To the top

There is no winter marking, so don’t attempt climbing the mountain from that slope in deep snow if you don’t know the mountain well – and even if you do, the entire region is prone to avalanches. On top of the stone-fall, is the Kazana, a bowl-like natural formation flanked by the north-western extremities of Kutelo mountain, and other peaks around it. Give it a shout. The echo will reverberate for several long seconds in all directions. The sight is flabbergasting – behind a steep gorge, beyond it the Bunderitsa River and Todorka summit.

From there the climb leads up to Premkata, (the loop) which separates Vihren from Kutelo. However, before reaching Premkata, the rugged path will lead right below the east face of Vihren, a 400m vertical wall and eventually before your gaze the northern ridge will appear which must bee scaled, eventually. But don’t make the mistake of gazing too much at the mountain instead of looking where you are walking – otherwise you will end up losing the path as we did. The scant horizontal marking approaches underneath Premkata where a climber has to negotiate an almost vertical 20m rock wall, but the path is well cut into the boulders and it is actually not that difficult to overwhelm it.

Alternatively, you might end up 100 or so metres either side of the path, and you will have to climb the wall and the adjacent stone river the hard way: crawling, tooth and nail, no secure footing and with rocks falling and sliding all around you. Make sure you never climb immediately behind someone, but parallel to them. That way you don’t risk getting knocked unconscious by a falling rock unearthed by the person before you. From there the climb to Premkata is 30 minutes away, where you will see Vihren to the left, Kutelo at 2909m to the right, and the imposing, epic Koncheto ridge, stretching all the way from Kutelo to Banski Suhodol, at 2886m.

From Premkata, the ascent to the summit of Kutelo at a normal pace would demand around 50 minutes, the terrain is steep and you would be forgiven if your head starts spinning from the height. Once on the summit you will see the town of Bansko far below in the distance, Todorka, Vihren, expansive portions of Pirin mountain...and the dreaded Koncheto Ridge. Koncheto ("The Horsie") at an altitude of about 2780m, runs for several hundred metres, and presents the most dramatic, beautiful and epic climbing route everywhere in Bulgaria.

The slopes are steep - the north-western face is almost vertical and approximately 350 to 400m deep, while the south-western side is about 45 degrees, but substantially deeper, exceeding 800m. You have to negotiate this narrow ridge, which at times is as wide as a foot. There is a steel cable rigged along the top of the ridge to help hikers across. It is said that some less experienced hikers go through Koncheto by saddling the ridge edge like a horse and slowly advancing forward, hence its name.

I would not recommend it for hikers with acrophobia – I do have a mild case of it myself and after passing Koncheto twice (you need to return along the same ridge to scale Vihren) I almost wished I had included nappies in my survival kit. You may continue on to Banski Suhodol and then to Yavorov lodge or retrace your steps back towards Kutelo and then descend again to Premkata at the foot of Vihren’s north face. Whereas scaling the mountain from the south face would require nothing more than hard tabbing, the north face would mean one has to literally climb on all fours along the steep rock-face.

Although no words can do justice to the view below and around I was determined only to look forward and ahead of me, making sure I was placing my feet and hands where I can have secure footing. The wind was sustained, lashing from southeast and occasionally it came in gusts which caused problems as it was applying pressure on my Bergen. On several occasions it felt as if I was about to lose my balance, meaning I had to lie down on my belly and wait for it to pass. The marked route along the north face is demanding enough but if you lose it, as I did, it becomes worse.

Only several metres deviation from the path translates into one having to make his own way along and around over large boulders. Once you approach the summit, the slope eases up and you can finally sit down, relax, let the scenery sink in and take a picture – 20m later and you are on the summit, market by stones and a Bulgarian flag. The view is indescribable.  

After spending two hours on the summit, hydrating and eating to get the energy going, our next stop was the Vlahino Lake under the summit. Descending to the lake from the south face is easy, and one can enjoy the surroundings without fear of falling – the tab to the lake will be a little more than an hour away. Reaching it, you find yourself surrounded by peaks from everywhere, the water is crystal clear and cold, and fishing is forbidden although we saw two men who had set up a tent (camping in Pirin Park is illegal unless by a lodge and only with permission) openly fishing protected fish.

We all greeted their relatives mentally, and then sorted ourselves out with chocolate and a hot brew. Following an hour’s break by the lake, we headed towards Vihren Lodge, which is about three-and-a-half hours away, and then along the asphalt road, back down to Bunderitsa Lodge, 25 minutes further down. The hike started at 6.30am and we were in Bunderitsa at 9.30pm.

*Mountain Rescue Patrol emergency hotline numbers are 1470 – for MTel, Vivatel and 02 963 2000 – BTC and all other operators. International EU emergency call: 112