The Slovenian Mountain Rescue Service organizes approximately 300 rescues a year and has become an indispensable part of life in the mountains – an often hostile world where safety can never be taken for granted. Foto: MMC RTV SLO/T. O.
The Slovenian Mountain Rescue Service organizes approximately 300 rescues a year and has become an indispensable part of life in the mountains – an often hostile world where safety can never be taken for granted. Foto: MMC RTV SLO/T. O.

Slovenia is a country whose identity is shaped by its Alpine peaks, and for generations, brave men and women from the valleys have set out to explore the often hostile terrain high above the tree line. The Slovenian Mountain Rescue Service has long played an important role in the history of mountain exploration, but its history began with small steps.

Slovenia’s first mountain guides were largely hunters and poachers who were hired to assist climbers at high altitudes. They knew the terrain and were able to provide assistance when conditions took a turn for the worse.

The first recorded organized mountain rescue took place in the Julian Alps in 1822. A man was struck by lightning; a team of rescuers was dispatched to help him, but he died of his injuries. For years, mountain rescues were conducted using bare bones equipment. The wounded were simply transported to the valley in bags, since the rescuers had little of any medical equipment to provide on-the-spot treatment. The rescue operations took many hours, sometimes days.

In 1902, Mojstrana became the site of the first officially organized mountain rescue team, and ten years later, the Slovenian Mountain Rescue Service was founded in Kranjska Gora, now a major resort but then a sleepy Alpine village. In the years that followed, the service organized various expeditions to help mountaineers in need. Their gear was still relatively basic, but represented a substantial improvement over what had been available before.

The period after World War II saw the modernization of the Mountain Rescue Service. Rescue units were established throughout the country, and these days, about 650 people ae on constant standby should their help be needed. The rescue teams, still composed entirely of volunteers who are determined to help out others, use helicopters and work closely with both the police and the armed forces.

The Slovenian Mountain Rescue Service organizes approximately 300 rescues a year and has become an indispensable part of life in the mountains – an often hostile world where safety can never be taken for granted.