Women’s Alpine Adventure Club
Backcountry Snowshoeing in Slovenia
07.02.25 - 13.02.25
£1150pp (Paid in 3 instalments)
I had the most amazing trip with More to Explore. Mikaela was an outstanding guide. Extremely knowledgeable about the local area from food to culture to history to ecology.
(Lauren, WAAC, 2024)
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Inspire me!
Join us in February 2025 as we venture into Slovenia’s incredible winter backcountry, designed especially for members of the Women’s Alpine Adventure Club! As part of this exciting trip, you will have the opportunity to develop the skills needed to plan and undertake your own multi-day winter hiking and snowshoeing tours, with a focus on countries or areas where there are few or no established, marked winter trails.
With Mikaela’s supportive, friendly and fun facilitation we will develop our skills through 2 days of winter hiking in the beautiful, vast forests of the Pokljuka Plateau, followed by a 3-day tour on the breathtaking Komna plateau, high up in the Julian Alps. This is the perfect blend of holiday and skill development!
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Who's coming?
Any members of the Women’s Alpine Adventure Club who would like to explore Slovenia in winter! This week will be particularly suitable for those with a comfortable amount of summer mountain hiking experience with some in alpine terrain, looking to expand their journeys into the winter season. Equally, this programme is ideal for those with some winter skills looking for a refresher and to expand into multi-day tours.
Although the trip will take place in rolling terrain, many of the plateaus in Slovenia require sustained uphill walks from the valley to access them. Therefore, you should feel comfortable embarking on long full-day hikes, including sustained ascents and descents whilst carrying a 38-40ltr rucksack.
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Leading Together
Mikaela is passionate about collaborations and she is excited to work with the wonderful women of WAAC to support access for women to our Alpine areas. Mikaela first met founder Jenny through the Women’s Trad Festival back in the UK, which Mikaela attended as a volunteer leader. Our WAAC Slovenia trip is built from and for women supporting women!
Itinerary
Mikaela’s itineraries are always bespoke and planned around each unique group. Depending on conditions, weather and group dynamics our routes may change to ensure an incredible experience is shared by all.
The below overview forms the basis of our planning and will inspire each day but part of the adventure is adapting to change and making positive decisions!
Day-by-day
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Arrive in Slovenia at Ljubljana Jože Pečnik Aiport, where Mikaela will be there to meet you with our pre-booked transport. From the airport we will transfer to our accommodation on the Pokljuka plateau, situated at around 1200M.
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We will have a relaxed start for breakfast, giving the opportunity to soak in our beautiful surroundings in the forest and get to know each other. Once we are ready to start the day, we will introduce the equipment, fit our snowshoes and head off for a journey up through the forest to a nearby Alpine pasture, identifying animal tracks and traces as we go and introducing some basic movement techniques.
In the afternoon Mikaela will facilitate some group learning activities, and we will have time to relax and enjoy our surroundings before dinner.
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Today we will head out on a longer journey, including some ascent, introducing additional movement techniques and avalanche awareness. We will have the opportunity to view some incredible perspectives of the snow-covered Julian Alps visiting a mountain hut (known as Koča in Slovene) for a traditional alpine lunch. In the evening we will pack our bags ready to depart for the expedititn phase tomorrow.
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We will set off from the hotel in the morning, driving along the edge of lake Bohinj to the start of our hiking trail. Following a long, winding and in places steep ascent, we will make our way up to the Komna plateau and Dom na Komna (1520M) .
Arriving in the afternoon, we will have time to pause and enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the higher mountains surrounding us, before practicing the techniques needed for companion avalanche rescue with Transceiver, Probe and Shovel (TPS).
We will be staying in Dormitory style accommodation and some time in the evening will be spent discussing route options and conditions for the following the day.
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Setting off after breakfast we will embark on a longer snowshoeing journey across the Komna Plateau. There are plenty of options for adventure here, and as a group we will plan and explore the best route to suit the conditions, whether that is a journey to a peak, saddle, or plateau circuit.
Returning to our hut we will cook using our stoves and learn how to stay safe and warm on independent multi-day journeys in an Alpine environment.
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After packing up, enjoying a warm breakfast and thanking our hosts, we will make our way out for another winter circuit, seeking out historic settlements and remnants from WWI. Here there may be the opportunity for a diversion to visit a 2000M peak whose rounded nature makes it ideal for snowshoeing. Returning back to the valley we will enjoy one last evening together, reflecting on our experiences, reviewing our learning and celebrating our achievements.
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As we bid farewell to the mountains we will have the chance for a cold water dip in the iconic waters of lake Bled before enjoying a final celebratory lunch together and transferring to the airport or Ljubljana for our journeys home.
Accommodation
We will stay at a mix of comfortable, welcoming hotels, and classic Slovenian Alpine Cottages as part of this trip, giving you a real taste of mountain culture, food and friendly hosts.
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Hotel Jelka
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Dom na Komni
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Koča pod Bogatinom
Inclusions
Inclusions
All in-country transfers (including airport pick-up and drop-off)
6 nights accommodation
Equipment rental (Snowshoes, Avalanche trio, Walking Poles)
All of your breakfasts, lunches and dinners (except the expedition outdoor cooking evening) up until lunch on day 7
Expert guidance and instruction.
Exclusions
Arrival costs (eg flights, trains etc)
Personal equipment and clothing
One additional dinner for our outdoor cooking evening, we recommend Fire Pot or similar
Individual Insurance (we will ask for copies of this in advance)
Drinks
Additional snacks
FAQs
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The essence of snowshoeing is built on hiking, using a greater surface area to prevent you from sinking into the snow. This is achieved through the use of specially designed wide-framed rackets, which you attach to your boots with bindings. Snowshoeing is a wonderful low-impact activity, perfect for exploring the winter environment away from the crowds, ski resorts and prepared tracks. This is referred to as the winter backcountry.
For mountaineering, snowshoes can be used to approach routes and access hard-to-reach places with deep snow.
It is estimated that the first snowshoes were created 4000-6000 years ago and were made from wood, woven baskets and sometimes fur. Modern snowshoes are mostly made from plastic and aluminium, although some still prefer traditionally crafted shoes.
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A full kit list will be sent upon booking, but all technical equipment, including Snowshoes and Avalanche trio (Transceiver, Probe, Shovel) will be provided for you. To get started you’ll need to think about warm clothes, waterproofs, gaiters and a warm 4 season sleeping bag.
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Snowshoeing itself is very easy to get started, and you can learn the initial techniques required in just a few hours. As you gain confidence, more skills can be developed and journeys can be extended into more remote places. The most challenging skills to develop are avalanche awareness and route planning. You don’t need any prior snowshoeing experience for this tour, it is suitable for winter beginners with a good level of summer mountain hiking experience and for those with some winter experience looking to explore Slovenia’s winter backcountry.
Whatever your base level is, we will work together to create an appropriate level of challenge to suit the group’s needs.
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This tour would be suitable for anyone with a good level of fitness from regular hillwalking in the UK or similar, which can be developed in the time leading up to departure. Although this tour is suitable for beginners there will be elements of challenge throughout the journey. Moving through fresh snow is tiring and we will have some long ascents to enable us to reach some amazing and remote places. Our routes and distances are carefully planned so we will have plenty of time to move slowly, rest and work together.
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Route planning, Research, Avalanche forecasting and Equipment.
Slope aspect and angle and why it matters in winter.
Winter navigation skills and techniques.
Transceiver, Probe and Shovel techniques, including avalanche awareness, checks and searches.
Use of huts and cottages, including booking, etiquette and safe winter access.
Understanding the winter environment; tracks, traces and adaptations.
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This is not a winter mountaineering course, so we will not be using or requiring crampons, axes or the skills and techniques of Alpinism.
We will be focusing on journey planning, winter movement skills and avalanche awareness.
Ready for next winter already?
Last year our places were all snapped up by the summer. If you would like to be sure you get a 2025 spot, pop me an email and you can book your place now with just a 20% deposit.
