A huge stretch of limestone above the village of Roč just begs to be climbed. Yet, it was untouched until some 10 years ago. While there is a very active, if small, Istrian climbing scene, they were focused on developing smaller nearby crags first.
Then one day during an asparagus hunt, my Istrian friends noticed shiny new bolts on the wall. Upon closer inspection, they found the bolter too: an eager Austrian climber on holiday who couldn’t resist. Kompanj was born and the rest is history.
Limestone for everyone
Kompanj quickly became a go-to place in Istria owing to its universal appeal: no matter what grade you climb you will enjoy limestone at its best.
Technical crimp fests? Check. Tufa wrestling trickery? Check. Easy slabs for beginners? Check. Endurance monsters? Check. Bouldery shorties? Check. New route potential? Check, check, check! Pair that with the marvelous Istrian towns, mouth-watering cuisine, famous wines, even more famous olive oils, and you’ve got yourself a climbing destination destined to bloom.
There is more to Istria climbing than Kompanj
Kompanj kicked-off intense climbing development on the peninsula. Adjoining Italy and Slovenia, the international community joined forces to create the highest concentration of crags there is in Croatia—today Istria is loaded with epic spots. To name a few, Pandora is a 45-degree out-of-this-world tufa-blob overhang with a pass-through waterfall, and Buzet canyon is a summer heaven.
I need to give a honorary mention to Dvigrad, even if its climbing style is out of fashion. This historical Istrian crag has nothing but slabs but holds a piece of world climbing history. In 1988, the slab king, Maurizio Manolo Zanolla, put up a legendary route, Malvazija, grading it 8b+ (5.14a). We waited 29 years for the first repeat by Cody Roth who proposed an upgrade to 8c+ (5.14c)! Another 12 have passed since then and we are eager for the 2nd repeat. Another chance for climbing fame in Croatia up for the grabs! I already tried my luck.