Slovenia SingleTrack ….. and more!
When my friend messaged about a trip to Slovenia, there was no way I could say no. When I found out exactly what he had in mind I was 100% in …..and a little scared!
We stayed at Bike Park Jamnica. They were the most amazing hosts! Anej, Dixie and their family couldn’t have been more helpful, with transfers, amazing accommodation and delicious food fresh from their farm!
We planned 3 days of riding, and each one could not have been more different. Day one, we rode their ‘back garden’ trails at Bike Park Jamnica. In 2018 they held a round of the EWS so we headed off to ride some of those trails. They were fab! The trails were fun, flowy and technical, in sections, with some tricky roots and river crossings. We spent the whole day finding new trails and could have kept going for hours!
Day 2 we got up early, enjoyed a delicious breakfast provided by our hosts and then set out on our ride. With some route planning help from Dixie, we headed on a 15k ride to the Austrian boarder. The day started with a 15km pedal down the valley and then a short hill climb.
We then found ourselves at the top of another EWS trail, ‘postman’ which was another gem. More single track goodness, which dropped us right at the border. From their we had a short spin around some corn fields (there were A LOT of corn fields) until we reached our end goal… the Gondola at Mt Petzen. We bought our lift passes and made our way up to the top. Mt Petzen is probably best known for being home to Europes longest blue flow trail, a massive 11.5km! We dropped in and wow, it didn’t disappoint. Miles and miles of endless berms, table tops and rollers. The views from the trail were amazing, the trail was so so fast and in places pretty scary, with sheer drops to your side! Kudos to the trail crew, as the trail was silky smooth, with very little braking bumps and trail erosion!
On our next lift, we decided to carry on the theme of our trip and find another EWS trail. The trail started with some tight, rocky corners that went on and on and on. They were amazing. Unfortunately, we then got a little lost, and ended up on another trail called ‘Thriller’. It did not disappoint, and probably one of the most, if not the most demanding trail I have ever ridden. At a length of 5.5km it never gave up. Hand built by Anej, our host, and his team, it is my new favourite trail. Routes, rocks, chutes, steep corners, you name it this trail had it.
We loved it so much we headed back up for one last run before we made our way back to our accommodation (thanks Dixie for the lift)!
Day 3 was going to have to be special if it was going to top the awesomeness of Mt. Petzen. And it was awesome, and the craziest riding I have ever done!
We headed out with Anej first thing in the morning and arrived at Mezica. We had a lift to the top and rode along the ridge line…. More flowy single track. We then dropped down a short section of fire road and reached our entrance…to the mine!
If you didn’t know it was there I doubt you would ever find it. Hidden away at the side of the hill was the entrance to a network of 100’s of km of mine shafts and tracks, 10km of which Anej has created ‘The black hole’ trial. We entered the mine on level 4, and had a 2km ride, underground, to the trail head. Whilst riding through the mine, Anej pointed out features of the mine, such as an old elevator, tunnels and even a newspaper that had been left behind. It really was like stepping back in time. Anej is an amazing guide, and although the nerves were starting to creep in (after all we were 2km underground), he made us feel so safe and looked after us every step of the way.
We walked down to view the first few corners, which we soon realised were pretty slippy. Mud from outside was starting to build a slick layer on the surface of the rock so we had to take it pretty steady.
Straight away the trail felt pretty gnarly. The corners where steep, slippy and technical, not to mention you had to watch out not to bang your head! The muddy layer slowly started to disappear the deeper we got into the mine and the grip started to return. The trail however, got more and more technical as we ventured further. With each section of riding Anej would take great care to ensure that the group was safe and all together. The trail consisted of link sections where you would ride along flatter ground before reaching the next section steep chutes twists and turns. Some chutes were so steep they were near impossible to ride, with only a handful of pro riding having given them a go. At these points we opted to play it safe and lowered our bikes down to the next section of trail. This involved looping a stretch of rope over your saddle and lowering it down the chute before climbing down a ladder. As we navigated our way through the mine we learnt about the mining techniques, how deep some of the holes were (very deep) and learnt about the different types of rocks that could be found. I can honestly say it was the best trail I have ever ridden, not only for the riding but for the unique experience of being 500m underground!
After 3km we reached the end of the “black hole” trail and joined a 5km track which would bring us out on level 7 of the mine. We then had a short section of single track which led us back to the bottom of the hill, and to the van. From this point our time riding in Slovenia came to an end. Definitely finished on a high!
We then spent the rest of our time relaxing by the pool, eating good food and have a few beers! It was easy to say that is was on of the best trips I have done and I would love to go back and experience it all again!
Words & Pictures: Hannah Davies