Rock climbing in Slovenia

Rock climbing and mountaineering are popular activities within Slovenia, and such offers some imposing rock climbing areas. Slovenia is fast becoming a popular holiday destination, with its fantastic scenery and culture. Hence the rock climbing areas of Slovenia are perfect for; those who wish to combine climbing as part of their holiday; or those who wish to climb solidly for a week or 2. There are 84 sports crags, and over 3,600 routes, within Slovenia, all of which are sensibly bolted and solid. A single guidebook is available that covers all of these crags, which can be bought from our shop.

The 3 main rock climbing areas within Slovenia are:

• Around Bled and Bohinj
• Around Osp, including Trieste in Italy and Istria in Croatia
• Around Celje

Rock climbing around Bled and Bohinj
Situated in the north west of Slovenia within the Julian Alps, the rock climbing around Bled is the most picturesque and spectacular within the whole of Slovenia. Being a mountainous area and by a lake, the rock climbing here is ideal for those who wish to combine a general active holiday (walking, mountain biking, canoeing etc) as well as being very children friendly. The are 7 main crags offering over 350 routes around Bled (including Bodesce, Bohinjska Bela, Bitenj potok, Bitnje & Bohinj), all of which are well bolted on compact limestone rock. All the routes are generally single pitch with a good range of grades at all the crags, with the majority in the 6a to 7b range (French grades are used through the country). The ideal time to visit Bled for rock climbing is from spring through to the autumn.

Rock climbing around Osp
The rock climbing around Osp is the most popular area within Slovenia and has over 600 routes across all grades. There are 3 main crags all within 4km of each other; Osp, Misja Pec, and Crni Kal. The rock climbing here is a mixture of single and multi-pitch sports climbing on well-bolted limestone rock. Rock climbing is possible through out the year through the ideal time is the spring and autumn. Osp is close to the Italian border where there is also some rock climbing to be found at Trieste, and also just across the border into Croatia where there is some excellent rock climbing. There is a single guidebook available, called Climbing without Frontiers, which covers the rock climbing around Osp, plus Trieste in Italy and Istria in Croatia, which unfortunately is currently out of print.

Rock climbing around Celje
Situated in the north east of Slovenia the rock climbing around Celje, consists of 2 major crags; Kotecnik and Kamnik. Between them there are 350 sports routes on well bolted, limestone rock. The largest crag is Kotecnik offers a good range of grades, while the rock climbing at Kamnik offers a good selection of routes in the lower grades from 4 to 5c+ (French grades). Both are situated within forests making them ideal rock climbing areas from spring through to autumn, and are very popular in the summer.