Sat, Nov 21 2009

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Wed, Jun 24 2009 00:55 CET 3866 Views 3 Comments
The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

The entire span of the Koncheto Ridge, as seen from Vihren summit. Kutelo summit at 2908 metres on the right, the ridge itself, Banski Suhodol summit to the left, and the Koncheto shelter, extreme left
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

The view from Vihren summit, 2914 metres, looking towards Todorka, Kamenitsa, Bezbog, and the rest of the Pirin range
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Miroslava Doynova soaking up the scenery on the descend from Vihren's north face, en route to the Koncheto Ridge.
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

The north face of Vihren, 2914 metres.


Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

On top of Kutelo summit, 2908 metres, facing Vihren. Left to right: Stefan Duchev, photographer Dobrin Minkov, Nick Iliev, Miroslava Doynova and Stela Georgieva
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

The beginning of the Koncheto Ridge. The col itself is not as narrow and no rigging is necessary here. The north face is a vertical drop of about 400 metres, whereas the south face is sloped at 40 degrees, exceeding 800 metres in depth.
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

This is where Koncheto gets increasingly narrow and becomes ever steeper.
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Dobrin and Mira on the ridge - mad as nails.
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Mira and Stefan on the ridge - sporting a wild grin. Yes, it's THAT epic!


Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Nick on the ridge and the infamous road sign "narrow way ahead" 
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Koncheto
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Mira and NIck on Banski Suhodol summit, beyond, the Koncheto Ridge and Kutelo, and still further back to the right, Vihren.
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Dobrin, Stefan, Stela, Nick, Mira - Vihren in the background, beyond to the left "Strajite" - The Wardens
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Why walk, when you can slide down on your bottom? Stela and Mira cheating on the hike.
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Standing on the summit of Vihren at 2914m


Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Just some of the magic that is Pirin Mountain. Facing towards Sinanitsa to the right
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Ribnoto Ezero, relaxing by the gorgeous lake, the day after the ascend to the summit of Vihren and Koncheto.
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

The epic Koncheto Ridge - do you dare? Picture gallery

Ribnoto Ezero, and Vihren in the background.
Photo: Dobrin Minkov

This picture gallery will take you to the majestic beauty of the Koncheto Ridge, what is considered by many as the most epic stretch of mountain anywhere in Bulgaria – a ridge which is several hundred metres in length, at times only 30cm wide, with the north face being vertical of roughly 400 metres, and the south face, sloped at about 40 degrees, exceeding 800 metres in depth.
 
Pirin Mountain at its ultimate splendour is visible from Bansko – with its tallest summits, Vihren, Kutelo, the entire ridge and Banski Suhodol all visible from the town. A drive of roughly 30 minutes from the town centre will lead you up to Bunderitsa lodge, or alternatively, a further 10 minute drive up to Vihren lodge. From there, an assault on the summit of Vihren/and/or Koncheto would necessitate anything from three to four hours, depending on the route you chose.
 
For a comprehensive article on Vihren and Koncheto, search the Sofia Echo, under "Vihren – Bulgaria’s finest"
 
For further information, please contact the Sofia Echo and Nick at:
 
Reporter2@sofiaecho.com

Comments

Anonymous Nick Thu, Jun 25 2009 10:25 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Bridgitte, thanks for the comment. Firstly, the pictures are great, as you said, because the place is unreal. In a mountain as beautiful as this, you would have to be REALLY TALENTED to make dodgy pictures in the first place.

and yes, we take guests, provided you can carry your own weight and bring an ample supply of rakia or its norwegian equivalent.

Anonymous Bridgitte Wed, Jun 24 2009 20:52 CET
Inappropriate comment?

hello Nick. i am from Oslo and i live here in Sofia and love reading your mountain pieces. those pictures are truly breathtaking. do you take guests in your group? x x x

Anonymous Mara Wed, Jun 24 2009 11:08 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Wow, amazing! That hike looks like it takes a lot of courage.

Write comment

Name:Comment:

Generate new code
Send your comment
Climbing Mount Olympus

The mountain of the Gods

British climber dies in Olympus

Stephen Wright, from Gloucestershire in southwest England, died while attempting to scale the vertical Zilnia wall

National march from Vitosha to Rila starts on August 13

The march is designed to raise awareness of the mountains and to rally against ongoing development, construction and deforestation in Rila and Vitosha

Climbing Malyovitsa - picture gallery

This picture gallery will take you to the Malyovitsa summit, in the northwestern part of the Rila Mountains range, standing at 2,729m. It is one of the most iconic peaks in the entire range

Blind man scales Moussala summit

Climber hails "greatest achievement of his life".

Paradise in Bulgaria

Botev summit and Raiskoto Pruskalo

Save the Bulgarian mountains

The organisation fears that with the arrival of the next Government, the systematic destruction of natural habitat will continue.

Unesco might take Pirin National Park under its protection

Pirin National Park was included in the World Heritage list of Unesco in 1983, but the organisation had expressed its concerns repeatedly after the construction of the Bansko ski resort centre was initiated.

Paradise in Bulgaria: Botev summit and the Raisko Pruskalo waterfall - picture gallery

Central Balkan mountain range national park is one of the most stunning places in the country, by far.

Vihren – Bulgaria’s Finest

Part three of The Sofia Echo’s series on hiking in Bulgaria. This time we go to Pirin Mountain, considered by many to be the best place for hiking in Bulgaria

Musala - On the roof

Part One of Four: this sequence will explore Bulgaria's tallest mountains, Rila, Pirin, Vitosha and Stara Planina, and some of the most beautiful and enchanting routes to reach them. Watch this space for part two, next week!

More in this category

Hot and cold

Bulgarian winter resorts expect to sell out during holiday season

Russian tourists avoid Bulgaria

Loss of Russians could be compensated with an increase of British tourists, one tourist industry association says.

Number of foreign visits to Bulgaria dropped in September

Bulgarian visits abroad matched the trend, with the exception of Macedonia where there was a 15.7 per cent increase.

Bulgarian tourism sector pins its hopes on last-minute bookings

Last-minute bookings hold the key to success in Bulgaria’s upcoming winter tourism season as holidaymakers hunt for bargains.

Pamporovo, Chepelare to slash prices to attract winter tourists

Bookings from the UK and Russia for the winter season have declined, but industry analysts say that Bulgaria relies mostly on last-minute bookings.