Multipitch Atlas

Dreaming the Lost Friends

Kuk od Skradelin · Paklenica · Croatia

Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium

A short, high-quality modern line: a clean straight first pitch, then a steep crack crux and magnificent water grooves.

Climber on the fluted limestone wall of Dreaming the Lost Friends, Kuk od SkradelinPhoto: Lulu002 · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Photo

Climber on the fluted limestone wall of Dreaming the Lost Friends, Kuk od SkradelinPhoto: Lulu002 · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Hardest pitch
6a+
Pitches
5
Length
100 m
Approach
2 min
Aspect
W
West-facing
Rope
1×60 m
Read before you go

Bolted and climbable on quickdraws alone, but on 8 mm studs with unprotected easy sections, and one source recommends carrying medium cams.

The route

Overview

A short five-pitch route on Kuk od Skradelin, the first wall on the right directly above the Paklenica car park, with a two-minute approach. It gives a long, straight 6a on sculpted grey rock, a steep crack pitch with a slabby crux exit, and then a sea of water grooves. The rock is compact and barely polished despite the roadside position. The hard moves are well bolted, but the easy ground is run-out, the pitch bolts are thin 8 mm studs, and several parties think the crux is nearer 6b.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeNotes
P16aLong, straight and sustained on perfect sculpted grey rock. Several parties rate it the best pitch and friendly for 6a.
P25cShort. Climb the small wall up and right of the belay, steeper but on big holds, then grooves. One party thought a move here could be 6b.
P36a+The key pitch: a steep, athletic crack with good footholds and rests, then a technical slabby exit that is the crux of the route. Bolts are closer here and the moves can be aided by pulling on quickdraws. After the last two bolts at the top of the crack, move right fairly soon into the grooves and then straight up to the belay; a 2016 report says there are no more bolts on that section. Often thought to be 6b.
P45cSuperb water grooves trending up and right. One harder move at the start. Climb 2–3 m above a bolt and then traverse right to see the next one; do not follow the polish straight up or you cannot clip to the right.
P55aHead for the top of the crag past the few bolts. R5 is about 15 m of walking back on the rock plateau. Pitches 4 and 5 can be linked if you manage rope drag.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Base is Starigrad-Paklenica. Drive into the gorge through the national park entrance and park at the car park below the wall (gulliver.it places the wall level with the second parking area; camptocamp says start from the end of the car park).

On foot · about 2 min

About 2 minutes. From the end of the car park cross the stream bed to the first routes, following the sign for 'Andy & Max'. The route is between Faulenzer and Schwara bis. Scramble about 10 m up onto the ledge, past Andy & Max, to find the start, which is marked by a small rectangular plaque with the route name.

Finding the route · 3 photos

Approach photo

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag

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

Coordinates · crag

44.30318, 15.47419

Point from camptocamp waypoint 279761

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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

Walking is recommended over abseiling (about 20 minutes). From the top, traverse about 15 m along the grooved rock pavement to the notch. Then either go down the left bank of the gully (not too far left; easy down-climbing, findable on sight), or cross a few metres right to red paint marks, down-climb an open corner and follow the red marks to the path in the gorge. The scree gully leads down past the Hram single-pitch sector. Abseiling is also possible: camptocamp mentions several lines to the left and right, with the first abseil anchor to the right, and a 2011 party used a line to the right of the route. No source gives abseil lengths.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail with caveats

Probably yes, but it is thinly documented. camptocamp lists abseiling as a descent option with several lines to the left and right of the route, and a 2011 party abseiled a line to the right. No source gives abseil lengths or says whether the route's own belays are rigged for abseil, and walking off from the top is the recommended descent.

Retreat from
Not documented belay by belay. The belays are on 10 mm bolts, and the route is 100 m in five pitches, so by inference each belay is within reach of a short abseil.
Point of no return
None documented. Pitch 4 trends up and right, and from the top the walk-off is only about 20 min, so from R4 finishing is likely the quicker way off. That is an inference.
Carry
A 60 m rope is the only length quoted. Carry maillons or spare karabiners and cord in case the belay bolts are not linked; the sources do not say.
Basis
Part stated, part inferredcamptocamp states that abseil descent is possible by several lines and that belays are on 10 mm bolts; the reach of the abseils and the gear to leave are inferred, and camptocamp gives no abseil lengths.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • Pitches are equipped on 8 mm expansion studs (10 mm at the belays), according to camptocamp.
  • Run-outs on easy ground: a 2015 report says the hard sections are well bolted and the rest unprotected; a 2016 report calls the bolting 'a little committing in places' and notes no bolts between the top of the pitch 3 crack and the belay. You need a margin at the grade.
  • Pitch 3 crux is felt to be 6b by several parties (camptocamp 2016 and 2017, gulliver.it grades it 6a/b).
  • Pitch 4: easy to climb past the line and be unable to clip; traverse right when the bolts disappear.
  • The start needs about 10 m of unroped scrambling to the ledge.

Sun and weather

Conditions

West-facing. In shade in the morning; parties in July and August start at about 08:00 to climb cool and are in the sun by the top. Reports run from late April to the end of October. Two to two and a half hours of climbing.

Usual season · Mar to Jun, Sep to Nov

Sun on the wall · W-facing

Working out the sunlit hours for this month.

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C781216212528282318138
Mean daily low °C003712161818141062
Rain days 1 mm or more11101112118669111312
Sunshine hours a day6.17.69.310.612.113.013.412.710.58.56.45.6

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 262 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis (about 10 km grid): the wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.

What to carry

Gear

12 quickdraws and a 60 m rope (camptocamp Spanish page and a 2011 blog). Slings. gulliver.it recommends a few medium cams. Helmet.

Checklist

Quickdraws
12
Rope
1×60 m
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling
Maillons or spare karabiners
To leave behind if you retreat
Cord
Mentioned for retreat

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 Dreaming the Lost Friends.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Stop at the Hram sector on the walk down if you still have energy; it has harder single pitches.
  • gulliver.it pairs it with Armadillon (6a, four pitches) on the same wall for a fuller day.
  • A party in 2015 climbed it late in the day after Karamara Sweet Temptations and Kanjonski.
  • The route is also known as 'Dreaming my lost friends'.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Pitch count and grades: five pitches 6a, 5c, 6a+, 5c, 5a on camptocamp and plezanje.net; four pitches 6a, 5c, 6a/b, 5b on gulliver.it, which presumably links the last two. Followed the five-pitch description.
  • Length: 100 m (plezanje.net, blog, camptocamp height of difficulties) against 130 m on gulliver.it.
  • Gear: camptocamp lists only slings (French) or 12 quickdraws and a 60 m rope (Spanish); gulliver.it recommends medium cams.
  • Bolting quality: 'bombproof' and 'well equipped' in 2015 and 2019 reports against 'a little committing' in 2016.

Provenance

Sources

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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.