Velika (Koroška) Baba (2.127m) - via ferrata B
(Possibly) the least-visited via ferrata in Slovenia: spectacular views, that overwhelming feeling of both being huge and tiny all at once
On that day—which was a regular workday for most people, but a holiday for us (Friday)—I decided to head out with two friends to climb Velika (Koroška) Baba, right on the border with Austria. This peak often gets overlooked for no good reason—maybe because it’s pretty far away, almost at the very end of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, practically in Austria, so there’s quite a bit of driving to get there. But hey, there’s a reason we look for those hidden, isolated corners of the mountains. We hardly ran into anyone along the way—just two other hikers from Croatia who had the same idea, and that was it for human company.
A very challenging marked trail – via ferrata set and helmet absolutely required
The route we chose is definitely not easy and not for people who haven’t already done at least a few via ferratas before. The thing is, before you even “enter” the ferrata itself (as us mountaineers like to say), you first have to hike a long way: through the forest, up loose scree, all the while fully exposed to the sun—and you’re carrying all your gear in a heavy pack.
The trail starts in the Ravenska Kočna valley and climbs steadily through the woods (there are already some cables for your hands), and you slowly make your way up to Mrzla dolina (about 1 hour 30 minutes of walking). At the crossroads, don’t turn toward Češka koča—you have to go left, which is easy to spot because there’s a big gully there. Another via ferrata (through Žrelo) climbs up that gully, but we skipped it because it was closed at the time due to falling rocks.
We followed the Slovenska pot instead. The trail is secured with cables from the start, and the ascent begins immediately. You have to be careful and steady the whole time because the rock is really brittle and keeps breaking off. There are some pretty exposed sections, but the feeling you get is absolutely rewarding. Once you climb out of the ferrata section, the trail merges with the one coming up from Žrelo, and from there it’s an easier walk over to the Kranjska koča mountain hut at Ledine.
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Entrance of "via ferrata" - slovenski pot direction |
Beginning – Mrzla dolina
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The only way is up
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The real ferrata and the technical parts were still ahead
When we’re climbing, we never take breaks longer than 15 minutes—we don’t sit down for lunch or overburden our bodies unnecessarily. We just grab a chocolate bar, an energy gel, or something salty as we go, and keep moving toward the goal. So right after the hut, we continued on.
The path from the hut is almost flat at first, but pretty soon you step onto bare rock and see the first cables. The trail is well-secured and goes sideways across the rock face before dropping down into a gully and then climbing again, followed by another traverse. The rock here is really fragile, so every step needs to be deliberate, calm, and careful.
Then, finally, the trail drops enough to catch a bit of shade—and right in front of you rises a vertical wall covered in cables. That’s where the real climb begins: a steep, gravity-defying ascent. This part is the most exposed, and you need good strength in both your arms and legs. But the wall is so nicely grooved that it’s actually a lot of fun to climb—your hiking boots grip the rock perfectly.
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| Vertical wall ready to climb |
Vertical climbing
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Just under the peak
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On the way back, we decided to take the easier hiking trail down the Austrian side so we could make it a circular route. We’d barely made it to the mountain hut when it started pouring. I always say the key to being a good hiker is being fast—speed in the mountains saves you. That’s how we managed to stay dry. So we just chilled in the hut for a bit and grabbed something to eat. Rain lasted for 30 minutes max. From the hut back to the car in Ravenska Kočna, we had to descend the same path—down the ferrata to the gully, then carefully over the scree, back into the forest, and finally to the parking lot.
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| On the summit of Velika Baba |
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| Somewhere below Rinka ridge on the way back to hut |
Tour wrap-up
Exhausted but fulfilled, we finally made it to the car.
Technically, the via ferrata itself isn’t super demanding—rated B, no overhangs, and no massive exposure or sketchy sections. But the cables are rusty, wobbly, or missing in places, so you definitely need gloves and to be really careful about where you grab so you don’t cut your hands.
I’m honestly not sure I’d recommend this route to beginners—especially anyone who’s driving 3 hours to the trailhead in the morning and then has to drive another 3 hours home at night after such a long, strenuous hike.
Here is a living proof recorded in .gpx file of that climb
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