The Rušica south wall has become a known arena of tough rock and trad climbs (due of course also to the nearness to the Jesenice alpinism association).

Janez Krušic and Janko Šilar inaugurated the wall in 1948, with their Direct.

The Rušica Direct gained recently in popularity with the new edition of Tine Mihelič's "Slovene walls" (Slovenske stene).
The rock quality of the wall is first class, the nearness (less than 30 min.) of a bivouac hut makes things cosy, and the atmosphere is under the spell of the Špik north face.

> The last pitch of the original route (straight-up above the rap station) is seldom done.

Getting There

Click the coords in the primary info: along road 201 (between Kranjska Gora and Jesenice), split south at Gozd Martuljek. A small road leads (ca 2 km) to a parking lot from which we follow a marked path signposted Za Ak and Pod Špikom. The "Pod Špikom" path splits right-hand further up in the forest.

If we walk from the Gozd Martuljek bus stop to the scree grounds below Špik (and Rušica), it's a 2 hour hike.
The bivouac hut Pod Špikom (1437 m) is signalized by cairns, in the woods at the end of the marked path. From the hut up, stick to the scree right-hand until reaching and ascending the first mound at the (right) foot of the wall.

Route Description

Pitch 1: II, manage a step from right to left in order to catch a large ledge that we follow left-hand until the foot of an evident chimney.
Pitch 2: start up to the chimney along the slab right-hand, follow the chimney (V-), and exit to the left, towards a pine bush patch.
Pitch 3: III, up the steep/grassy slope diagonally to the left. Belay after the gendarme.
Pitch 4: Step left to the "dihedral" system. Straight up the cracks (V) to the base of the clear dihedral.
Pitches 5 and 6: both beautiful book pitches are graded IV+. Belay below the roof.
Pitch 7: from the station below the roof, a delicate slab traverse diagonally to the left takes us to the edge (V). Exit straight up with a bushy scramble, using longer slings to avoid the drag.
Having untied, we manage the terrace to the left, through pine bush. As the wall to the right ends (that's the one with the original exit), carefully cross the pine bush left-hand to the void, searching for the rap station (slings).

DESCENT: four installed rap stations, following the evident crack (the bolt stance in the middle of the last slab belongs to another route). Possibly down climb the ultimate 20 m. Enlarge the primary image (top right) to view the descent.

Essential Gear

The route is maybe still not entirely equiped, so that we will have the usual reserve of various pins (blades, small profile, universal); and a choice of medium to medium small cams.
> At least 2 x 50 m for an easy descent.
> Only rain collected water at the bivouac hut.

External Links

Slovenske stene -Slovene walls, by Tine Mihelič: a book, a guide book, topo sketches and photos.

horydoly.cz Rušica Direct page