Bears on Toast

Anića kuk – Stup (west side) · Paklenica · Croatia

Easy to bailBolting confidence: medium

Two hard pitches up the water-worn slabs of the Stup, then two easy ones to finish. Pitch 1 pulls through a big roof on a hand crack; pitch 2 climbs the famous deep water grooves and ends on a holdless slab that many find the hardest part. bergsteigen.com calls the combination the best line on the Stup.

A view of the region, not this route's wall. The limestone walls of the Velika Paklenica canyon near its entrance.Photo: Pudelek (Marcin Szala) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Hardest pitch: 6c+
Pitches: 4
Length: 120 m
Approach: 20 min
Aspect: W; West-facing
Rope: 2×60 m recommended for the abseil; bergsteigen.com lists a 50 m rope for the climbing

The route

Overview

Bears on Toast is the hard sport route of the Stup, the pillar at the foot of Anića kuk. The route proper is about 60 m: two pitches of 6c+ that combine a roof crack, steep climbing on enormous water grooves and a friction slab with almost no holds. Above, two easy pitches shared with the neighbouring lines lead to the top of the Stup, giving a four-pitch outing of about 120 m. It is bolted throughout, with an obligatory grade of about 6b+ to 6c+ depending on the source, so the hard pitches have to be climbed rather than pulled through.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

6c+6c+5b5b

Pitches of Bears on Toast
Pitch	Grade	Notes
P1	6c+	Straight into a big roof split by a hand crack, which has to be climbed free. A 2017 party found the holds at the 6c+ exit from the roof very polished; otherwise a pleasant pitch. bergsteigen.com describes the usual start as the entry pitch of Brid za mali čekić.
P2	6c+	A small roof, then very steep, powerful climbing on huge water grooves, and finally a holdless slab at 6c+ that is climbed on friction and tiny foot movements. The outstanding pitch.
P3	5b	Easy, enjoyable climbing on perfect limestone. bergsteigen.com gives 5b for the two upper pitches; camptocamp and plezanje.net give 4c.
P4	5b	More of the same to the top of the Stup. bergsteigen.com describes the upper part as following Domžalski.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Base yourself in Starigrad-Paklenica, on the coast road between Rijeka and Zadar. From Zagreb it is about 235 km by the A1 to the Maslenica exit, then 15 km along the coast. A signed road leaves the eastern end of the village for the national park. Buy a ticket at the entrance (climbers can buy 3-day and 5-day tickets), then drive on to the last car park at the end of the road.

On foot · about 20 min

From the last car park follow the main path up the gorge. After about 15 min, before the path levels out, a signed path branches right for Anića kuk. Follow it up for about 50 m of height gain to a fork: right for the Stup, left for the Trapez, Klin, north-west and north faces. Go right. The start is at the very foot of the Stup pillar, in a corner, at about 260 m. About 20 min.

Map of the walk-in

Crag
Parking

Loading map

The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.

Coordinates · crag

44.30671, 15.47783

Parking

44.30372, 15.47109

Last car park in the Velika Paklenica gorge (bergsteigen.com map marker 'Ende der Straße')

Point from Mountain Project sector point for Stup (G17–20); the approximate bergsteigen.com start markers for routes on the Stup lie within about 70 m of it

For your phone or watch

Download GPX

Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.

Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.

Getting down

Descent

From the top of pitch 4 make one 60 m abseil to the south and walk round the Stup back to the start, or make three abseils down the route. Then return by the approach path; about 30 min to the car park. If you carry on up Domžalski to the summit of Anića kuk (712 m), come down the marked hiking path instead.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Easy to bail

bergsteigen.com gives three abseils down the route as one of the two normal descents, and all belays are bolted, so you can retreat from any belay.

Retreat from: Any belay.
Point of no return: None documented.
Carry: Two ropes; the source recommends 60 m.
Basis: Stated in the sourcesAbseiling the route is stated as a descent option on bergsteigen.com; abseil lengths per stage are not given.

Safety

Hazards

Polished holds at the exit from the roof on pitch 1 (2017 report).
Bolt spacing is wider than on plaisir routes, and the obligatory grade is high: UIAA 7 (about 6b+) on bergsteigen.com, 6c+ on camptocamp.
The one-abseil descent to the south is 60 m: it needs two 60 m ropes with knotted ends.

Sun and weather

Conditions

West facing at the foot of the gorge, start at about 260 m: bergsteigen.com marks March to May and September to November. Pitch lengths and bolt counts are not published in the open part of any source read.

Usual season · Mar to May, Sep to Nov

JFMAMJJASOND

Sun on the wall · W-facing

Working out the sunlit hours for this month.

January: not yet worked out
February: not yet worked out
March (usual season): not yet worked out
April (usual season): not yet worked out
May (usual season): not yet worked out
June: not yet worked out
July: not yet worked out
August: not yet worked out
September (usual season): not yet worked out
October (usual season): not yet worked out
November (usual season): not yet worked out
December: not yet worked out
060912151821

Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season

Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.

Monthly climate averages for Paklenica, 1991-2020
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar (usual season)	Apr (usual season)	May (usual season)	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep (usual season)	Oct (usual season)	Nov (usual season)	Dec
Mean daily high °C	7	8	12	16	21	25	28	28	23	18	13	8
Mean daily low °C	0	0	3	7	12	16	18	18	14	10	6	2
Rain days 1 mm or more	11	10	11	12	11	8	6	6	9	11	13	12

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 262 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.

What to carry

Gear

16 quickdraws. bergsteigen.com lists no nuts and no cams. It gives a 50 m rope for the climbing and says a 60 m double rope is an advantage for the abseil. Helmet.

Checklist

Quickdraws: 16
Rope: 2×60 m recommended for the abseil (bergsteigen.com lists a 50 m rope for the climbing)
Helmet: One each
Abseil device and prusik: The descent or the retreat involves abseiling

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Bears on Toast.

Worth knowing

Tips

bergsteigen.com allows about 2 hours for the route; a 2017 camptocamp party took 2 h 30.
You can continue up Domžalski to the summit of Anića kuk, but that route is more sparsely bolted and bergsteigen.com recommends cams for it.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

Upper pitches: 5b on bergsteigen.com, 4c on camptocamp and plezanje.net.
What counts as the route: bergsteigen.com describes Bears on Toast itself as 60 m, combined with the entry pitch of Brid za mali čekić and a finish up Domžalski; camptocamp, plezanje.net and thetopo.com list it as a 120 m, four-pitch route.
Obligatory grade: UIAA 7 on bergsteigen.com, 6c+ on camptocamp.
Rope: the bergsteigen.com data field says 1×50 m, its gear text recommends a 60 m double rope for abseiling.
Aspect: west on bergsteigen.com, south-west on camptocamp.

Provenance

Sources

bergsteigen.com – Bears on toast, Anića kuk StupUsed for: protection, gear, approach, descent, pitch character, season
Camptocamp – Anića kuk – Stup: Bears on toastUsed for: pitch grades, equipment rating
Camptocamp – trip report, July 2017Used for: polished roof exit, pitch 2 description, timing
plezanje.net – PaklenicaUsed for: independent pitch grades and length
thetopo.com – Anića kuk: Bears on toastUsed for: 'Sport' classification and grade
Mountain Project – Stup G17–20Used for: sector point

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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.