Jamnica, Petzen at Triglav (1.8.-10.8.)

Prior to an update on our bus: Apparently, the defective part cannot be easily replaced. The repair is taking longer than expected, so we have to plan the rest of our time off without the Bike Bear. But we won't let that get us down, we'll adjust our plans.

When the farm becomes a bike park

We drive from Zurich to Slovenia by car from Jonas' parents place. Specifically to Jamnica, which is right on the Austrian border. There's not much interesting there, except for a farmer who has built an eco-bike park in the area. We stay overnight on his farm, our bikes are stored in the former pigsty.

After breakfast on the first day, Dixie, the owner of the farm, invites us to a meeting. He explains the bike park to us and suggests routes for us to try to warm up. Dixie's entrepreneurship impresses us a lot. He has created an oasis on the farm, where you can not only go biking but also relax excellently.

He and his son built most of the trails in the bike park. All the trails were created by hand, without damaging the roots of the trees. In addition to downhill single trails of all levels of difficulty, there is also a fun uphill trail. There's no lift. In June, Dixie also hosted the Enduro World Series (EWS) and specially created new trails for the race.

Bike Park Petzen

The Austrian Bike Park Petzen is only a thirty-minute drive from Jamnica. After breakfast, we set off and realize about 10 meters before the border that we don't have our passports with us. Normally, no one checks the border crossing here, but we are promptly stopped and asked for identification. So we turn around again, get the passports in Jamnica, and make a second attempt to cross the border. The same border guard is present, but he doesn't seem to care about the passports we hand to him and waves us through.

In Petzen, we start with an 11.5 km long flow trail, which Dixie says is the longest in Europe. A flow trail is a track that can be ridden smoothly and smoothly with a relatively constant high speed. Obstacles such as roots and larger stones are removed for a smooth ride. The design with banked curves and waves creates a roller coaster feeling, some people enjoy it more and some less. While Jonas rushes ahead and his happiness is evident, Janine starts feeling sick from the third kilometer and has to take breaks repeatedly to cope with dizziness and nausea.

In addition to the flow trail, the bike park offers two more downhill tracks. Both are black (highest difficulty level) enduro trails, natural tracks with many roots, stones, and other challenges. Especially Jonas masters these descents very well!

Through the mountain

Near Jamnica, there is an old mountain mine. Lead and copper were mined there in the last century. Today, a tourism company offers guided tours by bike, kayak, or on foot.

The bike tour takes us right through the mountain. At the lowest point, we are 500 m below the surface. It's pitch dark and 10°C cool.

The guide stops from time to time and tells us about the work in the mine, shows us ores and minerals.

Triglav

At 2864 meters, Triglav is Slovenia's highest mountain and its greatest pride. It is said that you are only considered a true Slovene once you have climbed Triglav.

We start our hike on a foggy day in the village of Mojstrana. The actual starting point of the hike is another 8 km and some altitude meters away, but there is no bus going there, so we have to walk. After two hours mostly on asphalt roads, we reach a parking lot. From here, we walk through a overgrown forest, going uphill right from the start. Over time, the forest becomes less dense and there are only sporadic trees. The surroundings become more rocky and the view extends over the entire Krma Valley. Then follows a very steep passage in a rock wall, which we overcome by climbing. Arriving at an altitude of about 2000 meters, we first make ourselves a coffee before looking for a bivouac spot and setting up our camp for the night. By now, the fog is so dense that it doesn't make sense to continue climbing.

The next morning, the sky is clear, and the morning sun shines on us and the surrounding cliffs with warm, beautiful colors. We are ready to march at 7 a.m. and follow the steep but well-trodden path to the Planika Hut at about 2400 meters. From here, the path to the summit is more demanding, but Triglav has been made accessible with wire ropes and climbing aids, so no climbing experience is necessary. We scramble up the last 400 vertical meters and follow the beautiful ridge to the highest point of Triglav.

The descent back to the valley is long and tiring. We arrive at the parking lot at 3 p.m. Fortunately, a friendly priest gives us a ride and takes us to our accommodation in his car, so we can save the extra kilometers along the asphalt road.