Samo Golob climbs his hardest, Konec Mira (8c/c+)

The weather in May was far from great, with frequent rain unusual for this time of year. For instance, almost all the tufas in Istria are wet at the moment and there’s now a lake beneath the cave of Osp. However, high motivation can overcome any climbing conditions. This was proven by young Samo Golob, who reached his personal best by climbing Konec Mira (8c/c+) in the right part of Mišja peč.

Konec Mira (8c/c+) was first ascended more than 20 years ago by his father, Jure Golob. Jure later added a harder start to the route, establishing Slovenia’s first 9a, “the monster traverse” called Martin Krpan (9a). Samo climbed Konec Mira (8c/c+) in the same style as his father, the first ascensionist: no kneepads and no rests on other routes. His father Jure commented on his ascent: “The kid has extreme endurance at the moment; he did the route in the original way and it looked like he didn’t even get pumped.” Maybe it’s time for Golob junior to try Martin Krpan (9a)?

Before the big cave of Osp got flooded, local climber from Trieste, Andrea Pustetto, redpointed the steep Working class hero (8b+), while another Italian, Simone Constantini, climbed the soft but fun Helihopter v omaki (8b).

In the Croatian part of Istria, in the super steep Krkuž, Gabriele Gorobey – Sbisi likely made the first repeat of Klemen Bečan’s overhanging testpiece named Žila (8b+).

On the eastern coast of Istria, in the beautiful Brseč, Ivana Staraj did the first ascent of the extremely long Bodhi Extension (7c), an old project from Boris Čujić, unfortunately with one artificial hold.

In Pazinska jama, Goran Matika cleaned and climbed an old project in the sector Spod Pajce, now named Karbofix with a proposed grade of 7b. The new route is about 20 meters long, a bit cruxy, and a steep delicacy.

And now some bad news! There have been reports of break-ins into cars and vans in the top parking lot of Črni kal. The thieves seem professional as they take only money and lock the doors afterward. To avoid this situation, always take your wallet with you to the crag!

Today and tomorrow, a little rain is forecasted, but from Wednesday onward, real summer should start: no more rain and higher temperatures. It may be time to visit some cool and shady climbing areas like Baratro, Skedenj, Nugla, Pazinska jama, and others.

Enjoy climbing and have fun!