Let’s Clean Up Our Mountains – Hiking Trails for Future Generations
Slovenia has more than 10,000 kilometres of hiking trails and one in three Slovenians hikes in the mountains. The Let’s Clean Up Our Mountains initiative brings together more than 36,000 ambassadors for clean mountains and unspoilt nature. We are united by the motto: Let's take good memories down to the valley, but let's take the rubbish, too.
Fifteen years on, the movement has outgrown its original framework. We will now build its future based on three pillars of education to ensure that visits to the mountains are based on being responsible towards nature and other people, as well as being safe and enjoyable.
Cleaning
In 15 years, hikers have jointly cleaned up more than 30 tonnes of litter. At 78 of the most visited spots in the highland and high mountain areas, we have erected wooden signs encouraging hikers to be environmentally responsible.
Symbolically, on the occasion of the 240th anniversary of the first ascent of Triglav, we also cleaned the Triglavski Podi area in the heart of Triglav National Park. Despite the snow, several dozen volunteers joined forces to clean up the surroundings of the Triglavski Dom na Kredarici mountain hut, as well as the wider Triglav Glacier area and its more difficult-to-reach sections, where rubbish had built up over decades. Among the items found were the remains of aircraft wreckage, lost helicopter cargo and a New Year’s garland.
Safety in mountains
Mountain huts are at particular risk of fire, as they are mostly made of wood, have limited water supplies, and access is difficult for firefighters. In recent years, a number of huts have burnt to the ground. We have therefore donated more than 150 automatic fire-extinguishing ampoules to 52 huts, which detect and automatically extinguish the initial fire. Many mountain huts also have old electrical wiring, which often contributes to fires, so we have co-financed the measurement of electrical wiring in high mountain huts together with the Alpine Association of Slovenia.
There are around 880 trail markers in Slovenia, which means that each of them takes care of an average of 11 km of hiking trails. We would like to give recognition to their dedicated work to make trips to the mountains safer. That's why, for the seventh season running, we are choosing the Best Hiking Trail. Hikers vote to choose one of the hiking trails that is beautiful and worth visiting, but worn and dangerous. We then donate funds to the related trail markers to help them restore it.
Every year, rescuers from the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia carry out more than 500 interventions. The annual Let’s Clean Up Our Mountains campaign supports mountain rescuers by funding courses and equipment to help them rescue casualties faster and more efficiently.
Promoting an active lifestyle in nature
We have prepared more than 72 suggestions for family hiking trips – all the routes have been carefully selected and tested, and most of them are suitable for children.
We are actively involved in the renovation of playgrounds at mountain huts, encouraging the youngest hikers to spend their free time actively in the great outdoors.
We love reading about mountains. That's why we have equipped 10 mountain huts with Let’s Clean Up Our Mountains bookshelves, which also feature publications on hiking etiquette. Because you know a real mountaineer by their greeting and their smile.