the actual starting point. All tours via Planina Blato are time consuming due to long approach from Lake Bohinj and height difference to the skiable peaks is therefore relatively higher.

TAMAR 

Tamar is at the far end of Planica valley, better known for Planica ski-jumping hill, the last stop of ski-jumping world cup. Try to avoid the valley on the world cup weekend :)

Though a handful of skiing options in Tamar are at hand, the one and only that is creme de la creme of ski mountaineering in the area is obviously the crown jewel of Mount Jalovec. It is actually the west and east shoulder below the summit that is best suited to ski tourers. Jalovčev ozebnik (The Jalovec Couloir) is the left-hand-side (western), more difficult option as it involves crampons and ice-axe as it involves some steeper ascending and skiing and mostly wild ambiance cut deep between sheer rock walls (helmet obligatory).

The more popular and easy variant turns right at the junction just below Jalovec couloir and summits east of the summit on a should above slopes as if made for skiing. A bivouac (a simple mountain shelter exclusively to be used in an emergency of overnight on long tours) is located just under a boulder at (1.965 m)

Equipment & Safety

It is always best to use IFMGA mountain guide for your mountain adventure and we will be happy to assist you hiring the best in the area. If you feel confident, have necessary skills and experience, please always check weather forecast, avalanche bulletin and use common sense.

Ski touring conditions

An amazing source of inspiration and current skiing conditions in Slovenia is available at Snežak - a website dedicated to ski touring conditions in Slovenia

Always use appropriate equipment with knowledge and experience on how to use it and never go to the mountains in winter alone! A shovel in your backpack won’t help you when you are buried in an avalanche and alone! 

Apart from the avalanche rescue equipment consisting an avalanche beacon, worn under an outer layer of clothing, an avalanche probe for an accurate search of a victim’s location and depth following an avalanche, a shovel and ideally an avalanche airbag, you will obviously also need a pair of ski touring skis with bindings, ski touring boots and winter clothing suitable for skiing.