This was my non-stop push over Biokovo traverse to try to set the FKT below 24h. Since I added a few difficult deviations I did not make my goal but still it was quite a ride along this probably the most rocky, wildest, hardest, technical mountains in Croatia and the whole region for that matter.
I won't go much into the typical parts of the route cause I think it's fairly well explained in the FKT route info.
So here I will keep it focused on my (harder) variation sections of the original BPS route:
- 25 to 35 km - In this Rilic part I climbed Sapasnik, the highest peak of that part of the mountain and continued on the ridge over pit Zjatva towards Drvenicke stine (Drvenik cliffs). That required that I first go to "Rilic" CP (a saddle up north below Samograd peak, overlooking Kokorici village and Vrgorac town) and then back to Prosik (south saddle, overlooking Zaostrog village) to climb Sapasnik and stick to the highest ridgeline. One would usually countinue from Rilic CP along the northern slopes of the mountain following hunting paths before they connect to the marked hiking path from Visnjica village and reach that way Drvenik cliffs.
- 45 to 70 km - In this longer section, after climbing Sutvid peak (Velika Kapela) the usual route goes down north to the village Brikva and follows asphalt road to Sosici village, which is a halfway point of the BPS and as well a point that separates lower Rilic part of the massif from the higher Nature park Bikovo part. I chose to not go down to Brikva but instead stick to the unmarked ridge towards peaks above Igrane village and then connect to a network of hunting paths going down from the ridge directly into Sosici, and in that way avoiding the boring road section. In Sosici I was met first time by my support, got something to eat and drink, resupplied and continued on. Usually after a short climb from Sosici you just follow the dirt road towards Staza CP (aka Biokovo doors), but again I decided to try to avoid the road as much as possible, so basically followed cow tracks going more or less parallel to the road. Once I reached Staza CP (through the short section of WWI trenches) I once again left the road (now asphalt - the highest road in Croatia) and climbed Kimet peak through old abandoned Podglogovik village and Pluzine meadow. Kimet is not an official CP on the route but as it's one of the highest and most prominent peaks on the whole Biokovo massif I had to include it in this traverse. On the way down from to Ravna Vlaska I left the hiking path again and followed the unmarked ridge over Ledena and Zvitovac peaks before I descended to Ladena hut. Here, on this ridge, tired and already in the dark, this section proved to be probably the most difficult one. If by any means there's somebody out there crazy enough to follow this variation of the route I advise you to go down to Ravna Vlaska and cut the road section through Mala Ladena and Viskovica staje towards Ladena CP. It will save your legs but more importantly your hopefully still sane mind.
Just a few more interesting facts - on the last ridgeline before dawn the northern cold bora wind picked up quite a bit and I ended up trying to heat myself up in the St. Elijah chapel on the peak by the same name. Eventually after negotiating the narrowest ridge between Elijah and Scirovac peaks (Miletnjak) in the dark and fog the dawn came and cleared everything up as I made my way down to the last CP. The same moment I finished my FKT and stopped my watch the phone started vibrating with earthquake warnings as one quite powerful one happened in that very moment near the capital of Zagreb causing much damage.
Good luck to anybody willing to do this route in one constant push, you'll need it ;)