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Mountain Rescue in Slovenia

Mountain Rescue in Slovenia

When I read this article, I couldn’t say better and agree more, so I published the original.

It’s important to recognize that the upkeep of hiking trails, huts, and infrastructure is not a free service. It requires financial investment, which is primarily funded by those who use it and, in some way, also impacts these resources. Your financial contributions are crucial in ensuring their maintenance.

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Challenges of Mass Tourism

We’ve already mentioned etiquette and littering in the mountains, but what are some other problems associated with mass tourism?

The main issue is the overcrowding of certain destinations, such as Triglav (* or Vršič Mountain Pass). There are too many people at the summit, and we will need to think about managing this. A positive solution could be the implementation of organized, paid parking. For example, in Kamnik and Velika Planina, there are too many cars and tourists, so we need to regulate visits similarly to Italy’s Tre Cime: there is a barrier at the bottom, an entrance fee is charged, and once the daily quota of cars and people is exceeded, the road is closed. We will need to start thinking along these lines and also about better public transportation. If we had organized parking lots with local transport from there, I believe people would start using it, maybe not our generation, but certainly our children and grandchildren.

Mountain Rescue in Slovenia

But as soon as we talk about paid parking and restricting access, Slovenians complain?

The public immediately gets upset, thinking that it’s all ours. No one realizes that someone has to take care of all the hiking trails, huts, and infrastructure, which involves financial investment. This cost must come from those who use and, in some way, also damage it. Just last weekend, I was in Kočevje for a mountain biking event, and they organized it excellently with a public parking lot where you paid four euros for the whole day. But people complained and parked their cars along the road and in the meadows – naturally, the farmer who owns the meadow and livestock was furious because he couldn’t get through with his tractor; I would be too if I lived there. In the end, everyone received a 50 euro fine for illegal parking, which I think is right, and the fine should be even higher. We need to start educating people this way.

You must suffer when you are young so that you are accustomed to suffering when you are old.

– MATJAŽ ŠERKEZI

However, Slovenians don’t see themselves as tourists in Slovenia and immediately grumble while abroad, we calmly pay for expensive parking.

That’s exactly how we behave! The problem is that people don’t travel enough. Everyone talks about how great it is in Austria or Switzerland, but then you find out they went there by bus, on an organized trip; they didn’t go on their own and spend time there to see what life is really like. I love coming back to Kamnik, to Slovenia, because home is the best – we truly live in a beautiful environment, with excellent cuisine and wonderful people, but we don’t know how to appreciate it. Slovenians are a great nation, but we lack self-respect.

The whole interview can be read on the link below.

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Interview with Matjaž Šerkezi: The State of Mountaineering in Slovenia

Matjaž Šerkezi, a seasoned alpinist, mountain rescuer since the age of sixteen, instructor, and expert associate at the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS), has been hiking since he could walk at two years old. While mountains once symbolized sport, validation, and proving oneself, today, he primarily enjoys them. “The mountains are my church,” says the father of three, who has instilled a love for the mountains in his children. He wishes for everyone to enjoy the mountains safely but also warns that mountaineering has become too crowded, necessitating regulations.

The hiking season has begun. What kind of time is this for you?
Mountain rescuers work year-round. Previously, we talked about a summer hiking season, but that’s no longer the case in recent years. There’s a lot of winter activity in the mountains now because winters aren’t necessarily snowy; the ground remains bare for longer, or there’s minimal snow, mostly on the highest peaks. The recent surge in backcountry skiing, especially since the pandemic closed ski resorts, is noticeable. People spend a lot of time on skis in the mountains during winter, using snowshoes and engaging in other activities. In summer, traditional hiking and, increasingly, mountain biking are prevalent. Although Slovenia is a small country, it offers excellent conditions for these activities, including a long-distance mountain biking trail that circles the entire country, allowing people to explore the environment.

A few years ago, mountain bikers were frowned upon in the hills. Has this changed?
Yes, it has changed. That’s why we established a commission for mountain biking right after 2000, to guide early bikers correctly, teach them about cycling in a natural environment, and how to care for nature. We opened certain hiking trails for dual-use, suitable for both hiking and biking, and emphasized trail etiquette—like avoiding areas with hikers and passing them respectfully and slowly. These efforts have paid off; there’s been a generational shift, and even older folks who were initially against bikers have started cycling themselves, realizing it’s a good, healthy activity that preserves the knees—unlike hiking. While there are still isolated bad examples, I’ve personally not encountered any. Respect begets respect, and everywhere, some people are perpetually annoyed, but you greet them and move on.

Do you think “Sunday hikers” are now more frowned upon for their lack of etiquette?
I don’t see it as a problem but as a challenge. People behave the same whether in the valley or the mountains; some always want to be “the boss,” whether in a car, store, or the mountains. Our goal is to guide everyone properly so they know how to behave in the mountains, such as taking their trash with them. We noticed an increase in litter during and after the pandemic, including organic waste like citrus peels and banana skins, which don’t decompose naturally due to a lack of enzymes. Heavily visited pastures in summer also face issues, as people seem to encounter cows and sheep for the first time. We need to educate them to leave livestock alone and not feed them, as it can harm them. We’ve even had cases where people tried to ride cows, resulting in injuries. Expectations for mountain huts are rising, with visitors wanting better hospitality services like in the valleys. However, we must remember that mountain huts aren’t restaurants or hotels; they have limited water supply and can’t mass-launder sheets, and transporting food is limited.

Has the increase in mountain visits also led to more accidents?
Accidents have been rising since 2004 when we started keeping digital records. Back then, there were around 240 accidents annually; now, there are well over 600. More people in the mountains undoubtedly contribute to this, including an increase in tourists. Recently, we’ve been rescuing many French, Spanish, and Croatian hikers, nationalities supposedly experienced in the mountains. The primary task of the PZS is to disseminate information and preventive measures widely through the Slovenian Tourist Board, media, and various safety courses. The nature of accidents has also changed. We see more medical emergencies as people live longer with chronic illnesses managed with medication in the valley, but the physical strain and high temperatures in the mountains can lead to rapid changes. Heart attacks and complications from diabetes and other chronic diseases are common. Before rescuers arrive, such individuals can already be dead. It’s crucial to note that people often expect helicopter rescues, but helicopters only handle about a third of the rescues; the rest are on foot. Helicopter rescues aren’t always possible, and especially during the busy summer season, triage decisions must be made to prioritize the most urgent cases.

What are the most common injuries?
Typical injuries include sprains, fractures of the lower and upper extremities, and head injuries. We advise using helmets because if you slip, your head often hits the ground first, and without proper protection, severe injuries can occur. Many people also get lost or dehydrated. People have lost touch with nature; even a simple storm can be a source of frustration for them. They panic, freeze, and immediately call for help. Slovenia has 10,000 kilometres of marked and maintained hiking trails, but social media drives people to seek unmarked paths and destinations reserved for experienced alpinists. A typical example is the bivouac under Skuta, which has become a top destination for selfies. While it is beautiful, it is accessible only by a challenging unmarked path, leading to many rescues of unprepared tourists. Bivouacs are meant for emergency shelter, not tourist accommodation. This trend of seeking out isolated spots for social media posts is a growing issue, making every person feel like they need their own Everest.

Issues and Solutions in Managing Mass Tourism in the Mountains

What are the other issues caused by mass tourism aside from etiquette and littering?
The main problem is the overwhelming number of visitors to popular destinations, such as Triglav. There are too many people at the summit, so we need to consider and implement measures to regulate this. A positive solution could be to organise paid parking areas. In Kamnik, for instance, Velika Planina suffers from excessive cars and tourists, requiring regulation similar to Italy’s Tre Cime, where a barrier at the base charges for entry, and the path closes once the daily quota of cars and people is exceeded. We must adopt this approach and improve public transportation. If there were organized parking and local transportation, I believe people would use it, maybe not our generation, but certainly our children and grandchildren.

But as soon as we talk about paid parking and access restrictions, Slovenians complain?
The public immediately reacts negatively because everyone thinks it all belongs to us. No one realizes that someone has to maintain all the hiking trails, huts, and infrastructure, which requires financial investment from those who use and, to some extent, damage them. Last weekend in Kočevje at a mountain biking event, they had well-organized public parking for four euros a day. However, people complained and parked along the road and on meadows. Naturally, the farmer with livestock in that meadow was furious because he couldn’t access it with his tractor. I would be, too, if I lived there. In the end, everyone received a 50-euro fine for improper parking, which I believe was justified and should even be higher. This is how we need to educate people.

Yet Slovenians don’t see themselves as tourists in Slovenia and complain immediately, whereas they pay for expensive parking abroad without issue?
That’s exactly how we behave! The problem is that people don’t travel much. Everyone praises what’s good in Austria or Switzerland, but then you find out they visited by organized bus tours and didn’t spend time there independently to see what life is really like. I love returning to Kamnik, to Slovenia, because home is the best. We live in a beautiful environment, with excellent cuisine and wonderful people, but we don’t appreciate it. Slovenians are a great nation but lack self-respect.

What unusual experiences have you had in the mountains as a mountain rescuer, guide, or visitor?
There have been many such moments, mostly difficult but also rewarding when we save people. The worst are accidents where someone dies.

How do you cope with this, especially when you know you’re going to recover a body?
I’ve somehow learned to switch off my emotions. I joined the Mountain Rescue Service (GRS) at 16, and my first rescue involved an alpinist who fell 50 meters headfirst, which was a very gruesome sight. Seeing that as a teenager taught me to suppress these experiences. This isn’t entirely good, as it makes you different, more hardened, which reflects in how I raise my children. However, it has made me more psychologically stable. We rescuers talk a lot among ourselves and have access to a psychologist, which helps us deal with tragic events. There are also some humorous, sometimes absurd, interventions. For example, when someone scolds us for sending too many rescuers when they only needed a specific piece of equipment or calls us to bring water so they can continue on their own.

Do some people perceive GRS as a service rather than an emergency response team?
Yes, we are often seen as a service. We sometimes joke that we should charge individuals 200 euros to bring them down from the mountain. This would make sense, but we always question whether they would call at all if there were a charge or push on themselves, leading to an accident. Personally, I lean towards making mountain rescue payable in Slovenia, following Austria’s model. There, you pay for the rescue, and then your insurance decides if you’re eligible for reimbursement. We should particularly charge foreigners, who are increasingly using our services. Unfortunately, European regulations mandate equal treatment, so we need to find a way to address this. For instance, Italy has volunteer rescuers, but rescues on popular peaks are paid. In Switzerland, all rescues are paid; they won’t even let you into the helicopter without agreeing to pay. There have been cases where Slovenians had debt collectors sent after them for unpaid rescue costs in Switzerland because they didn’t have insurance. In Slovenia, we tend to skimp on personal insurance while readily paying 600 euros for car insurance.

Why have the mountains captivated you so much, and why does the love endure?
This love has been with me practically since birth. My parents come from a mountaineering family, they hiked, and my sister and I joined them. I always saw the world a bit differently; just walking the trail wasn’t enough—I looked at the walls. I read a lot, from Jules Verne to great alpinists like Hermann Buhl, Nejc Zaplotnik, Viki Grošelj, Iztok Tomazin, and I dreamed of these adventures. In elementary school, I met Alojz Pristavnik, a history and geography teacher and alpinist, who gradually introduced me to this world. I then took up sport climbing with Brane Vezovnik’s help and became a mountain rescuer. I was fortunate to meet older people who were happy to take me along. This passion remains with me; today, the mountains are not just about proving myself or sports but about relaxation. They recharge my batteries and are a form of meditation.

Have you instilled your love for the mountains in your children?
All three of them love it. My eldest, Medeja (19), went through a period during adolescence when she didn’t want to join us anymore. Interestingly, this year she surprised me by signing up for training to become a guide with PZS, without even letting me know. I think that’s great. As for the younger two, Maruša Tereza (15) and Joža (13), they are enthusiastic mountain bikers. I’m proud to say that my daughter was the youth European champion last year. Our environment binds us together; as a family, we spend a lot of time together in the mountains and on bikes. I feel like it’s mine and my wife’s mission to show our children this world, teach them a few things, and then they will carry on by themselves.

Would you be disappointed if your children didn’t show any love for the mountains?
It’s hard to say. At our place, there practically wasn’t another choice because my wife and I are both mountain enthusiasts, and we met each other in the mountains. However, I have to be a bit critical because I often hear parents complaining that their kids don’t want to hike. Of course, they don’t if you never took them along! If you’ve decided to have kids, you need to take care of them. For us, it was logical to take them practically everywhere in the mountains. I must admit, I didn’t always enjoy it. For example, when we spent three hours hiking to Sveti Primož instead of the planned half-hour. But that’s the long-term plan, and it turned out that we were doing well. (laughs) Now, the kids are the ones waiting for me: “Come on, Dad, can you step up the pace?” (laughs)

As a mountain rescuer since the age of 16, have you thought about retiring?
In recent years, I’ve been seriously considering that it might be time to step back. I’ve been doing this for over 25 years and have gone through different phases. I was the youngest in the Mountain Rescue Service (GRS). When you’re young, you’re driven by the idea that you’re important, you can show off a bit, get top-notch gear… Nowadays, I feel that my role is more about prevention, spreading knowledge. When the phone rings, it’s now the young rescuers who need to gain experience, and we have to guide them. The most dangerous part of an intervention is the drive, as young people are full of adrenaline and can rush into accidents. My colleagues and I, as instructors, act as “father figures”, advising them to calm down in the mountains. No injured person has ever run away from us; they all wait up there. We first need to take care of our team so we can help others. If we get into an accident, we won’t be able to help them either. This is one of the basic rules of first aid, and they need to be aware of it. We’ve lost too many people because they rushed in to help blindly – and ended up losing their lives as well. So our mission is to teach young mountain rescuers, guide them, pass on knowledge, and then slowly step back. I am firmly determined to retire by the age of 50, if I survive that long. The worst thing, as the saying goes among us, is if someone “lies on the mountain rescue team or on the mountain rescue stretcher” until the funeral. I really don’t want that.

Have you ever needed the help of the Mountain Rescue Service (GRS)?
Of course, when I was young, we went crazy in the mountains. That’s why I say you need a lot of knowledge and a bit of luck in the mountains. Yes, the mountain rescuers have also come to our aid, sometimes because we didn’t inform anyone at home about where we were going, and my worried mom called them. (laughs) A colleague and I were caught in an avalanche, but fortunately, we stayed on top. When we were climbing in India, I fell ten meters deep into a crevasse at an altitude of 6000 meters. At that moment, I experienced a vision of life slipping away. But I was lucky to stay alive; I wasn’t even injured. I climbed out by myself and continued climbing up the mountain.

How does your family react when the phone rings and you have to leave?
I don’t think they pay much attention to it; it’s something we’ve been living with from the beginning. I brought that with me. There was a period when I was very focused on rescues, and it started affecting our family relationships. So my advice to young rescuers is, if they have families, they should get things sorted out at home first. Honestly, my wife and I often argued about this, but then we talked it out, and now I live differently. Also, in terms of children: I didn’t pay as much attention to my eldest daughter because of this, as I do now to the younger ones. I’m not ashamed to admit this; these are entirely human things – burning out, having things unsettled at home, and then alcohol can easily get involved, and you have to draw the line. I haven’t been drinking alcohol for the past five years; I consciously decided to stop because I think there’s too much of it. Now I feel like I’ve reached a mature phase where I need to say stop.

Have you ever had problems with alcohol?
Not me, but my relatives have. Practically every Slovenian family has someone who is an alcoholic. Unfortunately, it’s part of Slovenian folklore. I think it’s right to talk about it because it affects entire families, especially children. That’s why, since we have it in our genes, we need to say stop to alcohol. Many of my colleagues among mountain rescuers have decided to stop drinking.

Even in mountain huts, there is a lot of alcohol. Instead of resting, there are parties.
That’s why we try to educate and inform both hut managers and the hikers themselves. A mountain hut is not a place for parties; visitors come there to spend the night and have something to eat so they can continue their journey to the summit the next day. Abroad, the lights are turned off without hesitation at ten in the evening, and there’s no bringing your own food and drinks… Now, new generations of hut managers are becoming aware of this. Instead of complaining that the hut was vandalized and trashed, why did they give them alcohol? They should have kicked them out. Hut managers need to know how much alcohol they can serve to someone; they are the first ones who can stop it. I wonder why alcohol is even served in the mountains; personally, I don’t think it should be.

How different are the mountains today compared to when you first encountered them as a child, and then later as a mountain guide?
They are very different, especially because there are significantly more visitors now. That’s why I seek quieter paths to escape from the hustle and bustle of the mountains.

Is there no longer peace in the mountains?
I’m particularly bothered by ensembles in the mountains, these various highly important projects of individual capitalist organizations. We forget that we are visitors, that this is the home of animals and plants that need peace. We’ve gone too far, so we’ll have to start regulating things. Maybe some of my professional colleagues will grab me by the ears, but I believe that the mission of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS) should be to preserve the mountain environment. Mass hikes in the mountains are not appropriate due to the excessive environmental burden. Neither is mass tourism, such as on Velika Planina, where there is a lot of tourist infrastructure, meaning more people, more waste, and drinking water below. The municipality and the state should regulate this.

Do we no longer have respect for the mountains?
The number of accidents indicates that we don’t. I wonder if people don’t value their own lives? If I realize I’ve made a mistake, I’ll turn around and go back. If I come to a snowfield and I’m wearing sports shoes, I’ll just turn back. The mountain will wait. Despite all the warnings, advice, and recommendations, mistakes happen. I don’t understand why people don’t turn back, wait in the hut, attend a course, or hire a mountain guide. Many say that guides only collect money, but we can spend 1500 euros for Greece to lie in the heat. Why not have a wonderful vacation in the Slovenian mountains with a mountain guide along Slovenian hiking or mountain biking trails and explore Slovenia? It’s sad that Slovenians don’t know their own country, how beautiful it is!

Where are you going on vacation this year?
My daughter is going to the European Championship in Tuscany, and we’re thinking of hopping over to Elba. There are some mountain biking trails there. At the end of August, I’m going to France with my colleagues for mountain running, 300 kilometers, 25 thousand meters of elevation gain.