New routes in Istria

Sunset in Costiera @ photo by Matej Colja

Not many extreme hard routes were climbed lately as it has been raining for weeks and tufas just don’t stop to pour.

So, it’s time to get you updated with many new routes and latest information about climbing areas in Istria.

In Medveja, in sector Veli Jože Gianfranco Dušič freed the project on the far left, now with the name Small crew and a proposed grade of 7c.

In Osp, in sector above the village called Banje, Mitja Peternelj and friends established a couple of new routes. There is a new direct version of Karies. After the first »slabby« half of the route and a good rest on tufas you continue direct in to overhang to finish in a slab of a new route named Vinko Coce with the grade of 8a+. Then there is a new route in between The long run (7a) and Paris Dakar (7b+) with the name Triceratops and a proposed grade of 7c. In between the classic slab Banje (7b) and rarely repeated Gad (8a) there is a hard project that still waits for its first ascent.

Osp locals informed us that “Euarasian eagle-owl” returned after 20 years to the right part of the big wall in Osp, so all the routes right of Medo are now temporary closed. Climbers, please obey the restrictions and choose some of the other nice multi-pitch routes in the central and left part of Osp big wall.

Climbing area Istarske toplice got new signs on the parking place by project LIKE on which is explained that all the sectors except Hallelujah caves and Frat are permanently closed due to some special plants living there. Because they cave closed those beautiful sectors, they have opened a new one with 20 fresh new routes in Buzetski kanjon, just opposite of sector Befana. The sector now has a name LIKE and information about the routes (names, grades) will come to our site really soon, so stay tuned!

P.S. The weekend should be nice, so see you at the crag!