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Montaz / Špik nad Policami via ferrata, Julian Alps

Montaz
Montaz
Montaz
Montaz
Montaz

Blaz, an IFMGA mountain guide, takes you on a 1-day via ferrata climb on an impressive peak of the Julian Alps: Montaz (also known as Špik nad Policami).

Not specified

Julian Alps

1 Day

Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct

Occasional

Beginner


Description

Montaz (2754 m) is the second highest peak of the Julian Alps after Mt Triglav. Would you like to come for a challenging via ferrata climb?

You can also find this peak with other names, like Špik nad Policami (in Slovenian) or Jof di Montasio (in Italian).

This impressive mountain is certainly one of the most beautiful of this mountain range. It's especially interesting due to its location, long ridge traverse and its 80 m iron ladder on the rock wall.

Known as 'Pipan's ladder', this via ferrata route is almost completely vertical. You may feel a rush of adrenaline as you climb this route, but don't worry: we'll be using a rope and all the required via ferrata equipment.

The whole round trip will take us between 6 to 10 hours, with a total 1300 m altitude gain.

Please, contact me if you'd like to come with me on this exciting via ferrata climb in Montaz. I'll be happy to be your guide in this breathtaking peak.

Looking for other via ferrata trips in the Julian Alps? You can also check this via ferrata in Mount Mangart or climb via ferrata Silva-Korena to the top of Mount Krn.

Price includes

- Guiding fee

- Transport during the trip


About the guide

I’m an IFMGA Mountain Guide and an Alpine Instructor from Slovenia.

At the back of the house where I grew up, past a slope, a higher hill and some rocks, you could see Mount Triglav rising towards the blue sky.

Mountains were a part of my backyard and I started practicing alpinism when I was a schoolboy. At that time, I enrolled for a sport climbing school and I became an alpine instructor in 1995.

Between 1995 and 1997, I’ve been a member of the Sub-commission on Extreme Alpinism for the Slovene Alpine Society. Some years later, I was Chief of the Commission for Alpinism.

As a member of the alpine team, I went on several expeditions in North and South America, the Himalaya, the Tian Shan and the Kookshall-Too mountain range.

I climbed more than 700 routes in Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and France. Long winter climbs and ridges are always among my favorites.

I made some first winter ascents: on two routes on the north wall of Ribezni, Možnica (700m, V+, 5, UIAA VI/A1) and in Jof di Montasio / Poliški Špik, Grapa (700m, UIAA 4, ascent and complete ridge traverse). Other memorable climbs were a winter traverse of 4000 m peaks in Mont Blanc (4807 m) and the Slovenian Peuterey ridge traverse, among many others.

After 6 years of training, I obtained my IFMGA certification in 2010.

I organize many guided ski touring, rock climbing and ice climbing trips in Slovenia, especially in the surroundings of Mt. Triglav and the whole Soča valley.

Languages

Slovenian | Italian | German | English

Residence

Ljubljana


What people are saying about Blaz Stres

Roel Van den Berkmortel

5.00

August, 2022

Mala Mojstrovka is a very nice via ferrata with a steep climb and very nice views and our guide Blaz was top!

Lauren Sprague

5.00

August, 2022

Blaz went above and beyond to make sure I had an amazing experience while climbing. Would highly recommend for anyone considering, it is worth it!

Nina Voulis

5.00

July, 2022

We did the Mangart, Slovenian route up and Italian route down. Blaz was an excellent guide, paying utmost attention to our safety. That's also why we started at 5 am, to avoid danger of potential thunderstorms in the afternoon. Blaz was very knowledgeable about the region and its turbulent history. We enjoyed our day with Blaz very much! Felt very very safe, learned a lot and would very happily recommend Blaz to anyone!

Mari Rantala

5.00

July, 2022

The experience was absolutely amazing. It was the highlight of trip to Slovenia. The views were incredible and Blaz was a great guide. This was my first time doing a via ferrata climb, and even though I was a bit nervous at first I never felt scared once we started the climb. Everything was super safe and we were able to move at our own pace. Blaz told us a lot about the mountains and the history around them and took great photos of us during the climb. 10/10 experience :)

Gergely Bodrog

5.00

July, 2022

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Duncan Dean

5.00

June, 2022

It was a pleasure to spend the day out with Blaz. My 14-year-old son and I did a 1 day Via Ferrata trip with him and his knowledge and competence made it a thoroughly enjoyable and safe adventure. I would definitely recommend this trip and Blaz as a guide.

Jeremy Getson

5.00

June, 2022

Great trip with Blaz!

Tobias Rode

5.00

September, 2021

We didn’t do the Mangart via ferrata as we were never looking into this. We wanted to do a beginner’s class, and friends of ours recommended Blaz. This turned out to be a really good recommendation and spent a fabulous day with Blaz! Already recommended him further to other people we met on a campsite during our vacation! 🙌🏼

Dylan Langford

5.00

September, 2021

Great trip. Felt super safe with Blaz and had a very enjoyable day out in the mountains.

Sigurd Flagan

5.00

September, 2021

Blaz was an amazing guide! He is very knowledgeable and passionate about mountaineering. During the climb he was calm and patience. He takes security very seriously and offered advice on how to cross the more technical sections. You certainly know you are in safe hands. Blaz also has a witty sense of humour and he is passionate about local history, making for great conversations both up and down the mountain. The climb up Mangart with Blaz is the highlight of my trip to Slovenia, and I cannot recommend a trip with him highly enough.

Morgan Hallow

5.00

August, 2021

Blaz was an absolutely amazing guide. I cannot overstate how memorable he made the trip and how kind he was to me and my friends. Whether he was soothing our nerves during a particularly steep part of the climb or telling us vibrant stories about Slovenian history, Blaz exceeded all of our expectations tenfold. I highly recommend Blaz’s trip up Triglav and I hope to return sometime soon and do another adventure with him !

Kanika Puri

5.00

July, 2021

Blaz is a great guide, offering interesting tidbits of information about the hike and points of interest along the way. Though we couldn’t hike Mangart due to weather conditions, the proposed hike was just as fun and Blaz was incredibly patient and helpful throughout! Wouldn’t hesitate booking with him again!

Andre Baumgartner

5.00

August, 2020

This was my first via ferrata and on the whole tour I never felt in danger or overstrained. Blaz is a great guy who can explain everything to you, can tell you a lot of interesting things about the region and is always up for a funny saying. An all-round successful day for me. Very recommendable.

Jeremy Franklin

5.00

October, 2019

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Abby Earl

5.00

September, 2019

Blaz was an incredible guide! Was very informative about the history behind the area and did a great job of making sure we had everything we needed for a great climb! Took so many pictures of us along the way and was a delight to speak with all the way!

Molly Lamb

5.00

September, 2019

Blas was great! He was really patient with us amateurs, never rushed us and even on the way down the mountain constantly slowed dow/stopped to allow everyone to catch up. For 2 people in our group Ferratas are new and they both fell in love with it! We will definitely be back and can’t wait to have Blas as our guide again!

Bart Vlassak

3.00

August, 2019

the booking, getting the trip planned was not that easy. it's easier to contact the guide directly by phone or whatsapp

Mike Buttle

5.00

August, 2019

Blaz is the perfect guide. He kept us safe and made us feel comfortable on 4 very different via ferratas. He allowed us to climb at the limit we were comfortable with. His knowledge of history and landmarks was amazing. We enjoyed his company so much that he is the only guide I would consider on a return visit. Thanks Blaz for two great days of climbing!

Elizabeth Holden

5.00

July, 2019

We had a fabulous trip with Blaz. Highly recommend it. No mean feat to inspire our 9, 14 and 17 year olds at the same time and leave us all feeling well exercised and challenged. The early start (rejected 5am offer in favour of the more relaxed 6am!) meant even the grumpy 14 year old learned the benefits of climbing up to the beginning of the actual via ferrata before the heat set in. Breakfast up a mountain looking down on the cloud filled valleys at 8am was a real treat. But then the proper fun began. Roped together and often secured to the rocks with carabiners on the fixed wires, we climbed up gulleys and along rock faces that we could not possibly have tackled without Blaz's encouraging leadership. Along the way he delighted the boys with tales of Slovenian history and had constant stories to distract our young daughter. His photos provide a great reminder of the day (ok, long morning) and meant we didn't need to worry about cameras, and he and Igor (our second guide) made very good company over a well earned cuppa and pancakes at the Vrisic pass cafe at the end. Not cheap, but well worth it. We'll be back.

Helen Cooke

5.00

July, 2019

Brilliant day of adventure. Blaz is an excellent guide, we felt really safe the whole time. Plus he was full of knowledge about the local area. I would recommend him to anyone, especially if you have kids.

Peter Arpin

5.00

September, 2018

We are an active couple in or late 50s and always wanted to do a via ferrata. Of course we were concerned that we would be physically unprepared for the trip. The web description, including time of travel was very accurate. The pacing by the guide was excellent and adapted to our speed. The amount of training and oversight was just right for our level of experience. The trip was amazing, a bucket list item. We were able to access extreme terrain with large exposure in a very safe manor. We were comfortable a all time on terrain that, with out the ferrata system, could only be safely accessed by experienced climbers using protection. I highly recommend this trip and guide.

Jessica Goh

5.00

September, 2018

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Max

5.00

September, 2018

As soon as we decided to spend our holiday in Slovenia, we wanted to climb Mount Triglav. We both love hiking, but didn't have any climbing experience, mostly because of the lack of mountains in the Netherlands ;). Therefore we searched for a guided trip and found the two-day trip through The Seven Lakes Valley on Explore-Share. Mitja was not available on the date we preferred, so Blaz Stres was our designated guide. The e-mail contact prior to the trip immediately felt good, Blaz closely monitored the weather forecast so we wouldn't be raided by a thunderstorm or heavy rain. Our trip started at 5am and during the trip we gradually found out what an experienced mountaineer Blaz is. While we struggled on the steep parts and had to catch our breath several times, Blaz strolled with one hand in his pocket, totally at ease. At a certain point the weather got a bit rebellious and we walked in the rain for 3,5 hours (rain is something we DO have in the Netherlands, so nothing we couldn't handle), but after a while we were totally soaked. Blaz kept reminding us to only have quick breaks and keep on going, because hypothermia was looking around the corner. Eventually we arrived at the Dolic hut, where we would stay overnight, and it took us a while to get dry and warm again. The next day we started our climb to the top, Blaz explained everything and helped us with the climbing gear. We climbed for 1,5 hour and suddenly we saw Blaz standing before us, with his outstretched hand and a big smile on his face, saying: "Congratulations, you made it to the top!". Although we were pretty fast going up, our descent was rather slow because of a twisted knee, but Blaz kept us motivated (“It’s always an hour”, “We really ARE getting closer!” and “It’s only 100 horizontal meters”). When we finally got back to the car, with very muddy shoes, Blaz showed us the ultimate Slovenian hospitality by letting us put our feet in a garbage bag. For a safe, fun and unforgettable climb on Mount Triglav, we recommend everyone to do a guided trip with Blaz!

Jay

5.00

July, 2018

A mountain gives you permission to climb. Having Blaz as a guide meant optimum decisions for mountain environment combined with someone who is as committed to your goal as you are. Giving you all you needed technically, emotionally etc and all at the same time you had a great laugh. Top guy & top company!


 

 

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