Špik

Mountain in Slovenia

Špik

Location in the Alps

LocationSloveniaParent rangeJulian AlpsClimbingFirst ascent1778

Špik is a mountain in the Slovenian Julian Alps. Its summit is at 2,472 m (8110 feet) above sea level. The mountain's name is a cognate of the English "spike," derived from its pointed shape.

Normal climbing routes

There are two normal routes and they both start in Krnica valley, and they merge under the summit. One of them goes over the summit of Lipnica and the other is the Kacji Graben route. The former has a few easy sections with fixed cables and the latter is just a steep walk up. Both are snow-free in summer months. Around 5 hours is needed from the valley to the summit.

Huts

There are many huts around the nearby Vrsic Pass, but the hut closest to the start of the routes is the Krnica hut which is at 1113 meters above sea. So from the hut to the summit there are 1304 meters of elevation difference to climb.

History

In May 1952, a mountaineering accident occurred on the northern face of Špik, resulting in the death of five mountaineers from Slovenska Bistrica aged between 21 and 25.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Spik". SummitPost.org.
^ "Velika gorska tragedija v Martuljkovi skupini" [The Great Mountain Tragedy in the Martuljek Group]. Enakopravnost (in Slovenian). Slovenska izseljenska matica. 5 June 1952.