the winter in slovenia this year has two faces. It started pretty snowy in the mountains at the start of November and at the end of the month also in the lowlands. Then a real winter with snow and cold was there rill the middle of december, when it sad goodbye in the lowlands. In the mountains winter continued with with often snowfall till the end of the month. January was a complete opposite of december and was pretty warm, dry and springlike with no snow in the lowlands, but there was still some dry winter with snow in the mountains. First there was a lot of cloudy weather, then there was plenty of sunshine. In February winter returned with a lot of snow and sunshine in the dry periods everywhere except in the southwestern submediterranean part of the country.
As rich and diverse as this winter is, so diverse are my winter experiences in nature. one of the most beautiful day happened at the beggining of January, when I experienced a magical sunset a day after snowfall on Krvavec. Let´s see what was happening in nature that day:
First I stopped on Ambrož village at the church. What awaited me was a intersting view on the clouds, that covered the lowlands and tearing clouds above the mountains. Snowy mountains were waitinf for the first sunshine after snowfall, but the lowlands without snow cover remained trapped in low cloudiness. Before midday it seemed that the sky will soon clear from the west, but those wishes didn´t come true till late afternoon less then one hour before sunset. Still it was worth waiting. However Julian Alps to the west bathed in sunshine from midday on for the whole afternoon.
Arrival on Jezerca, an Alpine meadow, where we park. Tearing clouds already showed some clear sky, but the sun mostly remained hidden behind the clouds. Trees at this height were still fullly snow-covered, however lower the wet snow already partly fell from the trees. Behind the forests of Krvavec we see Storžič and Srednji vrh mountains rising above the trees.
Even partly cloudy weather without sunshine can be very magical. Snowy peak of Krvavec is rising above Jezerca. The scenery is embellished with the play of clouds and clear sky.
Alpine meadow Jezerca with Kržišče hill behind. Snowfields of scarce forest and solitaire spruces cover the hill. The trees lower are not fully snow-covered, but still reflect the moments of the day after snowfall.
Jezerca from the opposite hill. They rise above the ocean of lowlands hidden below clouds like a small plateau. The clouds above us create mysterious and wonderful refraction on low cloudiness and jezerca pleateau in directionn towards the sun.
Lets head towards the slope of the peak of Krvavec. I went by the most common and shortest path towards Kriška planina, an Alpine meadow and small valley between the peaks Krvavec nad Kržišče. the path leads through the forest between snowy spruces that day. if the clouds were already tearing apart before, the cloudines was closing again then.
Arrival above the upper hotel on Krvavec, 1700 m above see level. The view is towards the peak op Krvavec and TV tower below it. Because that day I was looking for winter fairytale among the snowy trees I turned back there above the forest line and did´t up to the highest peak of ski resort Zvoh like usually. At this side of the horizont there was a mysterious cloudy scenery but the sunny fairytale appeared soon after.
During the descent from upper hotel to kriška planina there are always fantastic views on the snowfields of krvavec with Ljubljana basin below. This time the view was at first enriched with misterious cloudy scenery with rich light contrasts, snowy spruces in front and low cloudiness below us, which trapped the lowlands in greyness.
Looking back up the view is embellished with snowy spruces with shady contrats and magical sky above with tearing thin cloudiness, dark and light, and a little bit of clear sky in between.
A descent across the open slope with snowy forest slopes of Krvavec peak. Behind the fields of Kriška planina right rises Velika planina plateau and above it is a mysterious dark sky of leaving cloudiness.
Open view on Kržišče enriched with snowy spruces in front. Behind them there are lodges and apartments of Kriška planina. The scenery is stil mysterious with cloudy cover on the sky and dominated by white and grey colors.
Another view across snowy spruces in front on the slopes of Krvavec and low cloudiness below. On every spot a view in the same direction is different and gives us different sceneries. Behind spruces on the left there is the edge of Kriška planina, above it southern and western slopes of Kržišče and behind in the middle Jezerca.
An interesting combination of snowy slope, snowy spruce on the middle and the edge of Kriška planina on the left. the view is in direction towards the sun with beautiful refraction.
Before final arrival of sunshine I returned a bit higher to capture those sceneries in sunshine as well. here is one of the first moments, when sunshine finatly thrived looking down. very beautiful combination of sunny slopes and spruces and still dark clouds and shady mountains behind. They gain completely different contrasts when the slopes in front are sunny.
This view is the same as before. This time ecpecially magical scenery. Sunny slope with tearing leaving lighter clouds and miore clear sky behind. A beautiful refraction from the side, the sun is right behind the left edge of the photo. Most of snowy spruces is viewed on the shady side from this direction.
Magical sunny fresh southern snowy slopes of Krvavec peak, Kriška planina and Jezerca in the back as well as western and southern slopes of Kržišče. The scenery is enriched with snowy spruces and leaving cloudiness above. The dark lower side of the clouds is even more stressed now. Slopes are also full of long shades of the trees and the low cloudiness below makes the scenery even more magical. The lowlands are forgotten in those moments in the mountains like they would never exist.
Lower on the open part of the slope the sunshine is even more powerful and the dark cloudiness above is even more stessed.
Sunny view on kržišče with dark cloudiness above. the northwestern slopes of the hill are already in shade, elsewhere the trees received some sunshine before the sunset. the spruces mamking long shades in front make the scenery even richer.
The view back up the hill on a pretty shady place. The sun is hidden behind the trees, still some rays reach throughout the spruce. the leaving clouds are wavy tenderly white with some grey contrasts.
A rich winter fairytale of long shades and sunny snow slopes. Snowy spruces are are sunny from the side. Party sunny low cloudiness takes away the sunlight from the lowlands. the sun "strikes" on the leaving cloudiness. Lodges and apartments are also hidden in this fairytale. Many of free skiing trails also enrich the scenery. What all can we see on such views. And a view from every spot is a bit different and hides something others don´t have.
Lets head a bit lower between the snowy spruces. Low sun in late afternoon creates long shades and does not enable so much light among the trees.
A view towards the sun hidden behind the spruce with rays heading towards us creates magical play of colors. Clouds above are contrast on both sides of the spruce. on the left they are dark and thick, on the right they are light and tearing on mostly clear sky.
Another but different view across snowy slopes and the edge of Kriška planina, Kržišče and Jezerca in the back. the left side of the slope in front is sunny, the right side already in shade. Freeride trails are still many, but more scarce. The low cloudiness below now fully sunny.
The last meters among scarce spruces before heading down directly in the valley. This time fully sunny with long shade lines in between. The clouds above to the east stil dark, but clear sky is reaching them as well.
Above Kriška planina lodges. The sun is hidden behind the spruce, rays heading towards as across the slopes full of freeride trails a day after snowfall. Slopes still sunny but more and more shades are appearing. The clouds above in the south are like smoke from the chimney of leaving clouds.
Ascent on Kržišče on the edge of shady slope. Behind the sunny slopes of Krvavec peak and sunny Mokrica peak in the back. Above it there are tearing dark clouds with more and more clear sky.
A view back on the slopes of krvavec peak with a hotel and tower on the top. The light is starting to show the first evening colors and the shades are even longer. Some larches have "gotten rid of" snow to give some golden addition to white winter. On the azure sky there is a wonderful clear blue color with only a few thin white cloud lines.
Here most people head from Kržišče slopes towards Jezerca when not going on the most common path below. this scenery has the sun hidden behind the trees, the light and shades are heading towards us. Some rays break through trees using small oppenings. the dark side of srpuces contrast the scenery and the last taring clouds are enriching the sky.
A sunny moment a bit higher uphill. Spruces are scarce, they create less shadows. Above the lowlands below the ocean of low cloudiness is full of sunshine now. The sun is shining just above the horizont and already giving out some evening colors. In front there are a lot of freeride trails.
When the sun hides behind spruce there is more shade in front and low cloudiness is more stressed. The last remainings of the clouds above are throwing some shades on the ocean of cloudiness below. more to the west next to Krvavec slopes Julian Alps in the back rise above the cloudy ocean and also have some smaller evening clouds above.
Another few meters uphill close to the peak of Kržišče the view towards the sun is even more full of light and the edveningn colors are getting more stressed on the snow as well, especially where there are less freeride trails.
Just a few meters away from the ski corses a true evening fairytale awaits us full of scarce forest and open spaces inside. Every view uphill with sun shining from behind gives us wonderful moments of sunny snowy spruces and white ground with blue clear sky above us.
Views towards the east change every step we take. On this spot the Julian Alps are stil just next to Krvavec slopes, however Storžič and Kriška gora are also getting out of its back. The spruces create really long shades on the snowfields.
Turning back towards ski corses gives a great scenery with some dying clouds breathing out above Krvavec and Zvoh hidden behind.
The true fairytale continues when we head deeper among trees. A similar scebnery as before but every one is a bit different and special on its own. This time there are more shades in front created by spruces behind us. The two photos were shot from two different angles.
A side view on a scarce forest that we just got by. The fairytale is now getting prettier with small clouds above us, created above Kržišče for a short time in the edvening. Because of the sun just above the horizont there are a lot of shades.
Arrival at the open line among trees just below the peak of Kržišče on the southeastern side. one can arrive there from jezerca on most eastern direction on the eastern edge of southern Kržišče gentle slopes above jezerca. The evening colors are getting even more stressed and the sun behind our back fully shines on the hill in front of us with many snowy spruces and some beeeches and rowans. Some evening clouds above make the scenery even more magical.
Even side views are full of sunlight since we are located on the sunny slope. The cloud enriches the sky above the spruces in the middle.
A view across the slope a bit lower is directed towards spruces partly from the shady side. In the back the sky is light blue with sun shining from the side.
Closer to the peak of kržišče. This is closer to spruces just below the top, to the right there is also a small beech. Small clouds are falling apart again.
Another side view. This time a sunny slope is just in front of us, but behind there are shady spots among the spruces. Spruces are also just partly sunny with shady parts more stressed.
Last meters below the top among spruces. Those two photos show us the difference a camera can make in the evening with different settings. The first photo was made by sunset settings which stress evening colors and the other one with automatic settings which stress full daylight colors. That way we can shot both evening scenery and a scenery we might have missed before during the day. The true scenery our eyes make is on the other hand somwhere in between since our eyes spot all the colors present in nature at a certain moment, both evening and daily colors.
Fantastic view and scenery, maybe most beautiful of the day. A view from below the top to the southwest in direction of Jezerca hidden below the hill and the ocean of low cloudiness. the shining sun is hiding behind the spruce in the middle. The first photo is a zoomed option of the second one from the same spot. Above the hills in the back an afterglow is being born and the sky is clear light blue. on the left above there are remains of the leaving cloudiness and in the middle the ocean of cloudiness below thrives. It is not full of sunshine anymore because mountains behind already create some shades, but partly it creates them itself by being wavy.
Turning back to jezerca, a view a few meters below on full evening sun with evening colors taking the upper hand among others.
A side view to the slope just below the top again with even more stressed evening light. The cloud above from before is tearing apart, only some dispersed whiteness remains.
Another view a bit lower while going back to Jezerca. This time the red evening light has taken the upper hand, even snowfields in front of us have gotten the red cast. The shades just before the sunset are the longest.
A view back to Kržišče full of red evening light, especially on snow. The tearing clouds on the sky enrich it and make the scenery even more magical.
tztIf we step into the shad and look towards the west with the sun from the side, we can barely spot that the sun actually has not fully set yet.
The last view back to Kržišče. here we can clearly se how dome-shaped it is. The light in front of us is also very various. To the left there is plenty of shade, in front of us there is weak light and Kržišče in the back is still full of evening light. The evening blue sky is again enriched with a few small clouds mostly on the right.
A few to northwest on shady snowfields and scarce forest and Krvavec behind full of evening red light.
A Further on on the open spaces of the snowfields already in the shade, a view to Krvavec is fully open and enriched by full late evening red light just a few minutes before the sunset. The sky is enriched with a few really small clouds on the light blue clear sky. Some of them are in the middle of the sky, some of them just above the mountains.
The place, where pretty flat snowfields break into slopes above Jezerca again. The slopes on the left are still full of evening light, whereas the flat fields in front of us have more shade. In the back Storžič hides in afterglow, the Julian Alps thrive in the far distance, Krvavec is to the right.
A fabntastic view towards the setting sun hidden behind the spruce in full red afterglow. A lot of red evening light just above the horizont, however above the cloudy ocean below, the sun has already set.
An open view in afterglow towards the west across the snowfields in front of us to the mountains behind.
Another view to the setting sun hidden behind the spruce. Now the red evening light is on its prime the last few minutes of the day with the most magical cast on snow in front of us as well.
A truly magical sunset among the spruces, a larch and a rowan tree in clear red afterglow with the cloudy ocean below. Here, there are the last minutes, even seconds of the day withn night coming closer. The red light on the snowe in front of us is dying out, while on the edge of the horizont iti is on its prime:
The first moments just after the sunset sre on the last photo above. The afterglow is the clearest, fullest and most beautifulm on that certain moment.
The last view across the open snowfield and spruces behind to Krvavec. It is just a few moments after the sun has set above it, but the clouds above to the left stil receive a weaik light of the setting sun.
A wonderful moment just after sunset on the edge of spruces with Julian Alps in afterglow behind them,.
A magical moment in the afterglow just after sunset. A view towards the point of sunset with beautiful spruce in the middle. Those are the most beautiful moments of winter beside crossing the snowfields and slopes among the snowy trees in full suinlight with blue clearv sky.
The last evening views towards the west on snowfields in front of us and cloudy ocean, Julian Alps and Storžič mountain range.
The last view of the day to the point of sunset, cloudy ocean below, jezerca above it in front, opeening in friont of us below. A return to Jezerca, dive into the ocean and going home into the depths of the ocean is to follow.
A for the end I thank verty much to nature, winter, krvavec and the weather for such a fantastic day and I believe it will happen again many times. Thank you very much to everybody who took your time to experience this winter fairytale together with me.
Till next time, Aljaž
