Backcountry Snowshoe Adventure
9-15th February 2024
Slovenia
Join IML Mikaela Toczek, founder of ‘More to Explore’, in February 2024 as we venture into Slovenia’s incredible winter backcountry on snowshoes.
As part of this exciting 6 day programme, you will have the opportunity to develop the skills needed to plan and undertake your own multi-day snowshoeing tours, with a focus on countries or areas where there are few or no established,marked snowshoeing trails. With Mikaela’s supportive, friendly and fun facilitation we will have the opportunity to explore the following:
Route planning, Research, Avalanche forecasting and Equipment.
Slope aspect and angle and why it matters in winter.
Winter navigation skills and techniques.
Transceiver, Probe and Shovel techniques, including avalanche awareness, checks and searches.
Huts, winter rooms and bothies, including booking, etiquette and safe winter bothy use.
Understanding the winter environment; tracks, traces and adaptations.
We will develop these skills through 2 days of snowshoeing in the beautiful, gentle forests of the
Pokljuka Plateau, followed by a 4-day tour in the higher passes and plateaus of the Julian Alps,
including two nights in a managed hut (Dom or Koča in Slovene), with the potential for a winter
room or bothy stay on the second night (TBC).
Who is it for?
Anyone who would like to explore Slovenia on snowshoes! The course will be
particularly suitable for those with a comfortable amount of summer mountain hiking experience
with some in alpine terrain, looking to expand their journeys into the winter season. Equally, this
programme is ideal for those with some winter skills looking for a refresher and to expand into
multi-day tours.
Physical difficulty: Although the course will take place in rolling terrain, many of the plateaus in
Slovenia require sustained uphill walks from the valley to access them. Therefore, you should feel
comfortable embarking on long full-day hikes, including sustained ascents and descents whilst
carrying a 38-40ltr rucksack.
What the course will not cover: This is not a winter mountaineering course, so we will not be
using or requiring crampons, axes or the skills and techniques of Alpinism.
Price per person: £895 (Payment plan available to split the costs)
Deposit to be paid after booking: £200
Places available: 8
Dates: Arrival: 9.2.2024 Departure: 15.2.2024.
Price Includes:
- All in-country transfers (including airport pick-up and drop-off)
- Accommodation
- Equipment rental (Snowshoes, Avalanche trio, Walking Poles)
- All your breakfasts.
- 5 lunches for our hiking days (these will be Firepot, and we will discuss options closer to the
time)
- Dinners on the hut nights
- Expert guidance and instruction.
Price does not include:
- Arrival costs (eg flights, trains etc)
- Dinner for our 3 Hotel nights
- Personal equipment and clothing.
- You will need one additional breakfast and dinner for our winter room stay, we recommend Fire
Pot or similar.
- 1 potential additional night at the managed mountain hut if conditions prevent us from staying in the winter room. You will need an extra 48EUR to cover this if needed.
Kit List:
A full kit list will be sent upon booking, but all technical equipment, including Snowshoes and Avalanche trio (Transceiver, Probe, Shovel) will be provided for you. To get started you’ll need to think about warm clothes, waterproofs, gaiters and a warm 4 season sleeping bag.
FAQ’s
What is snowshoeing?
The essence of snowshoeing is built on hiking, using a greater surface area to prevent you from sinking into the snow. This is achieved through the use of specially designed wide-framed rackets, which you attach to your boots with bindings. Snowshoeing is a wonderful low-impact activity, perfect for exploring the winter environment away from the crowds, ski resorts and prepared tracks. This is referred to as the winter backcountry. For mountaineering, snowshoes can be used to approach routes and access hard-to-reach places with deep snow. It is estimated that the first snowshoes were created 4000-6000 years ago and were made from wood, woven baskets and sometimes fur. Modern snowshoes are mostly made from plastic and aluminium, although some still prefer traditionally crafted shoes.
Is this snowshoeing course suitable for complete beginners?
Snowshoeing itself is very easy to get started, and you can learn the initial techniques required in just a few hours. As you gain confidence, more skills can be developed and journeys can be extended into more remote places. The most challenging skills to develop are avalanche awareness and route planning. You don’t need any prior snowshoeing experience for this tour, it is suitable for winter beginners with a good level of summer mountain hiking experience and for those with some winter experience looking to explore Slovenia’s winter backcountry. On our winter room night it will be very cold (temperatures can drop below -15C). It is therefore important that participants have some Bothy and Wild Camping experience in the UK before our trip in summer conditions. This will help you to develop positive campcraft skills, such as boiling water in wild places before taking those skills into a more challenging winter environment. Whatever your base level is, we will work together to create an appropriate level of challenge to suit the group’s needs.
How fit do I need to be?
This tour would be suitable for anyone with a good level of fitness from regular hillwalking in the UK or similar, which can be developed in the time leading up to departure. Although this tour is suitable for beginners there will be elements of challenge throughout the journey. Moving through fresh snow is tiring and we will have some long ascents to enable us to reach some amazing and remote places. Our routes and distances are carefully planned so we will have plenty of time to move slowly, rest and work together.
Do I need any special insurance?
You’ll need personal insurance that includes winter mountain walking. For example the BMC offer an Alpine and Ski package. Another option would be to join the Slovene Alpine Association, which has a category that includes insurance.
Why choose our guided experience?
Mikaela’s fun, inclusive and gentle approach to teaching the skills required for snowshoeing will lay the perfect foundations for winter journeys. She is passionate about the magic offered through snowshoeing, and invites you to join us as we learn about safe winter snowshoeing and find animal tracks and traces, breathtaking views, cosy huts and adventurous mountain environments.
Itinerary
Day 1: 09/02/2024
Arrive in Slovenia at Ljubljana Jože Pečnik Aiport, where Mikaela will be there to meet you with our pre-booked transport. From the airport we will transfer to our accommodation on the Pokljuka plateau, situated at around 1200M, arriving late in the evening.
Day 2: 10/02/2024
Distance: 4km (Approx)
Duration: 3-4 hours including stops
Ascent/descent: Max 100M
We will have a relaxed start for breakfast, giving the opportunity to soak in our beautiful surroundings in the forest and get to know each other. Once we are ready to start the day, we will introduce the equipment, fit our snowshoes and head off for a short journey through the forest to a nearby Alpine Meadow, identifying animal tracks and traces as we go and introducing some basic movement techniques. In the afternoon Mikaela will facilitate some group learning activities, and we will have time to relax and enjoy the hotel’s sauna and ice room before dinner.
Day 3: 11/02/2024
Distance: 8-12KM
Duration: 7-8 hours
Ascent/Descent: 400M/400M Approx
Today we will head out on a longer journey, including some ascent, introducing additional movement techniques and avalanche awareness. We will have the opportunity to view some incredible perspectives of the snow-covered Julian Alps and there will be the potential to visit a mountain hut (known as Koča in Slovene) for a traditional alpine lunch, depending on conditions. In the evening we will pack our bags ready to depart tomorrow.
Day 4: 12/02/2024
Distance: 7-8KM
Duration: 4-5 hours
Ascent/Descent: 875M/50M
Our transport will transfer us from the hotel in the morning, driving along the edge of lake Bohinj to the start of our hiking trail. Following a long, winding and in places steep ascent, we will make our way up to the Komna plateau and Dom na Komna (1520M) . Arriving at lunch time, we will have time to pause and enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the higher mountains surrounding us, before practicing the techniques needed for companion avalanche rescue with Transceiver, Probe and Shovel (TPS). We will be staying in Dormitory style accommodation and some time in the evening will be spent discussing route options and conditions for the following the day.
Day 5: 13/02/2024
Distance: 8-9km
Duration: 6-7 hours
Ascent/Descent: 350M/445M
Setting off after breakfast we will embark on a longer snowshoeing journey across the Komna Plateau. If conditions allow, we will make our way to a nearby saddle and continue down the western side to our second Koča. This hut, like many across the Alps, is closed in winter, but they have an accessible winter room. This basic room contains a sleeping platform and blankets but no other facilities. We will settle in, cook using our stoves and learn firsthand how to stay safe and warm on independent multi-day journeys in an Alpine environment. Depending on our timings we may embark on a short additional journey in the afternoon to visit a beautiful, frozen Alpine Lake.
Day 6: 14/02/2024
Distance: 9-11KM
Duration: 6-8hours
Ascent/Descent: 607M/495
After packing up, enjoying a warm breakfast and ensuring we leave the hut in a good condition for the next visitors, we will make our way back to the saddle. Here there may be the opportunity for a diversion to visit a 2000M peak whose rounded nature makes it ideal for snowshoeing. Returning back to Dom na Komna we will enjoy one last evening together, reflecting on our experiences,reviewing our learning and celebrating our achievements.
Day 7: 15/02/2024
Distance: 7-8KM
Duration: 3-4 hours
Ascent/Descent: 50M/875M
As we bid farewell to the mountains we will hike back down from Dom na Komna to our start point just above Lake Bohinj. After meeting our transport we will have the opportunity to refresh, relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Lake Bohinj, before enjoying a final celebratory meal together and transferring to the airport for our journeys home.
