The Upper Sava Valley ( Slovene : Zgornjesavska dolina ) is an alpine valley in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia . The Sava Dolinka River flows along it. It begins in Rateče at an elevation of 870 m and ends at Moste at 560 m. It is the geographical border between the Julian Alps and the Karawanks . It was created on a tectonic fault that runs down the middle of the valley. Its geomorphological forms are a result of the actions of the river and glaciers . A number of smaller valleys lead into it from both sides.
20-548: The largest settlements in the valley are Kranjska Gora and Jesenice . Some of the traditional and modern settlements are located on active alluvial fans that may cause a threat of the modelled torrents and debris flows. 46°28′16″N 13°54′42″E / 46.47111°N 13.91167°E / 46.47111; 13.91167 This Slovenian geography article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kranjska Gora Kranjska Gora ( pronounced [ˈkɾàːnska ˈɡɔ̀ːɾa] ; German : Kronau )
40-591: A length of 203–207 centimetres (79.9–81.5 in) in the 1980s and 1990s but by the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City , the majority of competitors were using skis measuring 160 cm (63.0 in) or less. The downside of the shorter skis was that athletes found that recoveries were more difficult with a smaller platform underfoot. Out of concern for the safety of athletes, the FIS began to set minimum ski lengths for international slalom competition. The minimum
60-399: A men's course is 180 to 220 m (591 to 722 ft) and measures slightly less for women. The gates are arranged in a variety of configurations to challenge the competitor. Because the offsets are relatively small in slalom, ski racers take a fairly direct line and often knock the poles out of the way as they pass, which is known as blocking. (The main blocking technique in modern slalom
80-619: A road over the Vršič Pass . There is a small cemetery nearby. Commemorations take place at the chapel every year. A mass grave from the end of the Second World War is found in the eastern part of the town. The Savsko Naselje Mass Grave ( Slovene : Grobišče v Savskem naselju ), also known as the Rušar Meadow Mass Grave ( Grobišče Rušarjev travnik ), contains the remains of up to 35 German soldiers killed in an engagement with
100-553: Is a reworking of the German name, influenced by German Krainberg 'Karawanks'. The settlement was also called Borovska vas (or Borovska ves or Borovška ves ) in Slovene in the past. Kranjska Gora is believed to have been settled in the 11th century by Slovenes from Carantania . It was a fief of the Counts of Ortenburg in the 12th century. A trade route to Tarvisio already led through
120-826: Is a town in northwestern Slovenia , on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region, close to the Austrian and Italian borders. It is the seat of the Municipality of Kranjska Gora . The tripoint between Austria, Italy and Slovenia lies on the mountain of Dreiländereck , known as Peč in Slovenia. Kranjska Gora was first mentioned in written sources in 1326 as Chrainow (and as Chrainau and Chrainaw in 1363, as Cranaw and Chranaw in 1390, and as Kraynaw in 1456–61, among other names). The Slovene name Kranjska Gora
140-399: Is cross-blocking, in which the skier takes such a tight line and angulates so strongly that he or she is able to block the gate with the outside hand.) Racers employ a variety of protective equipment, including shin pads, hand guards, helmets and face guards. Traditionally, bamboo poles were used for gates, the rigidity of which forced skiers to maneuver their entire body around each gate. In
160-430: Is regressing the equipment, and hence the sport, by two decades. American Bode Miller hastened the shift to the shorter, more radical sidecut skis when he achieved unexpected success after becoming the first Junior Olympic athlete to adopt the equipment in giant slalom and super-G in 1996. A few years later, the technology was adapted to slalom skis as well. In the following table men's slalom World Cup podiums in
180-728: The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup series, also known as the Vitranc Cup, for the slalom and giant slalom events. The well-known ski jumping hill Planica is located in the nearby Tamar Valley. Notable people that were born or lived in Kranjska Gora include: Slalom skiing Slalom is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline, involving skiing between poles or gates. These are spaced more closely than those in giant slalom , super giant slalom and downhill , necessitating quicker and shorter turns. Internationally,
200-617: The Partisans in May 1945. Tourism developed further in Kranjska Gora after the Second World War. Various ski lifts were built on Mount Vitranc west of the town in 1949, 1962, 1964, and 1965, and a freight cableway was installed in 1958. The Counts of Ortenburg established a church dedicated to Our Lady on the White Gravel ( Slovene : Marija na belem produ ) in the 14th century, referring to
220-678: The Oslo championships at Huseby and Holmenkollen . Mathias Zdarsky 's development of the Lilienfeld binding helped change hill races into a specialty of the Alps region. The rules for the modern slalom were developed by Arnold Lunn in 1922 for the British National Ski Championships, and adopted for alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics . Under these rules gates were marked by pairs of flags rather than single ones, were arranged so that
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#1732876690703240-588: The bank of the Pišnica River, which has since changed course. The current church, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, is late Gothic in style and has typical Carinthian rib vaulting. It contains two sculptures from the second half of the 15th century and paintings by Leopold Layer (1752–1828). Kranjska Gora is best known as a winter sports town, being situated in the Julian Alps . It annually hosts an event in
260-443: The early 1980s, rigid poles were replaced by hard plastic poles, hinged at the base. The hinged gates require, according to FIS rules, only that the skis and boots of the skier go around each gate. The new gates allow a more direct path down a slalom course through the process of cross-blocking or shinning the gates. Cross-blocking is a technique in which the legs go around the gate with the upper body inclined toward, or even across,
280-491: The gate; in this case the racer's outside pole and shinguards hit the gate, knocking it down and out of the way. Cross-blocking is done by pushing the gate down with the arms, hands, or shins. By 1989, most of the top technical skiers in the world had adopted the cross-block technique. With the innovation of shaped skis around the turn of the 21st century, equipment used for slalom in international competition changed drastically. World Cup skiers commonly skied on slalom skis at
300-577: The more challenging runs. Ufsilåm was a trail with one obstacle ( ufse ) like a jump, a fence, a difficult turn, a gorge, a cliff (often more than 10 metres (33 ft) high), et cetera. Uvyrdslåm was a trail with several obstacles. A Norwegian military downhill competition in 1767 included racing downhill among trees "without falling or breaking skis". Sondre Norheim and other skiers from Telemark practiced uvyrdslåm or "disrespectful/reckless downhill" where they raced downhill in difficult and untested terrain (i.e., off piste). The 1866 "ski race" in Oslo
320-476: The racers had to use a variety of turn lengths to negotiate them, and scoring was on the basis of time alone, rather than on both time and style. A course is constructed by laying out a series of gates, formed by alternating pairs of red and blue poles. The skier must pass between the two poles forming the gate, with the tips of both skis and the skier's feet passing between the poles. A course has 55 to 75 gates for men and 40 to 60 for women. The vertical drop for
340-755: The sport is contested at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships , and at the Olympic Winter Games . The term slalom comes from the Morgedal / Seljord dialect of the Norwegian word "slalåm": "sla", meaning "slightly inclining hillside", and "låm", meaning "track after skis". The inventors of modern skiing classified their trails according to their difficulty. Slalåm was a trail used in Telemark by boys and girls not yet able to try themselves on
360-498: The town in the 14th century. In 1431 the Counts of Celje built a castle at Villa Bassa (now part of Tarvisio), which belonged to the town until 1848. Kranjska Gora came under Ottoman attack in 1476. A railroad connection was built to Kranjska Gora in 1870. During the First World War , in 1916, Russian prisoners of war built a wooden chapel above the settlement commemorating their comrades killed in an avalanche while building
380-458: Was a combined cross-country, jumping and slalom competition. In the slalom participants were allowed use poles for braking and steering, and they were given points for style (appropriate skier posture). During the late 19th century Norwegian skiers participated in all branches (jumping, slalom, and cross-country) often with the same pair of skis. Slalom and variants of slalom were often referred to as hill races. Around 1900 hill races were abandoned in
400-481: Was initially set at 155 cm (61.0 in) for men and 150 cm (59.1 in) for women, but was increased to 165 cm (65.0 in) for men and 155 cm (61.0 in) for women for the 2003–2004 season . The equipment minimums and maximums imposed by the International Ski Federation (FIS) have created a backlash from skiers, suppliers, and fans. The main objection is that the federation
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