I vividly remember my first visit to Paklenica: 17-year-old-me, a climbing newbie armed with obsessive motivation, marching into the canyon clueless to what I was about to face. The impeccable limestone walls soared 350 meters into the air giving me chills and a special sense of respect. To this day, nearly 20 years later, that feeling still gets me every time—even though I’ve walked in there on hundreds of occasions.
Climb in the heart of a national park
Paklenica is one of eight national parks in Croatia, a surprisingly high number for a country this size (Slovenia only has one, for comparison). Among the parks, Paklenica is alone in being intertwined with climbing—bolting is not allowed in the others.
What you’ll find is hundreds of high-quality multi-pitch routes, ranging from the easiest pitches imaginable to some of the hardest big wall undertakings in Europe. If multi-pitch is not your cup of tea, Paklenica will also treat you with equally great sport routes. No matter how you get to the top, you’ll enjoy stellar views and can even scout your beach spot for when the climbing day is done—the Adriatic is just at the canyon’s doorstep.
Note that this is a popular place for tourists too, so expect a busier place than most other crags in Croatia.
A historical arena of alpinists
Paklenica has a history of big wall quests going back to the 1930s. For years, it was a stomping ground for Croatian, Slovenian, and Italian alpinists who used the walls to hone their skills for bigger exploits climbing in the Dolomites and beyond. This alpine mensch rivalry gave birth to a unique competition in Paklenica: big wall speed climbing.
The course is a dedicated 5-pitch, 160m route graded 6c+ (5.11c), with the annual event taking place during the labor day holidays for the past 22 years. There are strict rules: free climbing is obligatory and simul-climbing is forbidden.
Did you know that a 57hours Co-Founder is the fastest Croatian?
It was inevitable for two motivated young guns (one of which later became the Co-Founder of 57hours!) to jump on the competition train. My brother Perica and I debuted in 2007 and meticulously competed until 6 years later when we outran our alpine mentors claiming the record in 20 minutes and 49 seconds.
Could it go below 20? The Croatian climbing public was anxious to know.
Perica and I opted not to leave them wondering. The following year, we devised a training plan with a ridiculous amount of pull ups, interval sprint running, and comp simulations until we memorized every single move of the route.
The result? We cruised it in 15:16! Just to put things in perspective, that’s 1 min. 30 sec. per pitch per person. The record still holds today—if you are after some instant climbing fame in Croatia, here’s your chance!