Izidor Furjan is a post graduate student of Geography and English at the Faculty of Arts in Maribor and a volunteer of HI Slovenia. He’s a guide of the Slovenian mountaineering society with categories A, B, C and D and also a trainer of orientation. Since 2011 he’s also been an international guide. In 2013 the youth council of Slovenia awarded him the volunteer of the year award, to honour all of the work he’s done so far. Now we’ll explain how Izidor experienced the maiden mountaineering experiences as a child, what he’s thinking about while in the mountains and what are his plans for the foreseeable future.
As you’re also an international guide, which expeditions did you participate in?
There have been plenty. In Europe we’ve reached almost anything… well, a few peaks are probably still left. We’ve been to the mountain summits from Greece to Lithuania, although there the tallest peak has only the elevation of 200m above sea level – elsewhere it was much more. In the past few years I’ve also been to Asia. I’ve gone to China, Kirgizia, and to the Russian part of the Caucasus mountains. This year I’m going to Georgia.
Since when have you got the feeling that mountains are your (second) home?
I don’t know. It’s always nice to go, but also nice to return home. During summer it’s really crowded and I can sometimes hardly wait for autumn to spend more time at home. In the summer time there are many week-long or ten day tours, so it does me good from time to time to just be at home, lay around without any physical or mental burdens or stress. Still, I guess after two lazy weeks I’d want to return to the mountains and would get wanderlust if I wouldn’t go.
What are you pondering while up in the mountains?
When you’re in a group, you need to animate people, make them have fun and they love a personal touch, but when you’re alone and have a six, seven, eight or more hours to reach the goal, you start to animate yourself. I think of beautiful things to motivate myself and focus on thought that kep me going. It’s really important to be persistent.
Is there a special ritual you have, when you reach the mountain?
I remember when I was younger, I was “christened” every time I reached a new summit. I got beaten with a rope. The height of the summit didn’t matter, it could be a thousand, two thousand… meters tall. I never liked the ritual. Now, when a group reaches the summit, the first thing is usually lunch. I congratulate everybody who reaches the top even if it’s only 200m tall. And then we go down. I strongly support the notion of returning as quickly as possible, otherwise people get tired in the afternoon, with danger of sun strokes or rain showers.
Do you keep track of all the peaks you’ve conquered?
No, there’s no chance I could count them all. It’s also hard to say as I’ve been to some of them several times. I don’t even keep track of those above a certain elevation.
How do you rate the recognisability and organization of Slovenian mountain trails?
I think we have well maintained trails in Slovenia, although here and again some people will complain. We are an Alpine nation, but still cannot compare to Austria, where you can find lodges above 3000m with running hot water and self-service buffet – it’s like a real hotel. But they are a few generations ahead of us. In Slovenia the lodges are more rugged, offering stews, tea and a warm place to spend the night. In many cases abroad mountain cabins are more a shelter than the facility we are used to. In Kirgizia I was hoping to get a good night rest and something to eat, but there was nothing in the cabin. So I spent four days with snacks and water from the creek while sleeping under the night sky. On the other hand I’ve found a cabin on Tenerife that advertised they’ve got WiFi, food and drinks, but you had to pay 2€ per 15 minutes of WiFi and they’ve installed a snack machine for food and beverages.
With ever more full schedules, do people tend to visit nature and mountains more?
Is it an upward trend? Maybe. On one side there’s the recession and people can’t afford to go to mountains, on the other hand there are many people – mainly above 50 – that are going to mountains. For many of them their work is stressful. I’ve heard many times that people just couldn’t survive their work without going to mountains to unwind. They want to reach the top. There’s the physical strain, but mentally they relax. In the past few years there’s an increase on the lighter tourist trails. Among youth, however, it is not so much interest. Students probably go on their own in un-organised groups, while even younger groups don’t come to mountains at all. I guess it’s not so popular as being a footballer.
What do you suggest to the laymen (once-a-month) mountain visitors?
Those how go once a month are quite good really. They have some ritual, continuity. I’d suggest them to go on climbs that are not above their ability and level of fitness. Some trails are not well marked, so it’s always good to have somebody in a group that knows the way already. And you need to have a sense of orientation. The right preparation is very important. On htibi.net you can find many good descriptions of trails, with maps and tips about equipment in various seasons.
