Blagaj - Description

Description

This relatively new climbing area quickly rose to become one of the biggest, most beautiful, and most diverse climbing areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the edge of the cozy village of Blagaj, not far from the spring of Buna, a high-volume icy stream that emerges straight out of the 200m rock face. Directly next to the spring, nested under the rocks is the Tekija Blagaj, a Dervish monastery from the 16th century that is a part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.
Blagaj's geographical position, pleasant climate, and sector orientation made the climbing season last almost all year. The French Scale is used to evaluate the routes - routes that will satisfy all climbers from old-school slabs with small edges that require maximum precision, and fine-tuned footwork, to totally modern athletics in extremely overhanging walls. The Rebro sector is in a position where you can climb it all year.
The sectors Pejotl (A), Pčelinjak (B), Ljut(C), Crvena stijena (D), Duga peć, Karantena (E), and Vučije Točilo (H) are great for winter since they are mostly in the sun and if the wind is not too strong you can climb in just a t-shirt. During summer, it gets unbearably hot after 10 a.m. in these sectors. Then you can move on to the canyon sectors Hladovina (K), Publika(J), and Ispod-Vodopanac(M) which usually have a bit of wind and offer different orientations that provide shade. If you are still too hot you can go and visit nearby Tekija and Buna sources to cool off. It is probably one of the coldest waters you will ever swim in.

Characteristics of the rocks and climbing routes on the climbing site in Blagaj:

-The climbing crag in Blagaj occupies a rather large geographic area of some 2.5 kilometers in length.
– The limestone is of exceptional quality due to the geological image of the terrain and the pleasant climate.
-The variety of angles and length of the individual sectors have enabled Blagaj to have all kinds of routes: from the least difficult ones to the ones suited for the top climbers.
– The length of the routes goes from 15 meters to the sports multi-pitches of 200 meters.
-There are about 230 routes, and the level of difficulty goes from 3 to potential 8c.
-You need to carry 15 quickdraws and 70 m rope.
-Always beware of the goats that live on the climbing area, use your helmets and don't disturb the nature ;)

History

Welcome to Blagaj
Just 12 km outside of Mostar, on the river Buna, sits the magical town of Blagaj.
A medieval city of the Hum country from which Herzegovina was founded in the middle of the 15th century.
Due to its proximity to the Adriatic Sea and its low altitude, the climate in Blagaj is Mediterranean,
and it is not surprising that there are 200 sunny days per year.
By the clear and cold River Buna, with one of the strongest springs in the world, Blagaj is adorned with the natural beauty and harmony of the Dervish Tekija, Fortress of Stjepan-grad, The Velagićevina family complex, and many other natural wonders.

However, in 2014 Blagaj will gain another synonym by which it will be known:
Rocks
With the arrival of the country’s most experienced and strongest sport climber, Salih Mulaosmanović a huge potential for sport climbing and other adventurous sports was revealed on the slopes above Blagaj.

In the autumn of 2014, with the help of his friends and interested locals, Salih began equipping the first routes laying the foundation for what would become the Blagaj climbing area.

Parallel to equipping the first routes and tidying the first sectors (Pejotl, Pčelinjak) Salih, together with the New Wave Youth Club, created two artificial walls for climbing in the Eco Centre Blagaj which will serve as the base for the development of the climbing area Blagaj, for a long period in the future.
Having a clear vision, in the winter of 2014/2015 Salih and globally known climber Quentin Chastagnier opened the Crvene stijene sector which offers athletic-style climbing on tufas as well as preparing the approach to the sectors that would be opened in the near future.

In the spring of 2015, the first bolting weekend was organized resulting in significant cooperation with the ASPK Neretva - led by Vedran Ugljen - and PD Željezničar which was of great importance for the development of the Blagaj climbing area and the national climbing scene.
In the autumn of that same year, Blagaj was visited by one of the biggest legends in alpinism, Silvo Karo resulting in the opening of the "Ljut" sector.
Because of the complexity of the terrain in the climbing area, a lot of effort and work actions were needed in order to prepare the approaches to the climbing sectors.
The biggest potential for sport climbing Salih discovered in the canyon of Vulin Potok which demanded a safe infrastructure to approach every climbing sector resulting in the creation of a Via Ferrata in the winter of 2015/2016 built with the help of Blagaj’s now deceased Ibrahim Balalić and many others.
In 2016, the Rebro sector was opened. In 2017, as a result of the third bolting weekend, three new sectors were opened:
Publika
Hladovina
and Ispod-Vodopanac, also, the first multi-pitch routes were being equipped which later on became a new sector - Duga peć.
Shortly after, two of the best sectors in Blagaj were opened:
Vučije točilo and Šube,
and in the winter, the Via Ferrata was completed connecting the canyon and the climbing area as a whole.
In the spring of 2018, Salih began equipping the overhanging king line “Ihsan” on the sector Šube one of the hardest routes in this style of climbing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Among the many climbers who visited and stayed in Blagaj
and left an indelible mark on the climbing area with their work and knowledge, we cannot fail to mention Wanja Lohmeier.
With his effort and experience, Wanja set a new standard in the climbing area by equipping one of the hardest routes in the sectors Vučije točilo, Šube, and Crvene stijene.
The time Wanja spent in Blagaj had a huge influence on the local climbing scene and the development of the climbing area.
Between 2018 and 2020, Blagaj was visited by many national and international climbers and great progress in the local climbing scene happened in the summer of 2020 when a large number of young people from Blagaj joined the climbing club.
The period of the Coronavirus pandemic was quite productively used
opening up a new sector - Karantena, equipped by the guys from ASPK Neretva with the help of a few international climbers.
Also, by the initiative of ASPK Neretva, a climber's shelter was built in the Rebro sector
greatly strengthening the bond between the two clubs and popularizing the sector itself.
In the spring of 2021, the Balkan Colours team organized a bolting course in Blagaj resulting in the equipping of many new routes and the opening of the Gavran sector.
The engagement of the local climbers in this whole story resulted in a large number of working actions, such as
Organizing many climbing events, including two climbing festivals, promoting sport climbing, and the club itself, and collaborating with many climbing clubs nationally and internationally.
Slowly but surely, with diligent and dedicated work, in the autumn of 2022, the climbing area Blagaj looks like this: