Welcome visitors of the site www.primorskestene.com
My website is primarily meant for climbers and people who love nature, so they can explore the Slovenian mountains and hidden trails. At the same time the portal can be used as a help guide in case of alpine accidents, so the rescue parties can be more efficient in their search.
At the beginning of my climbing path I noticed the lack of guide literature available. In those times it was practically impossible to get climbing guides for the eastern part of Julijske Alpe. Then followed the years when climbers conquered many new routes in before uncharted territory. The achievements were mainly documented in newspapers Alpinistične novice, Planinski Vestnik and later in Alpinistični Razgledi. But the news lacked a proper format up until the modest climbing guides that were put together by the active climbers of that era. The publications issued in the spirit of pioneering were sometimes not completely accurate, but they provided a great sense of guidance to climbers. In the last years a great deal of information about rock climbing can be found in the information guide of the Commission for alpine climbing at PZS Slovene climbing. Every now and then we can also discover guides written by climbing enthusiasts that are filled with personal experience. A great deal of useful information about climbing routes can also be found on Internet sites, but they at the same time function as a crouch, because they do not motivate young climbers to search for their own paths.
In my opinion only the information that gives data about all climbing routes is efficient. Photographs with correctly drawn routes, descriptions and sketches provide a guarantee, that more climbers will be able to enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Those with a keen eye for novelties will of course find much more. Since this is our alpine legacy, it is our duty to maintain it and pass it on to younger generations. Some have tried to establish similar projects, but the process usually stopped in the phase of gathering information. A year ago I decided to apply my years of experience and gather all information about mountains in the coastal region. It took me thirty years to gather all the data, but I have never found a suitable format to publish it. I have received a lot of help from my co-climbers and published literature. Because the project is time consuming I dedicated to gradually update all the information about the walls. The portal is meant to be interactive, meaning the users can post comments, photos and other useful information that give a clearer description about routes. There is also a possibility that the information and data provided on the site will eventually be transferred into a publication.
If I put it simply, it is time to reap what we saw. On the third day of the project one of the climbers asked me: “What will we profit from all this work?” I answered: “Nothing.” And that was the end of our collaboration. Personally I believe, that all those who measure wealth by the thickness of their wallet are always poor. Let the fire that was just lit in you, keep you warm and be careful not to let it die. Is has been keeping me warm for years and I am happy because it is still burning strongly. Let us do this together for those with whom we once shared this fire.
Peter Podgornik