Vrh Ljubeljščice or a Triangel is a 1704m high peak in Karavanke Alps in Slovenia. It is popular with tour skiers in winter and hikers in summer. The peak offers stunning views on nearby Karavanke peaks and into Austria. In the distance one can see Kamnik-Savinja Alps. On a clear day, Mt Triglav is visible too. These diverse views offer many photographic opportunities, a worthy photography location.
I wasn’t aware of this place until my friend Miro, an experienced tour skier told me about it. In June, the sun rises and sets on the north side of the Alps which makes it perfect for Vrh Ljubeljščice. I decided to spend a night at the nearby mountain hut at Zelenica in order to photograph both sunset and sunrise. From the car park at Ljubelj to the hut there is less than an hour hike. Nothing too strenuous, but the sun can be scorching when hiking in the middle of the day. I stopped at the mountain hut for a meal and to reserve my place in the dorm. Then I hiked up to the top of the ridge. It took me less than 20 minutes.
Photos from Vrh Ljubeljščice
At the top of the ridge there are several smaller “peaks” that each offer slightly different views. I mainly photographed from two, Vrh Ljubeljščice and Spodnji plot. The latter is sharper and offers more favourable views towards north and towards Mt Triglav. The former has a meteorological station on the top. This makes it great to check for conditions as there are live view webcams installed (search for “Zelenica webcam”).
The sunset was a bit underwhelming. Some sort of thin cloud layer in the sky diffused all the evening light. There was a strong wind too so I wasn’t able to get sharp photos of the trees in the foreground. Even long exposures at night were not an option. The sunrise next day was a different story. Clear sky, no wind and beautiful dawn colours in the sky. Bird song was exhilarating and there was no other man made sounds anywhere. Check the photos above and let me know which one you like the most! Thank you for reading!
