Lijak
Natural park Lijak with its tall wall is another crag, that nicely defies winter and strong winds and is worth visiting for the splendid view alone. In the last years the lower sector filled up nicely, but the best routes (even considering the wider region) await in the upper sector. A mix of technical climbing with tufas and overhangs for sure redeems itself for a bit longer approach. It’s only negative is, you run out of routes too soon. Surely, for a nice winter day or two Lijak will be a perfect choice to discover something new.
ACCESS
Try to get to Loke, a village in direct vicinity of Nova Gorica and aim for a small parking beside the church of St. Magdalena. From here are three ways to sector A: two split to the left on a nice forrest trail at first houses, while third follows the road through the village. From here you can continue on the forrest trail, to the right split towards taking off point for paragliders and the crag. Once you reach an information panel, go right again on a trail through the woods, across the scree slope and downhill on a steep terrain, which will bring you to the sector B. From here there is only a short walk to sector C.
PARKING GPS
N 45°96’01.38”, E 13°70’63.90”
WEATHER
The wall faces south, so this is a winter crag (on a nice day) with extended season into spring and autumn. Summer is too hot due to sunny exposition. Trees in sector B provide some shade, as well as late afternoon in sectors B and C. Although the main wall provides some shelter from the rain, you can’t really climb. The wall gets wet fast, but also dries quickly.
GEAR
Sectors A and B are nicely and freshly bolted and sector C in usually like that as well, although there can be some confusing bolts and not everything (including the access for the upper routes) is in top notch condition. The rock in mostly solid. To lower off from the long routes you’ll need at least a 60-meter rope.
ROUTES
Sector A also called Loke is the easiest to approach and perfectly decent for one climbing day or for warming up for upper walls. Here you will mostly have to be precise and technical with an occasional crux. NOTE! In the hole between routes 3 and 4 an owl sometimes nests. If you spot it, please leave a note that the routes are closed.
Sector B represents the main wall, which has some impressive 8s and a bunch of great, a bit technical routes on the right. The second specialty here are the long and multipitch routes, for which you have to get to the upper balcony first. Better than using the old ferratta on the right, is to reach them via Africana route.
Sector C is a couple of minutes of walking on a slope to the right from sector B (don’t go too high). It offers vertical slabs with sharp holds and sometimes long moves, but mostly nice and enjoyable routes for beginners.
NOTES
The area of the Karst spring is a protected natural monument. Due to protection of nature, two lower lying sectors were closed in the past. You are expected to behave in your utmost exemplary manner!
ROUTES (from left to right):
| Sector A | |||
| Nanjo Navali | 6b | 18 m | |
| Petardo Mauriti | 6b+ | 18 m | |
| Gocce di splendore | 6a | 18 m | |
| Strasturi | 6a+ | 18 m | |
| Sbirri & Compari | 6c | 23 m | |
| La tana del bianconiglio | 6b | 20 m | |
| Signorina anarchia | 7a+ | 25 m | |
| Surrealistic pillow | 7b | 25 m | |
| P | ? | 25 m | |
| Wild West (Grey) | 7c+ | 23 m | |
| Obuti maček | 7a+ | 25 m | |
| Kralj Matjaž | 6b | 18 m | |
| Krščen Matiček | 6a | 18 m | |
| Voodoo | 8a | 15 m | |
| Vipera | 5b | 15 m | |
| Sector B | |||
| Pepijev raz | 6a+ | 20 m | |
| Očo Pepi | 6a+ | 20 m | |
| Očo Pepi extension | 6b | 26 m | |
| Zlomljena krila | 6b+ | 17 m | |
| Zlomljena krila extension | 7b | 23 m | |
| Fotokopija | 6c+ | 18 m | |
| Venezia | 8a | 24 m | |
| Bondola | 8a | 26 m | |
| James Bond | 8b | 26 m | |
| P | ? | 26 m | |
| Puščavski pesek | 8c | 26 m | |
| Lastovičji rep (same start as Puščavski pesek, then right) | 8a+/b | 14 m | |
| Hitri test | 8a | 14 m | |
| Fly machine | 7c+ | 13 m | |
| Božji dar (Fly machine extension) | 8a | 24 m | |
| Dar bogov | 7b, 6a+, 5c | 60 m | |
| Chicago | 7b+ | 18 m | |
| Iluzije | 7c | 18 m | |
| Voices of freedom | 7b | 18 m | |
| Africana | 6c | 20 m | |
| Pierrot | 6c+ | 15 m | |
| Fatamorgana | 7a | 15 m | |
| Terra Nullis | 7a, 7a | 65 m | |
| Terra Nullis direkt | 7a, 7a+ | 65 m | |
| P | ? | 60 m | |
| P | ? | 60 m | |
| Kanja | 5c, 5c, 6a | 65 m | |
| Antagonist | 6a+, 6b+, 6b+ | 60 m | |
| Sector C | |||
| Josephina | 5b | 18 m | |
| Lambada | 6a | 18 m | |
| Minta | 6b+ | 23 m | |
| Minotavra | 7a+ | 19 m | |
| Mungos | 6a+ | 20 m | |
| Šark | 6a+ | 22 m |
