Memorable May Days in Paklenica. By Jernej Kruder

After my successful trip to Cochamó in Patagonia with Mirco Grasso and Vladek Zumr, I went through a darker period in my climbing. Inflammation in my shoulders kept getting worse, and I couldn’t see a way out. After a long break from physiotherapy, I finally returned and began treatments and exercises again. I avoided hard climbing, because every time I made a difficult move, I felt pain. I felt lost - no project motivated me, as all I could think about was how long my shoulders would take to recover.

As I was slowly getting back into shape, a great opportunity came up. My close friends planned a trip to Paklenica over the May Day holidays. I’ve always loved that place, but I had only gone there for hard climbs before. This time, I knew I had to join them. I decided to put grades aside and focus on unbolted routes that had been in the back of my mind for a long time.

I started the trip with some free soloing. Soloing Anića Kuk had been a long-term goal, but I had always been intimidated by its 350-meter steep wall. This time, I felt ready. After talking to friends, they recommended a route called Nostalgija. I began with a warm-up free solo on Karamara Sweet Temptation (6a+), exiting into Kanjonski. After a short rest in the canyon, I hiked up to the base of Anića Kuk.

Without hesitation, I entered the first two easy pitches, graded 4+ - relatively hard slab climbing on solid limestone features. Higher up, the wall steepened. Not knowing the route, I felt some fear about route-finding, but the logical and beautiful cracks led straight upward. There were no distinct crux moves - just enjoyable climbing through the next four pitches in the 6a range. The higher I climbed, the better I felt. The second-to-last pitch was the crux (6b), but by then all fear had disappeared, replaced by a deep sense of happiness that stayed with me all the way to the top. Sitting there on top was one of the top five moments of my climbing life.

On the second day, I tied in with Matic Grudnik (Mato). Our initial goal was El Condor Pasa, but the crux was visibly wet, so we chose another route: Življenje, an old classic established by Silvo Karo and later freed at 7a. The start wasn’t the most beautiful or well-protected, but the climbing improved higher up. Two slightly overhanging 7a pitches followed, with pegs placed in crux sections, which made them less stressful. I accidentally skipped a belay and climbed both crux pitches in one push - I got quite pumped and nearly fell at the last crux. The final two pitches offered beautiful climbing on solid rock, with less protected cracks. We topped out quickly - I onsighted every pitch, while Mato followed with just one hang.

Next on the list was a combination of the three-pitch bolted route Duh Kneza into the classic Rio We had a strong start with Luka Stražar in Duh Kneza. I onsighted the crux pitch (7c), then fell on the crux trad pitch of Rio (graded 7a+, though it felt closer to 7b). On my second attempt, it went smoothly, as did the rest of the route.

After two days of easier climbing, thanks to the north wind El Condor Pasa had finally dried out. It’s rare to find this route in dry conditions, so it felt like the right moment. Together with Martin, we moved quickly through the lower, easier pitches. The crux still felt a bit slimy, but dry enough to try. I committed to an onsight attempt and managed to push through. Martin followed successfully. I then led the remaining pitches and finished with a fast, simultaneous push through the last three. We completed the route in just three and a half hours.

The final route of the trip was Vražja Simfonija, this time with Lara Nikolič. She followed me on every pitch. Route-finding wasn’t too difficult, thanks to pegs on the lower section and a clear splitter crack above. I linked one of the upper pitches, turning it into a beautiful continuous climb from ledge to ledge. The grade felt slightly generous, but the route was the perfect finishing touch - a cherry on top of a very sweet Paklenica experience.

This trip was an incredible experience, and I learned a lot. I’m grateful to have such an amazing climbing area relatively close to home, though I do wish more routes had remained in their original, trad-friendly form.

Summary of climbs
Karamara + Kaminski 6a+ (free solo), 300m
Nostalgija 6b (free solo, onsight), 350m
Življenje 7a+ (no bolts, onsight), 300m (Matic Grudnik)
Duh kneza 7c (onsight) into Rio 7b (no bolts), 350m (Luka Stražar)
El condor pasa 7a (no bolts, onsight), 350m (Martin Moličnik)
Vražja simfonija 7a (no bolts, onsight), 350m (Lara Nikolič)

- Jernej Kruder, Slovenia

Kruder is sponsored by: Illusion Climbing Holds, Karpos, SCARPA