Croatia · Paklenica
Karamara Sweet Temptations
A five-minute approach from the gorge café. There is a polished boulder-problem start, then wandering grooves and an airy traverse on the 6a+ third pitch.
6a+4 pitches110 m
Read the cautions
Ljubljanski
Anića kuk – north face (Sjeverna stijena) · Paklenica · Croatia
Read the cautionsBail not documentedBolting confidence: medium
A classic corner system on the shady north face of Anića kuk, with an alpine feel despite the new bolts. Two easy pitches lead into a physical 6a+ corner and a 6a pitch that loops right and back under an overhang, then easier corners to the top. Expect crack climbing and jamming; recent parties thought the crux nearer 6b.
- Hardest pitch
- 6a+
- Pitches
- 6
- Length
- 220 m
- Approach
- 75 min
- Aspect
- N
- North-facing
- Rope
- Not stated in the sources
- the descent is on foot
Read before you go
Reported fully rebolted and climbed without cams in 2025, but the bolts are spaced in places and one intermediate belay was found to be a bolt and an old peg.
The route
Overview
Ljubljanski follows a line of corners up the left-hand, north-facing end of Anića kuk, the first wall you pass on the way down from the summit. It was first climbed in 1968 and camptocamp reports that it has been fully rebolted, which turns an old crack classic into a route you can climb on quickdraws and slings. It still feels like a mountain route: the approach is long, the bolts are not close everywhere, and the climbing is physical corner and crack work. Six pitches, 220 m, with the difficulties concentrated in pitches 3 and 4.
The climbing
Pitch by pitch
4b+5a6a+6a5a4a
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4b+ | A slab straight up towards the corner. At the ledge half-way another route goes off left: keep on to the back of the corner, then a crack and slab. |
| P2 | 5a | The corner. The belay at its top was reported in 2025 as a single bolt and a rusty peg; that party ran pitches 2 and 3 together. |
| P3 | 6a+ | The corner again: the crux, physical but well protected. camptocamp reckons 6b obligatory and two 2025 ascensionists graded it 6b. |
| P4 | 6a | A detour out right, back under the overhang, then the corner. A 2025 leader was glad of a long sling on the traverse and slung a rock spike as an extra runner. |
| P5 | 5a | Corner. |
| P6 | 4a | Exit leftwards over sharp, eroded karst. |
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 75 min
About 1 h 15. From the car park follow the main path up the gorge past the single-pitch sectors to the large board showing the main routes on Anića kuk. A few dozen metres further, at the 'Anića kuk' sign, leave the main path to the right, cross the stream and follow the red and white marks to the foot of the face. Follow the wall leftwards past the Klin. The path leaves the wall and comes back to it after 5 to 10 min. Leave the path at the hairpin there and go down along the wall for about 50 m, round a rock spur. A 2025 party locates the start 10 m left of The Show Must Go On: scramble up to a ledge and the first bolt is on your right. camptocamp mentions a small sling on a tree at the start.
Map of the walk-in
- Crag
- Parking
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
44.30372, 15.47109
Last car park in the Velika Paklenica gorge (bergsteigen.com map marker 'Ende der Straße')
Point from camptocamp waypoint 43174 (Anića kuk); the route is on the north face, about 80 m from bergsteigen.com's approximate start marker for the neighbouring Alive
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.
Coordinates: 44.30699, 15.48244 (crag) · Parking: 44.30372, 15.47109
Getting down
Descent
From the top scramble straight on, south-east, over the limestone pavement, which is awkward in places, to reach the marked path. Follow it to the left and turn left again at the saddle, down under the north face and back into the gorge. About 1 h 15.
Retreat
Bailing off the route
Bail not documented
Retreat is not documented. Every source describes a walk-off from the top and none mentions abseiling the line or how the belays are rigged. One intermediate belay was reported in 2025 as a bolt and an old peg.
- Retreat from
- Not known. The line is a corner system with one loop out right on pitch 4, which would favour abseiling from the lower belays (inferred).
- Point of no return
- Not documented. Above pitch 4 the climbing eases to 5a and 4a, so finishing is likely to be quicker than retreating (inferred).
- Carry
- If you want the option, two ropes plus maillons and cord to reinforce belays.
- Basis
- Inferred from the route factsNo source describes retreat; the advice is inferred from the pitch descriptions and the 2025 belay report.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Hazards
- The belay at the top of pitch 2 may be one bolt and an old peg (July 2025). Link pitches 2 and 3 or back it up.
- Bolts are spaced in places; carry slings.
- The crux corner is harder than its guidebook grade for many parties.
- The start is not obvious, and another route leaves pitch 1 to the left at the ledge.
- The walk-off begins over sharp, pathless karst.
Sun and weather
Conditions
North facing, with the top at about 560 m: in shade for most of the day and a choice for warm weather. No source gives a season or drying times; the months here are inferred from the aspect, and it is reasonable to expect the corners to dry slowly after rain.
Usual season · May to Sep
JFMAMJJASOND
Sun on the wall · N-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
- January: not yet worked out
- February: not yet worked out
- March: not yet worked out
- April: not yet worked out
- May (usual season): not yet worked out
- June (usual season): not yet worked out
- July (usual season): not yet worked out
- August (usual season): not yet worked out
- September (usual season): not yet worked out
- October: not yet worked out
- November: not yet worked out
- December: not yet worked out
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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct | Nov | 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
Quickdraws and several slings, including a long one for the pitch 4 traverse. camptocamp's older advice to carry small and medium cams is struck through since the rebolt, and a 2025 party climbed it without. The number of quickdraws and the rope length are not stated. Crack gloves were recommended in 2025. Helmet.
Checklist
- Quickdraws
- Number not given in the sources
- Rope
- Not stated in the sources; the descent is on foot
- Helmet
- One each
- 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 Ljubljanski.
Worth knowing
Tips
- Hand-jamming skills help; so do tape or crack gloves.
- Allow a full half day: 1 h 15 in, 1 h 15 out, six pitches.
Open questions
Where sources disagree
- Grade: 6a+ in all databases; camptocamp's note and two July 2025 ascensionists on thetopo.com suggest 6b.
- Belays: camptocamp calls the route entirely bolted, but a 2025 party describes the pitch 2 belay as a bolt and a rusty peg.
- Gear: camptocamp's gear field still shows cams, struck through and followed by a question mark.
- Pitch 1: 4b+ on camptocamp, 4b/c on plezanje.net.
Provenance
Sources
- Camptocamp – Anića kuk: LjubljanskiUsed for: rebolting, pitch grades and descriptions, approach, descent, history
- thetopo.com – Anića kuk: Ljubljanski (ascent logs, July 2025)Used for: pitch 2 belay, start location, grade opinions, slings, crack climbing
- plezanje.net – PaklenicaUsed for: independent pitch grades and length
- bergsteigen.com – Alive, Anića kukUsed for: start marker of the neighbouring route used to cross-check the north-face location
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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.