Climbing Grintovec

I've climbed Grintovec many times, but never in wintertime. With the weather being so warm, sunny and stable, it was only logical to head to the mountains. It had snowed a couple of weeks ago, but most of the snow melted, leaving only patches above 1600 meters above sea level. Crampons weren't necessary, although I did put them in my backpack.

It didn't take long to persuade my brother Peter to come along. We started walking well before dawn and despite the dark we opted to turn our headlamps off. The trail was barely visible, but that didn't bother us. Soon, the purple dawn appeared above Velika planina.

Soon the rock faces above us glowed yellow and orange as the sun appeared from above the horizon.

The valley was full of yellow fog.

It had been quite warm up until then, but as soon as we reached the Kokra Saddle, the wind from the southwest almost blew us over. We hastily put on jackets, caps and gloves before continuing.

Now there was more and more snow along the trail. The early morning light was as spectacular as always. Some people were already returning from the top!

Looking towards the southwest we saw the fog in the valley.

The last stretch below the summit - yikes, it drags on forever! The wind didn't help either; it was so strong it was hard to walk in a straight line.

Finally at the top! We didn't stay here long because of the wind, we just quickly took in the views, snapped a few photos and headed back down.

The panorama was to die for.

Other climbers were struggling against the wind, too. Do you see the snow particles flying around in the air?

Going down was a breeze. We just slid down the slope, Peter even managed to fall once. :)

Further down, where the wind subsided a little, I was finally able to change lenses and put a telephoto on to take closer shots of the surrounding mountains. Štruca and Skuta.

Velika planina and the fog rolling in in the background.

Ojstrica, Planjava and Brana.

A scree slope.

Somebody was bored. :)

Grintovec in all its glory.

It was still windy at the Kokra Saddle.

The view towards the Kamniška Bistrica valley, which was filled with a mixture of smog and fog, was magnificent

We saw a girl in only a T-shirt! I would have frozen to death.

What can I say? It was such a beautiful day that staying home would have been a major sin for me. The sun, the exhilaration, the views, it's what makes me want to climb mountains again and again.

More photos here.