Category Archives: news

Climbing highlights from Baratro and Skedenj

Vera Masochismo 8b Barartro
Photo @ Vera Gussetti in Masochismo (8b) in Baratro Hmmm, where to start? After last week’s ascent of Masochismo (8b) in Baratro by Vera Gussetti, she didn't go on holidays, but came back and fired as well Violenza carnale (8a). In the same crag young Ajda Lovše clipped the chains of her first route in the 8th grade, Placcoman. On the boy’s side, Jaka Šprah succeeded in one of the rare ascents of Le Terme del Musico (8c) with a super crimpy and chipped as well hard start for first 3 – 4 bolts which can be passed by its easier natural variation producing »the classic« Il Musico (8b) which was done on his 3rd try by Jakob Bizjak couple of days ago, respectively. Maybe 20 or maximum 30 air miles from that crag exists Skedenj, another secret summer crag where Mitja Jereb smashed another 8b, this time super steep and athletic Fight the Faida. Thumbs up guys and girls, the season is only...
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New parking place in Mišja peč

parking Misja pec
Great news is coming from Osp, more specific from Mišja peč. After many years of struggling, changing the parking places, problems with the landowners, the climbers are getting a new modern parking place for about 50 cars just under the wall of Mišja peč. This is the same place where it used to be the first Mišja pečs parking place many years ago. Finally, the landowners, the Osp community, city of Koper with providing different documentations, project LIKE by financing, PZS (Slovene mountaineering organisation) and Slovene climbers united in Projekt O.S.P. joined their forces and found a new nice solution where to park the cars, not disturb the locals, walk on their private land and so on. Let's hope this will work! Considering climbing news, this weekend with lots of rain and strong NE wind the temps finally fell down and after this long summer heat created nice conditions for climbing. Vera Gussetti...
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Working class hero in Osp cave by Benjo

Osp the big cave
Photo @ the big cave of Osp The summer heat is fully on with the temps over 35 degrees Celsius almost every day and it looks like it will stay like this for at least another week or so. But some climbers just don't lose the motivation and they keep fighting also in these tremendous tropical conditions. A real working-class hero, one of the best orthopaedic surgeons in Slovenia, Benjamin Marjanovič – Benjo just crushed rarely repeated route in the big cave of Osp named Working class hero (8b+). This super steep route in the left part of the cave was bolted and first ascended by Italian Andrea Polo. It has a hard-crimpy crux in the first part and amazing endurance climbing in the second part with long reaches and amazing drop knees in the sea of tufas for about 35-40 meters. Recently many holds broke off on the first boulder and also some in the upper...
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Latest highlights of climbing in Istria

DWS
Klemen Bečan deep water soloing in Stoja cave, close to Pula @ photo by Anja Bečan The summer is fully on! Many climbers from the area went on holidays in search of new nice spots and cooler temps around Europe. Some went on the seaside, to relax on the beach and in between also to jump in our beloved crags and smash something hard. Matjaž Zorko managed the 4th ascent of Starec in morje (8c) in the scenic sector Krugi in Limski kanal. Then young Anej Batagelj onsighted his first 8a, crimpy Happy mix in the secret crag of Skedenj close to Sežana. In the same climbing area Guido de Sabbata ticked the powerful Onda anomala (8b). Croatian Luka Meštrović climbed his first 8b, the nice Lap dance in the summer sector named Befana in Buzetski kanjon. In Baratro, junior in Slovenia climbing team, Klemen Novak flashed the latest and possibly the hardest 8a over there, maybe even 8a+, named...
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New 8c FA in Skedenj by Gabriele Gorobey

Rototom
Gabriele Gorobey Sbisi made a FA of an extension of famous warm up route Rototom (7a) in secret cave Skedenj close to Sežana in Slovenia, now named Rototom Sun Splash with a proposed grade of 8c. Bolted by Stefano Varnerin couple of years ago and named after famous reggae festival in Osoppo, Italy. After the 7a, you get a decent rest followed by hard boulder on small undercuts in full roof, some big holds after and an amazing prow to finish on top of the cave. One of the hardest as well best routes in Skedenj for sure! Bravo Sbisi! Also in Skedenj, Luka Zazvonil proved his shape by doing two 8b's both of them on second go, Fight the Faida, super steep and athletic 8b as well tricky Roulette (8b). Davide Gaeta also ticked one 8b over there, the classic Sežana 31249 (8b). Miha Pančur visited another secret crag Baratro couple of times and succeeded in Masochismo (8b) and...
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Baratro climbing news

Fabio Mazzilis in La Supercanna (8b+) in Baratro
Photo @ Fabio Mazzilis in La Supercanna (8b+) in Baratro Seems like Baratro is the crag to climb in Istria at the moment. All the routes are totally dry, it is not too hot, neither too cold, always with some fresh wind present. For the ones that don’t know Baratro. It is a secret summer crag above the gulf of Trieste with more then 50 routes in the range from 6b – 8c+. It is almost all the day in the shade, but the conditions are quite tricky, the best for sure with some “Burja” aka strong NE wind. If you want to come to Baratro, get in contact with the locals which will be happy to take you over there. Jaka Šprah from Slovenia onsighted his first 8a+ over there, the famous power endurance challenge of Apache kid (8a+). He onsighted as well the classic warm up pitch named Joshua tree (7c/c+) and on his 4th try, he smashed Il...
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Sicario sanguinario (8c) climbed by Luca Bacer

Baratro
Photo @ "Secret" crag of Baratro above Trieste Not many climbing news from Istria in the last days, but still some hats down routes were climbed here. Luca Bacer did the Sicario sanguinario (8c), a 30-meter long endurance route in the centre of the “cave” in Baratro. Also, Katarina Rus was there and she fired the last years masterpiece of Ciano, Zooropa for which she believes it deserves a plus more, so 8a+. Many other climbers reported it as super hard, as well. Time will tell! It’s more important that it is super nice and people love to climb it. :) Another climbing lady, Saša Vidmar used the last spring conditions in Mišja peč and redpointed the slabby, crimpy, techy, polished and so on, Oktoberfest (8a). The big cave of Osp gets the most crowd in these days, young Andrea Pustetto from Trieste redpointed Helihopter v omaki (8b) and for sure much more will happen there soon. Just...
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The summer is magic in Osp

The big cave of Osp
The summer is magic here in Osp, hot temperatures arrived, the cherries are growing full on and only the »summer« crags are visited more or less in the last days. The cave of Osp is for sure the top destination nowadays, followed by Buzetski kanjon (summer sector named Befana), Baratro, Skedenj, Brseč and so on. And what was climbed in these days? Boštjan Weingerl and Jaka Šprah both fired in just couple of tries the 3D monster pitch (55 meters long) Active discharge (8b+) in the big cave of Osp. The young and strong Italian Dolomites based Enrico Cassol just failed on his onsight attempt under the chain of Helihopter v omaki (8b) and later did it easily on his second go. Also, in the big cave of Osp, Matej Sova redpointed Benjamin Marjanovič’s “new” route Leon (8b) and in Buzetski kanjon he did the steep Inglorious bastards (8b+) in...
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Water world (9a) by Jernej Kruder

Jernej Kruder in Water world (9a)
Jernej Kruder in Water world (9a) in the big cave of Osp @ photo from his FB Two days ago, Jernej Kruder redpointed Water world (9a), the 55 meters long monster roof pitch, in the big cave of Osp. This is the 4th ascent of the route after Klemen Bečans FA and repeats by Domen Škofic and Sachi Amma. He found the new beta for the first crux and on the end this endurance route felt soft for a worldclass boulderer. Besides that, he did Leon (8b) on the same day, as well! Bravo Jernej, we are wishing you a lot of luck on the upcoming competitions. A muerte! Also in the big cave of Osp, Jaka Šprah flashed super steep Troja (8a) and in Kompanj Hungarian Tamas Farkas climbed short, sharp and crimpy Nusskancker (8b). More to come!...
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Winter trainings paid off

Val Rosandra
Hard winter trainings paid off on warm cliffs of Istria. Brother and sister, Klemen and Katarina Kejžar executed once again in Val Rosandra, in sector Strapiombi delle Vergini. Klemen did a FA of a project named L'amuleto bolted by Ciano that shares the same start with Adelante (8a) and then goes straight up and had a proposed grade of 8b. His sister Katarina did her first 8b after a new-born child, the other one from the same sector also Ciano's masterpiece called Anuk. Well done Kejžars! 😊 Of course, also the other crags in Istria were busy on these nice spring days. Gianfranco Dušić visited beautiful sea-crag Brseč where he fired the magnificent 50 meters long Schussler extension (8b). Our champion, Jernej Kruder, was in the big cave of Osp where in between the real tries in his project smashed Bala Bala (8b+) on his second go, calling it soft. In Medveja Matej Sova...
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