Ruski križ - Razor (via Kriška stena)

Access to starting point:
First we drive to Kranjska Gora, then continue driving towards the Vršič pass. Just a little before the 3rd serpentine of the Russian or Vršič road, we will notice the Ruski križ on the right side and a smaller parking lot on the left, where we park. Because the parking lot is relatively small and fills up quickly, we can also park a bit higher at the larger parking lot just above the 4th serpentine (in this case we have to descend a little to our starting point at the Ruski križ).
We can also reach the starting point from the Primorska side, namely via the Vršič pass.

Route description:
Just a little before the 3rd hairpin bend of the Russian road, we will notice mountain signs for Koča v Krnici by the road, which direct us slightly left onto a wide cart track that immediately begins to descend moderately. After a few minutes of descent through the forest, the path levels out and leads us to the bed of Suha Pišnica. Shortly after crossing the mentioned stream, the path turns slightly left and leads us out of the forest onto the vast grassy slopes of Planina v Klinu, where we notice an isolated hut on the right and a smaller memorial park Mali Tamar on the left. The path ahead flattens completely and then joins the forest road that comes from the former Hotel Erika or the bridge over Velika Pišnica. Here we continue right and follow the relatively steep forest road all the way to Koča v Krnici, which we reach after about 20 minutes of further walking.
From the hut, where there is pleasant shade, we continue straight in the direction of Kriška stena through the Krnica valley, initially slightly, then increasingly steeper upwards. The path soon exits the forest, where a nice view of the nearby walls opens up. Next we cross scree that storms bring from the surrounding gullies. The path ahead becomes steeper and still leads us in the same direction. The last trees are already behind us and we slowly transition onto the scree below the walls of Kriška stena. In the upper part of the scree the path turns slightly left to the entry into Kriška stena. Here the climbing part of the path begins, where we put on our helmet.
The path at the beginning of the wall turns left and climbs steeply. In the wall the path is led mostly along natural passages, sometimes helped by fixed protections. On this part we also have to be careful not to dislodge rocks! After about an hour of climbing the wall, which is occasionally quite difficult, we step out of it.
Above the wall the path levels out and takes us to a junction at Vrh Kriške stene, where we continue right in the direction of Križ (left Vrata and Škrlatica) and the path that transitions onto a wide ridge quickly brings us to Bovška vratica, from which a view of Kriške pode opens up, where we can see the highest lying Slovenian lake, Zgornje Kriško jezero, which lies at an altitude of 2159 meters.
We continue straight down in the direction of Pogačnikov dom (left Križ, 10 minutes) over broken rocky terrain. During the descent we can observe Šplevta (a mountain with the silhouette of an Indian) on the right side, which livens up the trip. The descent, which is slightly demanding, takes us with the help of a few pitons to a small saddle between Križ and Kriški rob. The path bypasses the latter on the left side, where we cross steep slopes (the most difficult part is secured). Here we can still observe Zgornje Kriško jezero for some time, then the path begins to descend through the karst world of Kriške pode. After about an hour's descent the path takes us to a crossroads near Pogačnikov dom.
Here we continue right in the direction towards the summit of Razor (left Pogačnikov dom, 3 minutes) along the path that crosses the slopes towards the northwest. The path ahead leads us left across the scree, where we also descend a little, then a rock step stops the path. We climb it with the help of protections and at the top of the step we continue left along an exposed rock slab. On the other side of the slab we find ourselves on scree again and continue along it towards the Planja saddle, where the path from Vršič joins us.
From the Planja saddle we continue sharply right (left Planja, straight Vršič) along the path that initially ascends along natural passages, where the path is occasionally only slightly exposed. A little further the path leads us past a cave in which ice and snow usually persist almost all year round. From the cave onwards we climb towards a notch, where we have to be careful not to dislodge rocks. A bit further we arrive at the place where the new path separates from the old one. The old path is permanently closed due to a rockfall in 2013, so we head right onto the nicely marked new path, along which we quickly arrive at a short but very demanding ascent, where the use of a self-belay set is mandatory according to PZS recommendations. With the help of a steel cable and rungs we climb the vertical or on a short section even overhanging chimney, which is also quite exposed to falling rocks due to rocks above the chimney. When the secured part ends, only the ascent along the scenic ridge to the summit of Razor remains.

Starting point - Planina v Klinu 0:20, Planina v Klinu - Koča v Krnici 0:25, Koča v Krnici - Vrh Kriške stene 3:30, Vrh Kriške stene - Bovška vratca 0:15, Bovška vratca - Pogačnikov dom 1:00, Pogačnikov dom - sedlo Planja 1:05, sedlo Planja - Razor 0:55.

Along the route: Mali Tamar (996m), Planina v Klinu (980m), Koča v Krnici (1113m), Pod Kriško steno (1945m), Rob Kriške stene (2300m), Bovška vratca (2378m), Pogačnikov dom na Kriških podih (2050m), Sedlo Planja (2352m)

The trip can be extended to the following destinations: Križ (4 h 50 min)

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