MOUNTAIN LIFE - Coast Mountains | Winter Spring 2019

74 MLCM WINTER/SPRING 2019 Gasper Budkovic and Aljaz Urbanc are two important links in the Slovenian mountain bike scene. Both former national champion basketball players, Budkovic and Urbanc are now certified MTB guides and two of approximately 150 MTB guides registered with the Slovenian Alpine Association (with another 60 registered via the Bike Association of Slovenia). Their overall goal is to build and maintain more purpose-built mountain bike trails in the region—all for the greater good of the sport and the economic spin-off it creates. Currently, environmental protection legislation prohibits biking on hiking trails, so the focus is to create a network of all-mountain trails not only in the alps, but across the whole country. “There are several groups in Slovenia already doing an awesome job connecting the stakeholders and developing a great story and infrastructure,” says Budkovic. “We’re focused on creating a fair system that will be in the best interest of the general public. Locally, we are doing our best to bring together municipalities, land owners, farmers and mountain bikers to improve knowledge of the sport and give it a more important role.” Budkovic and Urbanc also organize a riding group known as ‘Small Friday’, a crew of 130+ enduro MTB riders that meet each Thursday, every week of the year (rain, snow or shine) to ride the very trails that they work hard to open. ‘No dig, no ride’ is their modus operandi. “Mountain bikers in Slovenia don’t really get together,” says Budkovic. “For the hikers, it’s thousands of people. But the mountain bikers, they are never on the same page. We’re hoping to change that and bring everyone together. We just want to get people stoked on riding in Slovenia.” And stoked we are. Our small crew of British Columbians find ourselves in Kranjska Gora, a Whistler-esque playground that’s part of the Julian October 25, 2018 – Cultivating Community ABOVE Soaking up the views of Lake Bohinj. BOTTOM LEFT The farm at Gostilna Peak. BOTTOM RIGHT Marko's dog better keep that stick out of our bike spokes!