The pyramidal mountain Storžič (2132 m) is in all seasons very popular among mountaineers. It is the mountain that features most prominently on all postcards with the panorama of Kranj.
There are several routes that lead to the top of Storžič: the most popular is the one through Kališče, the shortest one through Žrelo, but for me, the most beautiful route is the one over the ridge of Psica. That means bitch and I assume that a hunter once said that it’s bitching hot when he walked on that ridge. Yes, in the summer months it gets really hot, because the stones on the ground store the sun’s heat. The trail is challenging and there are steel cables to grip for support occasionally, but it is a typical ridge that goes up and down and up again.
You can drive your car to Trstenik and on to the village Povlje. At the end of Povlje, the road climbs steeply and there is a parking space on the right side. After an ice storm and then bark beetle infestation, many trees had to be felled there, so the way to Velika Poljana was completely renewed and the old path, the so-called Dolenec trail, now leads to Javornik. From the car park you first take the road towards Mala and Velika Poljana. Soon you come to a quarry and through the valley there, you can take the well-kept path with stairs and then the signpost to Velika Poljana will direct you to the right. A steep climb along the wooded ridge follows, but after the end of this ridge the path becomes more level. On this forest path you reach the mountain pasture. It takes about one and a half hours to get here. Continue to the saddle between Grebenec and Psica that has altitude of 1410 meters. Follow the signpost to the right and take the path that winds steeply up through the beech forest. Then it turns slightly to the right and becomes more level. Soon you leave the forest and come to a fork in the road; to the right, or rather straight ahead, the easier path leads to the top of Storžič and on the left you can take the more demanding route via the Psica ridge. Follow the marks on the left as you first go through some heath with individual trees and then again through the steep forest. You reach a ridge, from which the view is very good and in some places you already need the few meters of steel rope to hold on to. When the climbing route from Žrelo joins the trail from the left, there is only thing a bit of climbing left up and down the western ridge to reach the top. The path is good and the climb is secured in some places, but sometimes you have to hold on to the rock. On one of the saddles you get the impression that the next peak is already the highest, but then it’s just an optical illusion and it takes a little bit longer. But it is not difficult and it is worth it. From Velika Poljana you need about 2 hours and 30 minutes via Psica to Storžič.
On the top of the Storžič you have a view that inspires and charges your batteries. To the South and to the West is the plain of Gorenjska, from Ljubljana to Radovljica and Bled in the west. On the horizon you can see the symbol of Slovenia, Mount Triglav, and the other peaks of the Julian Alps in all their beauty. To the East are the mountains of Kočna, Grintovec, Mrzla Gora, Kalški greben and Krvavec. On the northern side is the broad ridge of Košuta, the Veliki Javornik mountain pasture, Stegovnik and on the Austrian side of the Carinthian Storschitz and the Hochobir. Šmarna gora in the South looks like a slightly larger molehill in the fields of the plain, at the edge of which you can see the Polhov Gradec Hills and Snežnik.
There are a number of ways to descend, but if you have parked the car in Povlje, it would be best to take the fastest route, down the groove (žleb) and past the Karničar hut on the Javornik pasture. If you would like to walk in the mountains for a while longer, you can follow the signpost in the groove and head for Velika Poljana. This is how you join the already mentioned easier route. From there it is easy to find the way down to the valley. Whatever path you choose, I wish you lots of good luck!
Jelena Justin
Altitude above sea level: 2132m
Difference in altitude: 1518m
Duration: 7 hours
Difficulty: 5/5
