Climbing Mt. Triglav, the symbol of Slovenia

About Triglav

Triglav was first conquered in 1778 when four brave men reached its summit. At the time, it was an extremely difficult climb, especially where the knife sharp ridge connected Little Triglav with the main summit. It was so narrow, they had to sit on it as if riding a horse in order to cross it!

Later, when mountaineering became more popular, the ridge was artificially widened, the route was protected with cables, and Triglav became more accessible to regular people who wished to enjoy its view. And what a view it is - in nice weather you can see all the way from Austria’s highest mountains in the North, to the Adriatic sea in the South, the Italian Dolomites in the West and the endless hills and valleys of Eastern Slovenia.

In 1895, a local priest and Slovenian patriot Jakob Aljaž bought the land on Triglav’s peak and built a small metal shelter there. It is called the Aljaž Tower - it was constructed by five men who brought the parts of the tower to the summit and assembled it in five hours on an August day in 1895. The grand opening took place that same day, with Aljaž officially donating the shelter to the Slovene Alpine Society.

When to go?

The best season for climbing Triglav is late summer when the snow is gone and afternoon heat storms are not as frequent as earlier in the summer. The best months are August and September, although the mountain can get pretty crowded, especially during the weekends - many Slovenians visit Triglav each year. Therefore early booking of accommodation in the huts is highly advisable.

Winter ascents are rare, because the last part of the climb is very steep and the cables and in-situ protection are covered with snow, making it a climb only reserved for very experienced mountain climbers. The ascent to the Kredarica hut is relatively easy in winter and very popular, mostly with tour skiers. It is also possible to ski down from the summit of Triglav, which is one of the hardest extreme ski routes in Slovenia and only done every few years, in optimal conditions.

The best routes to climb Triglav

Each year, more than 80,000 people climb Mount Triglav. There are plenty of marked routes leading to the summit of Triglav. The quickest and most popular is the one from the Krma Valley, passing the Kredarica or Planika hut. The first part is relatively easy, while the summit push is demanding and steep no matter what route you take. More confident climbers can clip their via ferrata set on the cables that are set up on the narrow ridge, while less experienced hikers would benefit greatly from having a guide navigate them through this part of the climb.