The course around Storžič and on the Slovenian side of  the Karawanken- mountains.

Since 1991, Slowenia has been an independent European country – between Italy, Austria, Croatia, and the Adriatic sea. The surface of Slovenia is only 20.251 km² and thus, it is smaller than all its neighbours. It has about 2 millions of inhabitants. The capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana, with 270.000 inhabitants. Slovenia is an interesting country – it has beside the Alps also the beautiful seaside, Karst formations with serveral grottos, the hilly Doelnjska and Štajerska, and the flat land of Prekmurje.

We will be happy if the course could incite you to visit our small country, therefore, we would like to invite you to participate in the Slovenian Alpine-Ultramarathon which follows the path from Preddvor, around the Storžič and on the slopes of the Karawanken-mountains, which is the longest Slovenian mountain range.

The course:

The course starts in Preddvor (475m), which is situated at the foot of the Storžič. It is famous for its artificial lake Črnava and the castle Hrib, which once defended the entrance to the Kokra Valley.

The asphalt road leads through the villages at the foot of the Storžič: Mače, Bašelj, Trstenik, Goriče, Golnik, Senično, Križe and Pristava to the small town of Tržič (512 m), situated on the spot where the Kamnik-Savinja Alps end and the range of the Karawanken mountains appear in the backround. In the old part of the town there is a church of Annunciation.For centuries the town has been the home of  shoemaking. Each first Sunday in September a »Shoemaking Sunday« is organised to show the people the trades.  

From Tržič the course follows on the marked mountain path on the slope of the Karawanken mountains. They are the longest Slovenian moutain chain. On the top of  the Karawanken mountains there is the border between Austria and Slovenia. The highest peak is the Stol, 2236m. Our way leads on the mountaineous region of Košuta. Košuta is the biggest mountaineous region of Karavanke – within the 10 km long Alpine chain there are 10 peaks, all over 2000 m. On the Austrian side there is a steep rock wall, on the Slovenian side there are steep meadows, which end in the beautiful  Alpine pastures at about 1500 m. The course leads on the Alpine pastures Planina Ilovica, Pungart, Tegoška Planina, Spodnja and Zgornja dolga Njiva and descends by crossing Virnikov Grintovec, 1650 m, to Jezersko. The name of Jezersko has been in use since the end of the 19^th Century. It is the name for the deep valley made by the glaciar. Jezersko is mostly covered by glaciar moraines.

In Zgornje Jezersko (880 – 1218 m), where our course ends, there is a Herdsmen's Lake, which was created artificially after the Second World War by building the dam along the brook Jezernica. Jezersko is famous for its breeding of sheep (Jerzersko-Solčavska race) and forestry. Because of its climate, between 1953 and 1981 there was a health resort for treatment of eye-tuberculosis. Nowadays, Jezersko is an important starting point for the Alpine tours to the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. The last part of the course – from Jezersko to the Lake of Jezersko runs again on an asphalt road.

Last updated: avgust 29, 2008