Although Yugoslavia managed to avoid becoming involved in WWII until 1941, German armies invaded in April of that year and the Yugoslavian defense collapsed in less than two weeks. The state of Slovenia was split up amongst Germany, Hungary and Italy. Partisan groups, under the leadership of Josip Tito, managed to liberate the state by 1945, and then began a period of relative calm, under the benevolent rule of Tito. A Communist, he began to distance himself from the Soviet Union, looking to western economic models as Yugoslavia struggled to rebuild. During the thirty years following the war, a Yugoslavian passport was one of the best in the world, and Yugoslavians could travel freely during this time, if they had the money. Most did not. But alpinists did.…
"As a mountain lover, I was so happy when I stumbled upon this book. McDonald, a well-known author of Alpinist literature, has expertly told the story of Slovenia’s (and some of Yugoslavia’s) most famed climbers, during the 1970s through to the 1990s. Though the book is primarily about adventures at altitude – avalanches, frostbite, and first ascents – the stories are set to a backdrop of what was happening in the country at that time, so it also offers interesting insight into everyday life in Slovenia during this era. How did they manage such great feats of Alpinism? Well, you’ll have to read the book to get the full story, but in short, Slovenians have ideal training grounds – the Julian Alps, the Karavanke, the Pohorje mountains – which offer plenty of rock to cut your teeth on. And because of that, mountaineering is very much part of the Slovene mindset; my Slovenians friends are always climbing a mountain somewhere! In addition, almost all the climbers of that era had the financial backing of the Yugoslavian government, which at the time, wanted to demonstrate the sporting prowess of the country. Mountaineering was a discipline they knew they could excel in. It’s a fascinating account, well told; I thoroughly enjoyed it."
