General remark: (When reading Slovenian words on maps or in books, you will find special characters for ch, sh, and zh. They are written with c, s and z with a caron - little v above them.)

Kanin/Canin group is an Eldorado for cave explorers (speleologists). Its carst high plateaus are like a Swiss cheese, many extremely hard accessible caves exceed the depth of 1000 meters. But here we shall focus on the mountain, not on the whole massif of Kanin but on its highest summit - Visoki Kanin (High Kanin) / Monte Canin.

Many hiking routes and ferrattas reach its summit. As a climbing mountain Kanin is not so popular. Although high, its summit walls and ridges only moderately exceed the surrounding high plateaus. And walls have a special structure. Formed of many ledges and steps they are not appropriate for harder climbs. In winter and spring high plateaus are also very appropriate for tour skiing (although the tour can not be done from the summit).

Three long ridges join on the Visoki Kanin summit. The main ridge of the group arrives from the main Julian Alps ridge from east. On the highest part of this ridge no pass is lower than 2000 meters. From north-west a long and lonely ridge of Zrd (Monte Sart), 2324m arrives, separating the valleys Rezija/Resia and Reklanica/Raccolana. And towards south the highest part of Kanin massif ends with a strong ridge, going over many high peaks to the Ucja/Uccea pass, 620m, from where towards south lower mountain ranges continue. North of Visoki Kanin is a high plateau, where a small glacier lies, the plateau is falling into Reklanica/Raccolana valley culminating on the Nevejski preval/Sella Nevea (Pass), 1142m. Towards west of the summit high slopes are falling down into the remote Rezija/Resia valley. Towards south-east the summit ridge soon lowers to a broad high carst plateau, which is finally falling down to Soca/Isonzo valley. Here from the river Soca to the summit of Visoki Kanin there are more than 2200 meters of heigth difference!

Glijun source

Karst

The karst nature of these mountains is on south best illustrated by their water. Above 800 meters there is no water on the surface at all! Beware of this phaenomenon when hiking! But when you are travelling along Soca valley, you will see near the village Zaga a huge Boka waterfall. Enormous amounts of water suddenly burst out from south slopes of Kanin, as if all water reservoirs would be emptying there. Boka is most beautiful in spring, when high above on the mountain up to 6 meters high snows are melting.

The first recorded ascent on Visoki Kanin / Monte Canin was done in 1842 by Otto Sendtner.

From the NW

From the E

From the S

Summit Panoramas

Visoki Kanin is the last high mountain in south-western part of Julian Alps. It offers an excellent panorama - from Adriatic sea on south, Carnic Alps and Dolomites on west, the whole Julian Alps on north to hilly interior of Slovenia.

Kanin High Karst Plateaus

For a start, here are a few pictures of karst phaenomena on the northern plateau.

Getting There

Numbers refer to Kanin group huts: (1) Koca na Stolu, (2) Bivouac C.A.I. Manzano, (3) Dom Petra Skalarja na Kaninu, (4) Rif. C. Gilberti, (5) Rif. Divisione Julia-Nevea, (6) Bivouac Marussich, (7) Dom na Predelu.

See the Julian Alps overview page and the Kanin Group page!

By car/bus Soca valley and Bovec can be reached over Vrsic pass (from Sava valley) or from south, from Gorica/Gorizia.
Valleys Rezija/Resia and Reklanica/Raccolana can be reached from Val Canale (Tagliamento river) by deterring from the highway Udine-Tarvisio. Nevejski preval/Sella Nevea (Pass) can also be reached from NE, from Trbiz/Tarvisio.

Kanin / Monte Canin group from the north, from Pecol meadows. Far on the left are Crnelski Vrsici, then Lopa comes, and Prestreljenik and finally Kanin itself.

Two cable-cars can help you reach the high plateau:

Cable car Kanin: In summer 2004: Up - from 7:00 to 15:00 (each full hour). Down - from 8:00 to 16:00 (each full hour). pictures

Cable car Sella Nevea.

Mountaineering Map:

Julijske Alpe - Zahodni del (Western part). Planinska zveza Slovenije. 1:50000.

Above Jezerska dolina

South approach

On Sella Nevea

Routes Overview

Visoki Kanin / Monte Canin with its routes. Numbers refer to those, described in text.

Routes are only shortly described, as I have a personal experience only with the first one.

1. From south-east (using cable-car). From the upper station of Kanin cable-car, cca 2200m (3h) or from Dom Petra Skalarja, 2260m (2,5h). A medium difficult hike, on a few places assured with steel ropes and pegs.

2. From south (from Bovec, 483m). A very long marked route, crossing the whole SE slope and high plateau (more than 2000 meters of altitude). Because of easier route #1, very rarely used.

3. From north (from Sella Nevea, 1195m). First reaching Rif. C. Gilberti, 1850, crossing the plateau and a small glacier to the north wall, climbing the wall using one of two ferrattas (one called Juliana, the other one Delle Cengie - by ledges). Medium hard ferratta, often snow and on the glacier ice. From Rif. C. Gilberti 3h, from Sella Nevea 5h.

4. From west (from Rezija/Resia valley, Korita/Coritis village, 641m). Marked path and scramble to the south ridge and over it to the summit. 7h.

5. From north-west - Visoka rosijanska pot (Alta Via Resiana). You can start either in Rezija/Resia valley, 641m, or on Sella Nevea, 1142m, and reach by marked paths the Marussich bivouac, just above the Peravo pass, 2041m. From there the marked route goes on Vrh Krnice, 2443m and further on by Visoki Kanin's NW ridge to the summit. The route is not assured all the time and requires climbing I.-II. degree.

6. By the south ridge - Visoka rosijanska pot (Alta Via Resiana). This part of the famous high route is very beautiful - marked, exposed, but not assured. It requires climbing I.-II. degree, only on one place, where it reaches III. degree, it is assured by steel ropes. The starting point ov the high route is Med Baban saddle, 2004m in south ridge, which can be reached either from Rezija/Resia or Soca/Isonzo valley.

The approach from E

Summit ridge from the E

Ferrata Julia

Red Tape

No limitations.

Boka waterfall

Flora

Boka waterfall

When To Climb

Summer and autumn (best months are usually July - October)
Spring for tour skiing (Usually march - May)

Huts and Camping

Rif. Gilberti

To climb Visoki Kanin the following mountain huts and bivouacs are useful:

> Bivouac C.A.I. Manzano. For the ascent from south.
> Dom Petra Skalarja na Kaninu, 2260m, (041) 527-926. For the ascent from south-east.
> Rif. C. Gilberti, 1850m. For the ascent from north.
> Rif. Divisione Julia - Nevea, 1142m. For the ascent from north.
> Bivouac Marussich, 2050m. For the ascent from north.

Mountain Conditions

For weather see here.

Images



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