micro adventure - ultra trail vipava valley (UTVV)

It’s taken more than a week to muster the energy to write this blog post. You see earlier this month I ran a 53km mountain marathon while Ali and her niece Rachel tackled the equally challenging 32km trail race, and this was off the back of 36hrs of international travel having just returned from a visit to Australia two days earlier. What on earth were we thinking?

When we signed up for the Ultra Trail Vipava Valley (UTVV) earlier this year it seemed like a great idea, combining one of our favorite pastimes, mountain running with beautiful scenery and the opportunity to explore a new part of Slovenia we hadn’t previously visited. Renowned for its wineries and stone fruit including cherries, apricots and peaches, Vipava Valley nestles near the Italian border in the south-west of the country. The valley’s mild climate combined with its proximity to the sea make it perfect for winemaking and in 2018 Lonely Planet named the Vipava Valley one of its top 10 places to visit in Europe.

So all that sounds pretty enticing right….. except that after we entered, I realized much to my dismay that the race fell just two weeks after my Fathers 80th Birthday, another event we were firmly committed to attending... and so we decided to just accept our lot and embrace the suck.

Still suffering from jet lag we decided to head down to Vipava on Friday afternoon to pick up our race pack and familiarize ourselves with the area as it was an early start the following morning and we would be driving down from Ljubljana. After picking up our numbers and taking some time to wander around the race expo, it was back to Ljubljana for an early dinner and then to bed.

Saturday dawned early with a 4.30am start and we were quickly loaded up and on the road. Shortly after arriving I was boarding a bus to Vipavski Kriz, which was the starting point for the 50km. The girls meanwhile had several hours to burn as the 30km race didn’t start until 10am so they headed back to the truck to grab some breakfast and relax.

Arriving in Vipavski Kriz, a small village perched on a hill that apparently dates back to pre-Roman times I made a mental note that this was definitely a place I would like to come back to and explore. However, on this day my primary objective was to simply stay warm until my race so I huddled inside a small café just a few meters from the starting line and awaited my fate.

At 8am the starter fired his gun and several hundred runners, myself included set off through the narrow cobbled streets of the village before entering a small trail which descended the hillside to the farmland below. We were briefly reduced to a walk as several hundred people were funneled into this narrow section, however once we emerged at the bottom of the hill the route opened up and runners found there natural speeds and settled in for the long day ahead.

I won’t attempt to give a long blow by blow account of the day as it unfolded but instead I will share some of the highlights (and lowlights) that followed. Firstly, the scenery did not disappoint… the Vipava Valley is in a word spectacular and the area is a must see for anyone visiting Slovenia. Over the next 20 odd kilometers I ran through quaint villages and rolling hills covered with fruit trees and grape vines taking in some spectacular vistas. Unfortunately, vistas tend to involve climbing and this course had plenty of that, in fact we had accumulated more than 1000m of ascent before starting the long (10km) climb up Mount Nanos by which time the reality of what I had signed up for was starting to sink in.

At this point I’m afraid my pitch for tourism Vipava comes to an end as the natural beauty of the area was being overshadowed by the overwhelming reality of what I’d gotten myself into. The climb up Nanos felt like a death march as it followed a series of steep trails in and out of the forest before finally emerging on to a long exposed ridge line which led up to the summit. There is no denying the views at this point were breathtaking, however I was too tired to enjoy the scenery and found myself focused on putting one foot in front of the other as I willed my way to the top.

As I left the top of Nanos and commenced my descent with approximately 14km to go, I felt elated to be running on a logging road and making good time for the first time in hours. This feeling however was short lived and it wasn’t long before I was back on rocky technical terrain and my forward progress returned to a crawl. Ticking over the 50km mark, I think it’s fair to say the final 3km of this course were some of the most soul-destroying kilometers of the day. The terrain continued to be incredibly technical making it very difficult to find a rhythm and the constant pounding from the descent had left my legs in tatters.

Leaving the trail and making the final steep descent into Vipava on the road I crossed the finish line thoroughly exhausted in a time of 7hrs 55mins. I found the girls perched on the steps in the town square, Ali had finished her 32km race just a few minutes before me (in 5hrs 54min) while Rachel had arrived about 15mins earlier (in 5hrs 41min). Both had experienced a tough day out but had come through with flying colors, however we were all reserving our opinions on the race for the time being as the experience was still a little raw at this early stage.

Rachel, who was moving much better than any of us at this point, kindly offered to go and buy a round of beers which went down a treat. Then we hobbled off to the truck opting to head back to Ljubljana in order to grab a shower before going out for a celebratory dinner.

All in all, despite less than perfect preparation I think our UTVV adventure was a success and after a good dinner and a few drinks later that evening there was even some discussion about returning for the 2020 edition. Regardless I am certain Ali and I will be heading back to Vipava this Summer but this time I suspect our visit will be more focused on wine tasting and sampling some of the areas culinary treats.

a change of seasons

Alright…. I have a confession to make, the weather isn’t always perfect in Bohinj. In fact, the past week has been a mixture of rain and fog as Winter wages one final assault on Spring, which has visibly arrived here in the valley in recent weeks.

In some ways the bad weather is a blessing in disguise as it provides us with a legitimate excuse to stay indoors and catch up on work and other chores we have been neglecting. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve blown off work of late after seeing clear skies and near perfect snow conditions on the webcam at our local ski mountain (Vogel). For some reason the promise of sunshine and freshly groomed snow always trumps sitting at my desk but the patter of rain on the attic roof over the past week has made this unsavory activity an easier pill to swallow.

That said... by Sunday with our to-do lists well and truly under control, we were ready to head back outdoors, and didn't intend to let a little bit of bad weather stand in our way. With the rain easing around 10am we set off for Vogar and decided to reassess our route options after the first 500m of ascent was out of the way. Arriving at the lookout, we found ourselves blanketed in heavy fog, a stark contrast from the sweeping views we normally enjoy. Despite the limited visibility the dry weather appeared to be holding so we pressed on opting to follow a logging road we hadn’t previously explored, which ran parallel above the hiking trail to Prsivec.

As we continued our climb into the dense fog it wasn’t long before the grass was replaced by fresh snow and temperatures began to plummet. We eventually rejoined the trail to Prsivec and decided to push on a further 500m to a lookout high above the lake. While our efforts were rewarded with a dramatic view of the lake shrouded in fog, we were both starting to feel the cold, so we took a few pictures and quickly set off back the way we had come.

Dropping down out of the snowline the temperatures began to climb and with the greenery returning our frozen digits were finally starting to thaw. Approaching Vogar we opted to descend using the access road that winds down into the valley via 6kms of switchbacks. Arriving back in the village it was as if we had returned from another planet. The battle lines are drawn.... Winter continues to hold the high ground, Spring has firmly entrenched itself in the valley and Summer is on its way. Bring on the Summer!!

Micro-adventure - Climbing Mt. Rodica

With my favorite hiking partner back in town after her recent trip to Scotland and the weather gods gifting us a perfect Spring day we decided to set off into the mountains with the goal being Mount Rodica.

Leaving the house just after 7am we walked down to the bridge and crossed into Ribcev Laz where Lake Bohinj looked like a postcard so we paused for a quick picture and Ali seized the opportunity to add a layer to fend off the morning chill.

As we made our way up the other side of the valley the extra layers came off quickly and after 2hrs of steady hiking we were above the snow line, finally emerging into Suha meadow, which was bathed in morning sunshine. We took a short break to sun ourselves, fit crampons and take on some water and snacks then it was time to tackle the steep snow slope out of the meadow to the ridgeline above.

It was hard going in places with deep snow but after a steady push we were on the ridge enjoying 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and the valleys below. From there we made our way along the top eventually arriving at the foot of the southern approach to Rodica. As we ascended the summit ridge we watched on as a group of skiers tackled the steep face, descending gracefully into the valley below.

After 5hrs of steady effort we were finally standing on top of Rodica and took a moment to enjoy the vista and take a few pictures before descending the opposite ridge into the steep gully below. Arriving back in Suha meadow we stopped briefly to chat with some locals who were sunning themselves and enjoying a leisurely lunch. After accepting a quick shot of schnapps to warm the cockles (and numb the legs which were feeling pretty weary by this stage) we continued on down into the valley finally arriving back at Ribcev Laz around 3.30pm, more than 8hrs after our original departure.

Once back in civilization Ali had a craving for ice cream but after seeing the queue stretched around the corner we settled for a cold beer back at the house. What an epic day.... after living in Dubai for the past few years, having the mountains on our doorstep is incredible and reminds us both why we chose to move here! For some reason a beer always tastes better after a strenuous day on your feet.