Mit - Index

Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_11_št.15 - Index

start-up money. ≈The first book we intended to publish in this
publishing house should have had the title The Mysterious
Nature of Yugoslavia, but it was already too late, since the state
started to fall apart. Therefore, only the Karst world of Slovenia
and Croatia remained,√ he says. Despite that, in the opinion of
many photographers and geographers, the book became one of
the two which best treats such topics in the world. The work was
presented at several speleology festivals.
GRaNd PRIX FoR boGdaN’S mUltIvISIoN
Kladnik has also prepared some multi-vision works, and has
lectured in Slovenia, Belgium, Italy, Germany; Austria and France,
where he often was a juror at caving festivals. At one of them, he
participated in the only competition in his life. That was in 1993 in
France, at a world festival of multi-visions with a mountaineering
topic, where he reached first and second places with his works
VeËni krog o svetovnih vodah (≈A constant cycle on the world
waters√) and Terra Mystica; he also won the Gran Prix of the city
of Briançon.
≈I FleW IN eveRythING that FlIeS«
Bogdan Kladnik is not only an exceptional photographer and writer
of the monographs, but also an all-round athlete. Sometimes,
he tackles almost incredible ventures. Already at age 17, he had
cycled over at what at that time was still a common state, as the
first Yugoslavian. Then, he was a mountaineer for many years; he
also climbed abroad and spent time with speleologist, with whom
he descended in many caves. Actually, since he was a child he has
been doing almost all sports; he was also a skiing instructor. As he
says himself, he has also flew in everything that flies.
Occasionally, he also uses sea kayaks. With his family and two
huskies he runs to the mountain of ©martna Gora, where they
live, almost every day. With his wife and two sons he travels a lot
abroad. A few years ago with his colleagues he was advancing in
the polar world of Greenland, trying to reach the North Pole, but
they did not have enough money. ≈Instead, I’ve enjoyed canyoning
(researching narrow passages in nature and waterfalls) already for
20 years.
GoRGe mIRUša IN koSovo aS a
beaUtIFUl FaIRy tale
Therefore, already in his student years, the poor information on
gorge Miruša in Kosovo alarmed him. He decided to advance into
it no matter what, so he set out on a journey to Prizren in 1984
with a group of three boys and two girls with a boat and ropes to
find out more about this gorge. At first, nobody knew anything
about it. Later on, the locals offered them more information. First
of all, they saw a small river, captured between inclined limy strata,
then they advanced into the underground caves; they saw small
lakes inside them and as many as 16 waterfalls! ≈A true fairy tale!
All my loves: water, caves and a search for long-lost trails gathered
together!√
advaNCING INto the UNkNoWN
RIveRbedS oF mlINaRICa
One of Bogdan’s later goals were the riverbeds of Mlinarica in
Trenta, which were for a long time known among speleologists
as one of the biggest riddles. ≈Only the entrance and exit were
33
p e o p L e
known; what is hidden in between due to curved and overhanging
rock walls nobody knew,√ he says. Therefore, in 1989 he entered
this dark environment with his colleagues, using a rope. At first,
they were surprised to discover that the water is falling into the
river beds from a 50-meter waterfall. Due to insufficient equipment
they did not dare to go farther back, but they did return better
equipped in a few weeks and found another three waterfalls, and
a month later, the fifth one, 25 meters high, which they believed
was a beautiful peace of work. ≈The next area with a wonderfully
shaped and smooth river beds in the form of a double S, we
had named with my colleague Igor Krevlj, who was expecting
a baby in the familiar manner - the water beds of expectation.√
Otherwise, today they are equipped for descents, but they are still
known as a challenge, as one of the hardest, but also the most
beautiful and the most glorious gorge descents. All this under the
condition that cavers do not come across rises water level, which
Bogdan experienced the hard way when he was with his colleague
returning to Mlinarica in 1990, when they barely escaped with
extreme effort. The same year, he confronted great difficulties also
in a gorge in Ribnica between Uskovica and Pokljuka, when they
discovered, among other things, that exploring narrow gorges by
boat is not reasonable.
the oNly tWo SloveNeS beSIdeS the
Poet SImoN GReGoR»I» that have theIR
oWN WateRFall
"Since, on my return from Mlinarica, my first son Pan was born,
I named the most beautiful waterfall inside it after him - Pan’s
Waterfall. Naming the newly discovered waterfalls is the finder’s
right. But Pan later on, when his brother was born, did not agree
with that, and demanded that the waterfall should be named
Pan-Žan’s waterfall, at least until I find another one for Žan. And
indeed, a year later I discovered as beautiful and approximately
the same waterfall under Mt Krn in Goriško, and named it Žan’s
Waterfall. Therefore my sons, besides the poet Simon GregorËiË,
are the only two Slovenes who have their own waterfall,√ says
Bogdan with a proud smile on his face.
WoRk WIth aN eNGlISh WomaN Who
dedICated tWo albUmS to the FoReIGN
State
One of the Bogdan’s last successes might be a wonderful book
entitled Preprosto Slovenija (≈Simply Slovenia√). This is a collection
of the most beautiful photos of Slovenia, with a text and songs
by Shirlie Roden - English woman who has dedicated two of her
albums to the foreign state which is extremely unusual deed. He
knew already that she was singing about Cerknica Lake, but when
he saw her concert in Log under Mangart, they quickly arranged
to cooperate together.
the lateSt aRtISt’S CReatIoNS - WIth a
kaRate maSteR
This universal man found another passion a few months ago: a
sport, which will surprisingly, also be a nature and poetry of his
photographic art, and also almost a personal confession for him.
≈Lately, as well as all the things I do, I started practising karate.
That is in Serbia, with my teacher Milan -okiÊ, with whom we are
also writing a book on karate.√ Judging by Bogdan’s first photos
intended for it, the book might be the peak of his endeavour.
14 sinfo