Kompanj

🧗‍♀️ Not far from Roč, above a typical Istrian village of Klobasi, in an idyllic ambient, you can enjoy in one of the most beautiful and most popular of Croatian climbing sites – Kompanj. It is one of the most popular crags in Istria and it offers plenty excellent routes within a rather short (10-15min) walking distance. The climbing is very versatile and there's overhangs with tufas and also some nice grey slabs with crimps. Overall the climbing is technical and you'll benefit from good endurance. Some of the harder routes require more power.

⛑ The rock quality is rather good but there might be some loose parts. The base is not huge but it should be comfortable enough also for families with kids. It is advisable to have a longer rope and more quickdraws than usual. In weekends with nice weather the area may become crowded.

☀️ Kompanj is an excellent choice for sunny winter days as it stays well in the sun. Then again this also means that the crag gets too hot for climbing during summer.

🌄 The scenery is beautiful with an idyllic village below.

Remark: Be discrete and behave in a manner that preserves the charm and peacefulness of this area.
Accomodation: Camp in Raspadalica. Guesthouses s in Roč (http://tz-buzet.hr).

Kompanj is not an old crag. Local climbers somehow overlooked its potential for years and concentrated their effort on other crags that, nowadays, have become less popular. The history of Kompanj is interesting: Austrian climber and filmmaker Leo Baumgartner visited Istria and, in particular, the Buzet area while scouting for a location to film Perfume, the movie based on the bestselling book by German writer Patrick Süskind. Baumgartner fell in love with the village Roč and ever since then he has been a regular visitor and important driving force in the discovery of new crags close to Roč and Buzet. Leo and his friends have put a lot of work and effort into Kompanj, preparing the paths and bolting the routes. All job is done with love and care and all the climbs are perfectly bolted.

After Leo & Co’s efforts, two sectors on the lower part of Kompanj were cleaned and bolted by a group of Italian climbers. Later some local Croatian climbers and German visitors established some new routes to increase a total number to climbs to over one hundred.