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Črni kal

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Črni kal, the granddaddy of Slovenian free climbing and a training ground for mountaineers, has spread to both sides in the recent years, mainly due to bolting efforts of Betka Galičič – with many easier and great routes for beginners and advanced climbers. In between you can still find old classics, that are so polished that they can easily be graded one or two grades more. For a relaxing, easy going day of climbing on the Karst sun you can hardly pick a better crag.

ACCESS

The old route leads through the village of Črni Kal – drive slowly – around the church and up the hill to a large parking space (P1). Less intrusive is a dirt road around the sand dig on the upper part of the Karst edge (after you leave the motorway at Kastelec, turn for Črnotiče and after that turn right on a dirt road). From this parking place (P2) a path to the right leads to the rightmost sectors, or left towards the tower.

WEATHER

There are not many overhangs, so you will need a dry day. But the crag is protected from the wind and has many trees and corners, providing shade, so the heat is not a big problem, unless you decide to climb in the most exposed walls – which are, on the other hand, great for the winter. It is an all year-round playground but still, the best periods are spring and autumn.

ROCK QUALITY

The rock quality is excellent and almost never breaks – but beware in new sectors, that still need to be „cleaned“. Because of hikers and animals on the edge, caution (and a helmet) is advised. The routes are bolted perfectly, even though there is sometimes a complaint or two – as many climbers are not used to leading the routes come here. There is large and comfortable space under the wall.

INTERESTING NOTES

Črni Kal is full of history. In the nearby quarry a paleolithic axe was discovered, as well as a bronze statue from the Roman period. Climbers are familiar with the Turkish tower – a ruin of an old castle dated to the 11th century, which was built to control the important trading route. The church of St. Valentine is also special with its leaning tower (so why even go to Pisa?) and the oldest house in these parts – Benko‘s shack from 1489. The seaside region was affected by the furious fight against occupation in WW2 more than other parts of Slovenia – you can be reminded of that at the “skater“ monument halfway to Osp.

Recommended accommodations

Hostel Ociski Raj

Ocizla 1c, 6240 Kozina, Slovenija

Hostel Ociski raj is located in the heart of climbing areas. From hostel to Črni Kal is only 7km, 11 km away are world-famous Mišja peč and Osp. Also climbing areas like Risnik (Divača) and Val Rosandra (Italy) are really close. In the vicinity of the hostel there are many walking paths, as well many opportunities for cycling and other trips. Hostel offers you accommodation in private rooms and in dorms with shared kitchen and bathrooms.

Vila Robida

Vila Robida

Črni kal 61, 6275 Črni kal, Slovenia

New Hotel *** – Vila Robida in Črni Kal, only 5min to the queen of Slovenian top level climbing – Mišja Peč, Osp, Črni Kal! Best views of the Slovenian Istria. Old stone house fully renovated. Heated outdoor pool from 1.4 – 1.11., VIP Sauna & SPA and a Gourmet pleasures in the restaurant Kraški rob. Elegantly furnished 9 rooms and 3 big apartments by the pool.

ROUTES (from left to right)

The routes are mostly vertical, of all types – from routes, dotted with jugs from bottom to top, to the technical cruxes where you will hardly be able to move. But if you look around, you will also find small roofs, overhangs, corners and cracks. If the routes looks polished, it probably is. That doesn‘t mean it is not nice, but you have been warned.

You can climb even with 8 quickdraws and 50 meter rope. There are plenty of shorter routes, but be careful for the longer ones on the tower and in new sectors, there you will need at least 70 meter rope and 14 quickdraws. The top anchors come in many shapes – from lower-off carabiner to rings and others.

A/I-II – Above the road
Poletje 6b+ 10m
Morje 6c+ 10m
Sonce 7a+ 15m
Vročina 7b+ 14m
Na strehi sveta 7b 14m
Najlepša 6c+ 16m
Boj z naravo 7b 13m
Ocizla 6a+ 13m
Upanje 6b 13m
Strast 6c+ 12m
Grenkoba 7a 12m
Princeska Prva 5c 19m
Let’s start again 6a+ 22m
Franček Frančišek 6b 22m
Čarovnici iz BiaSep 6a 23m
Brest 5c 23m
Bor 6a 20m
Vsakdo išče svoje parkirišče 6c+ 20m
Mokre sanje 6b+ 22m
Alpinist 6a 25m
Virus 6b 18m
Egipt 6a 14m
Paradigma 6a 14m
Navdušenje 6a+ 16m
Moment 6a 16m
Trenutek sreče 5c 16m
Pirh 6a 30m
Hren 6a+ 30m
Aleluja 6b+ 30m
Vnebohod 6c 30m
Vstajenje 6c 30m
Spoved 7a 23m
A/III-IV – Turkish tower
Sandijev raz 6a 27m
Senca 6c+ 27m
Kirnova 6a 27m
Valterjeva zajeda 5c 27m
Direktna varianta 5c 27m
Dreamcatcher 6b+ 27m
Kondor 6c+ 27m
JJJ 8a 27m
Almina 7a+ 27m
Škrablova poč 6c 27m
Uscana zofka 6c 27m
Giljotina 6c+ 30m
Karantena 7c+ 29m
Vislice 7a 29m
Pas de deux 7c 15m
Medved 7c+ 17m
King size (left variant) 6c+ 29m
King size 6c+ 29m
Pingvin 7b 29m
Mlin na veter 6c 25m
Pajkel 6a 22m
A/V – Turkish tower – north face
Bobiči 6a+ 24m
Vampi 6c 22m
Barcaffe 7a 12m
Turška kava 6a 16m
Brodet 5b 17m
Normalna 4a 16m
Most 4a 22m
Po grajskih stopnicah 4b 15m
Srčkana 6a+ 16m
LBA 6c 16m
Zidarska poč 7a 17m
Prostozidarska 7b+ 17m
Brez raza (without the arete) 8a 17m
Prepih 6b+ 17m
Sector B
Konec raja 6a+ 33m
Poletje odhaja 6b 33m
Draga naša Lidija 5c 35m
Johnny Jump 6a+ 25m
Elanora 5c 19m
Wannabe 6a 19m
Deponija 6a 23m
Koko bom vrtal, če nimam niti za vijake 6a+ 22m
Krigl 6b 26m
Superca 5c 28m
D.D. lovec iz Kastelca 7a+ 26m
J.S. vinogradnik iz Kastelca 7a 25m
Viadukt redukt 7a+ 25m
Viadukt 6c 25m
Dežela senc 6c+ 17m
Burja 6b 17m
Šah mat 7a 17m
X 7b 16m
Levi Y 6a 16m
Zabava brez razov 7b 16m
Desni Y 5c 16m
Buhtelj 5a 15m
Bula 6c 16m
Legalize it 7b+ 16m
Turški med 6b 16m
Črn prusik 6a+ 17m
Gauda 6c+ 16m
Krokonoj 6b 16m
Leve sirove luknje 6c 17m
Desne sirove luknje 6b 17m
Gorgonzola 6b 17m
Vagabund 7b 16m
Rokova 6c 17m
Šnops 6c 22m
Ledeni možje 6c 17m
Zmrznjeni možje 7a 21m
Bog odpusti jim 5c 15m
Dilema 6b+ 10m
D.O.A 6c 10m
Intenzivno 7a 10m
Tjaška 5b 17m
Sončica 6a 17m
Perje 5c 16m
Prestop 4c 16m
Z poč 5c 17m
Martinčkov rep 6b 16m
Poševna zajeda 5c 15m
Izhod Road runner 6a 11m
Kojot Vily 5c 12m
Daffy Duck 6a+ 15m
Bugs Bunny 5b 16m
J&K – Špelin grafit 5c 16m
Kamin 3 16m
Sonce popoldan 5b 15m
Pakla 5a 14m
Lunapark 4a 14m
Bilabong 4c 15m
Sektor C
Sončna ura 6a 15m
Ajda 4b 15m
Vilijeva 4b 15m
Bori šumijo 5c 15m
Raz lokomotive 6c 15m
Trboveljska 6c+ 15m
Lokomotiva 6b+ 15m
Lajza 6a+ 15m
Soft rock 6c 15m
Kamena doba 6c 15m
Škis berač 6a 15m
Leteči Dolenc 5b 15m
Pasja radost 6a 15m
Barbara 7b+ 16m
VV 6c+ 16m
Popaj 6a 16m
Popajev raz 6b+ 16m
Kačja slina 6c 16m
Borček 6b+ 16m
Bubo 6a 16m
Bunka 5c 13m
Čez streho 6c+ 13m
Levičarka 5a 13m
Pomaranča 6a+ 13m
Mandarina 7b 12m
Hard rock 6c 12m
Midnight moving 6a+ 12m
Varianta JŽ 5c 12m
5b 14m
Goseničar 5b 14m
Gosenica 5a 14m
Cergol 6b 14m
Kamin 5a 14m
Trabant 5c 16m
Raz Mercedesa 6a 16m
Mercedes 6c 16m
Fičo 6a+ 16m
Mortisia Adams 6b+ 13m
Poč 5b 13m
Oliva 5b 13m
Bela gurtna 5c 15m
Teddy bear 6c 15m
Lily Marlene 6b 16m
NSK 6b 16m
Jahalna 5b 16m
Kreš test 5b 15m
Carpe Diem 5c 15m
Bingel bongel 5b 15m
Heker 6a 15m
Krvava nevesta 6a+ 16 m
Fosilček 6a+ 16 m
R 12 6a+ 16m
I.R. Babon 6a+ 16m
I.AM Weasel 6a 16m
Surogat 6a 16m
Beetle juice 6a+ 16m
Mična gospodična 4b 16m
Kačon 5c 16m
Burleska RŽV 5a 16m
Sector D
Dan D 6a 14m
Sandijeva zajeda 5c 12m
Piranha 7a 12m
Francev raz 5b 14m
TCG Ut 5b 14m
Mladi upi 3 14m
Kosovir 4c 14m
Scooby-doo 4a 12m
Kratka sladka 4b 12m
Dexter’s laboratory 6a 12m
Marenda 4b 15m
Cow & Chicken 5c 12m
Johnny Bravo 4c 12m
2 stupid dogs 5b 10m
Žanetka 4b 14m
Vremenko 4c 15m
Kokijev raz 6c+ 16m
13 duhov 4c 16m
Turbo folk 4b 16m
40+ 4c 16m
Opičji posli 4b 16m
Nulta ura 4b 16m
Sreča na vrvici 4b 17m
Vrtnar 4a 17m
Plevica 4b 17m
Zlati časi 4c 17m
Sector E
Mira ur 4a 10m
Oj ježek moj 6a+ 10m
COOH2 6a+ 10m
Čebelica 5a 11m
Mary Pompins 6a+ 10m
Cvrček (chimney) 4b 10m
Cvrček (in the slab) 5c 10m
Žužek 6a 10m
Zavajon 6b 10m
Bojler 6c 10m
Sector F
Jutri je nov dan 6a+ 23m
Najboljši sosed 5a 23m
Komu zvoni 5c 22m
Stekleni zvon 6a+ 23m
Uranoja 5c 24m
Še pomnite, tovariši 6b+ 25m
Adijo pamet 6b+ 25m
Fračji dol 5b 14m
Mali pišček 4c 14m
Exitus in tabula 5c 15m
Ovarij 4a 15m
Smegma 5b 15m
Globus 5a 15m
Casus Purus Putus 6a 16m
Mea Culpa 5a 16m
Sector G – Peskovnik
Frtala 7a 15m
Labodji spev 5b 18m
Tudi angeli jočejo 5b 18m
Flancat 6a+ 19m
Krofek 6b+ 19m
Grdi raček 6c+ 19m
Čarovnija 7c 19m
Lolek 6a+ 20m
Regrat z jajci 6a 20m
Primorski sneg (without the crack) 6c+ 20m
Bolek 7a 20m
Ramayana 6a+ 23m
Zrcalce 6b 22m
Sidarta 6a 25m
Miška 5c 25m
Matako Koyama 5c 22m
Stlačenka 6b+ 22m
Vikova 6c+ 22m
Petek 19. 6b+ 25m
P. drekač 6c 25m
Modri dirkač 6c 25m
Hipotenuza 6b+ 26m
Var. Hipotenuze 6b 26m
Štrigon 7a 26m
Mau Ce Mem Kresnu 7a+ 26m
V novo tisočletje 6c 28m
Guliver 6c 27m
Fenix 6c+ 29m
Pride in mine 6c+ 31m
Roja 6a+ 30m
Prišel, videl, omagal 6b 33m
Skin deep 7b 33m
Dolce far niente 7a 35m
Stokalnik 7a+ 35m
Miš maš 7a 35m
Šiš miš 7b+ 33m
Vzemi ali pusti 7a+ 31m
Lom valov 6c+ 30m
Mačje pokopališče 6c+ 29m
Alkimist 7a+ 29m
Stonoga 7b 30m
Božji veter 7b 32m
Airbag 7a+ 34m
Aligator 7b 33m
Pavijan 7a+ 33m
Thorn birds 6c 30m
Vrtinec rož 6c 30m
Peskovnik 6a+ 28m
Migula 6c+ 30m
Polarni sij 6c 30m
Franci na balanci 6a 30m
Oskubljena kura 6c+ 28m
Vetrnica 6b+ 25m
Pazi, vlak! 6b 25m
Kripl klub 5c 17m
Kr neki 6a 17m
Pasulj 5a 17m
Cvetje v jeseni 6a 17m
Nergomanija 6c 17m
Superspinatus 6c+ 17m
Sivi Panterji 6b 17m
Terapija 6c+ 17m
Lejina 6a+ 17m
Viagrakiller 6c 15m
Roman the best 6c+ 18m
Stranski tir 6c 17m
Epikondinitis 6b+ 17m
J.S. Sadilec rož 6b 17m
Jutri bo bolje 6b 13m
Zemljotres 7a 13m
Princ čistosti 6c 10m
Škratek 5c 10m