What do river rescue technicians do during the winter months?

One of the winter highlights for Rudi and me was the ascent of the north face of Ojstrica.

The alarm pulled us out of bed at 5 a.m. sharp. We quickly ate breakfast and drove to the Logar Valley, where we began our ascent. We strapped our skis to our backpacks and prepared our crampons, ice axes, and pitons. From there, the climb into the stunning alpine world began.

The north face was steep. For safety, we roped up on the more demanding sections and clipped into pitons as we ascended. Heavy backpacks pressed into our shoulders, while the snow alternated between hard ice and deep powder. We slightly underestimated the weight of our gear, as the ascent took two hours longer than we had expected.

Already quite exhausted, we finally reached the summit at 16:30, at 2,350 meters. Despite the cloudy weather, all the effort was rewarded on the other side of the mountain. At the top, we stowed our crampons, strapped on our skis, and descended the southern slope, carving turns into soft spring snow on tired legs. After hours of ascent, the descent felt fast and entirely worth all the effort.

By 18:00, we were already back at the car in the valley—hungry, exhausted, and ready for a well-earned pizza.

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