The final Sunday of the holiday season brought large numbers of walking and hiking enthusiasts to Kamniška Bistrica valley, proof that the guiding principle of Lets' Clean Up Our Mountains, the nationwide campaign for social responsibility now in its eighth year, has once again hit its mark: when you visit the mountains, you should do so safely and responsibly. Around 300 people helped clean up the paths around the idyllic Alpine valley of Kamniška Bistrica. Nature lovers were joined at the clean-up campaign by members of Kamnik mountain rescue unit, part of the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia (GRZS), who offered participants some ever-useful tips on staying safe in the mountains. Also taking part were members of Komenda orienteering club who, together with members of Kamnik mountain rescue unit, prepared a proper orienteering competition.

Large numbers of committed hikers made use of the last Sunday of the summer to enjoy themselves and get down to some campaign-related work. Kamniška Bistrica therefore became a hive of happy activity from the morning on. Different mountain-loving generations used biodegradable Let's Clean Up Our Mountains bags to clear rubbish from paths in one of Slovenia's most beautiful Alpine valleys. In the course of the first environmental campaign of the year, hikers removed a total of 85 kg of rubbish from the countryside.

Clean mountain ambassadors

The number of nature lovers joining Triglav's campaign is growing every year. Through their combined efforts and love of nature, they ensure that the beauty of nature will continue to be enjoyed by the generations that come after us. Aleš Klement, director of the Ljubljana Regional Office of Zavarovalnica Triglav, had this to say at the opening: 'We are proud to have created over 35,000 clean mountain ambassadors so far and removed over 28 tons of waste in recent years. Campaigns such as ours have helped to make the mountains cleaner.'

Let's Clean Up Our Mountains, which emphasises the importance of maintaining clean (and therefore safe and pleasant) mountain paths for hikers of all ages, has also developed its range of activities over the eight years of the campaign. The original purpose of the campaign has been supplemented by attempts to raise the awareness of hikers of all generations of the importance of safety in the hills and mountains and to encourage families to enjoy active leisure time in natural surroundings. 'When there are large numbers of visitors, we have to ensure that we take back with us everything we brought with us - in the name of nature conservation and to leave the surroundings as we would like to find them,' said Kamnik's mayor, Marjan Šarec, addressing the guiding principle of the Let's Clean Up Our Mountains campaign.

Mountain search and rescue system given a practical work-out

Hikers were joined in the clean-up campaign in Kamniška Bistrica by members of Kamnik mountain rescue unit, part of the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia (GRZS).With the help of Zavarovalnica Triglav, the GRZS has recently upgraded its mountain search and rescue system. A demonstration of how the new sarOS system works in practice was given on the children's orienteering walk organised by Kamnik mountain rescuers with the help of Komenda orienteering club; parents were able to accompany their children 'live' with the help of the programme.

Interested hikers can read about how the sarOS programme helps mountain rescuers to do their work effectively, and the tips that mountain visitors should take heed of when preparing for a walk in the mountains so as to avoid accidents, in a fascinating article entitled Every minute counts in the mountains, as well as watch a short video with the same title, produced as a collaboration between the GRZS and Let's Clean Up Our Mountains.

Events joined by famous sportsmen

Safety and responsibility were also at the forefront of the lively afternoon events at Kamniška Bistrica. Visitors were able to take part in an array of interesting and educational workshops, as well as have a go at the climbing wall. There were fun sports events, and children took part in a spot of geocaching in search of treasure hidden by the Kuža Pazi organisation. Great interest was aroused by the presence of members of the Slovenian biathlon team headed by Klemen Bauer and a special biathlon event involving young biathletes and Calcit, a volleyball club from Kamnik. Sunday's fine sporting events were rounded off by an appearance from ski-jumper Cene Prevc.

As part of the Let's Clean Up Our Mountains campaign, Zavarovalnica Triglav will continue to instil a love of movement and responsible mountain behaviour in all generations, from youngest to oldest.The closing event of the season will take place on 30 September in Rašica. See you there!

Zavarovalnica Triglav dd published this content on 23 August 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 29 August 2017 12:17:03 UTC.

Original documenthttp://www.triglav.eu/en/media/news/27-08-2017_hikers-and-mountain-rescuers-join-forces-in-kamniska-bistrica

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