10%

River Soča. Packrafting from Tronovo 1 to Tronovo 2. The slalom course

T3 and T4 1km Class III-IV plus a not recommended section.

By Packrafting.cat

November 30^th, 2024

River Soca

See the main post with all the sections and information for Packrafting and other activities on the Soca River in Slovenia.

https://blog.packrafting.cat/soca-river-the-european-mecca-of-kayaking

Original Spanish post

See Río Soča. Packrafting de Tronovo 1 a Tronovo 2. El campo de eslálom

https://blog.packrafting.cat/rio-soca-packrafting-de-tronovo1-a-tronovo2-el-campo-de-eslalom

The stretches of the river Soca are:

T0 Upper Soca: From Lepena (just after the beautiful gorge of Velika korita Soče) to the confluence of the river Soca and the river Koritnica where we had our accommodation (camping Liza).
T1 Koritnica confluence - bridge Čezsoča (Prijon Center) - Slap Boka - Sprenica 1: Quiet stretch for everyone where you can relax and watch the scenery while being carried away by the current of the river.
T2 Srpenica 1 - Tronovo 1: 4 km Cl II to III (3+) a very entertaining section.
T3 Tronovo 1 to Tronovo 2 - Slalom section. Short slalom of approx. 1 km distance with class IV rapids.
T4 Gorge de la Soča. Cataract section. It is 2 km of class IV+ with many potential hazards due to siphons. We did not do this section.
T5- Otona - Kobarid section. 3 km Cl III (3+) of beautiful route combining open mouth scenery with good and constant class III rapids.
T6- Kobarid - Tolmin: 14 km of calm water.

To these sections we have to add the section of the river Koritnica.

T1 Koritnica: One of the best sections in the Soca valley.

Here is the information on the section from Tronovo 1 to Tronovo 2, a one-kilometer letter section known as the slalom course.

Google Map

Here you can find a detail of all the highlights of the Soca River.

T3 Tronovo 1 to Tronovo 2. Slalom section

This section is a 1 km long natural slalom course that starts at the Tronovo 1 stop, just after the bridge. It is a class III-IV section, depending on the water level, with an important boulder garden that allows us to practice intensively the entrances and exits of the backwaters.

Parallel to the section there is a path that is used to go back up and repeat the section as many times as you wish.

The end of the section is marked by a wide backwater and there are signs indicating the entrance to the "Cataract" section, a section I have never done as it is known for its dangerous siphons.

⚠️ Warning: Just after this section, at the end of the Slalom course, the Soca canyon, the most difficult and dangerous section of the Soča is waiting to catch a packrafter unawares. This area is dangerous because of its level of difficulty and potentially dangerous siphons. There is a sign warning of the entrance to the Cataract section, and there is a still water backwater just before it that allows us to leave at our leisure.

Here you can see Borja and me sorting the big stone blocks of this section. Thanks to Carlos Izquierdo for these pictures and I recommend you to check his blog la vida es silbar and the article about Soca River in Packraft that he has written.

River Soča. Packrafting from Tronovo 1 to Tronovo 2. The slalom course

Additional section information

On the usual websites and pages you will find extra information about this section.

Eaux vives - P2- Parking between Žaga et Srpenica - Tronovo including the slalom
Rivermap Soča Slalom (IV)
In the Whitewater guide app on the map of the Eastern Alps you will find the information about the river Soca.
In the RiverApp you will find all the documented stretches.

Short Packrafting section on river Soca - Slalom Section - Tronovo 1 to Tronovo 2:

⚠️ This section is only for experts, it is essential to do a previous scouting and ideally go with a guide who knows the section. Or even better, the commitment of the section vs. your interest possibly makes the best option to carry/avoid this section.

I have never done this section and I don't think I ever will. It is a section IV+ with a great potential danger of death due to the existence of siphons.

At the Europe packraft meetup, the most experienced people who had done it did not recommend going and in fact, according to their own words, they themselves would not do it again, which says a lot.

Additions information of Cataract Sectio:

Eaux vives - P3 - Gorge de la Soca - Gorge de la Soca IV+
Rivermap Cataract Section Tronovo Otona IV+(V)
In the Whitewater guide application on the map of the Eastern Alps you will find the information about the river Soca.
In the RiverApp you will find all the documented sections.

Once we reach the first bridge (in 2.4 km) the difficulty decreases, allowing us to relax a bit and thus be able to observe the magnificent gorge of the final section. This gorge can be seen from the Napoleon Bridge on a beautiful hike from Kobarid.

About the water levels in the first week I was there, this was the graph of the RiverApp app.

The first day it was raining hard and that helped the water levels. On the other hand, 15 days later, the levels were close to "low water". The entrance to the Gorge and the Gorge itself is very different depending on the water level, less water does not always mean easier but, in the case of canyoned sections like this one, high water levels do mean more potential dangers as the Gorge can form powerful drosholes. Be safe please!

Click on the map to see it in full.

https://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/site-media/socarivermap.pdf

Carlos Gang

The first team was sponsored by Packrafting Spain (Jamón Ibérico Sponsorship ™), the whole team with the tuticolori Aoraki Packraft:

The hiking trails through the river valleys are highly recommended. Personally, it was a good idea to visit the starting point of the Koritnica Gorges just after arriving, we got some very mystical photos.

Velika korita Soče (Great Soča Gorge)

You will pass through here on your way to the Upper Soca T0 car park. It is well worth a stop to visit and get to know this narrow (and forbidding) canyon of the Soca River.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Someday I will have to explain this story in detail, but for now here is a quick recommendation: climb Mount Triglav, there are several routes, but I recommend the one I chose, a climb with sections of via ferrata, a strenuous and unique experience.

Venice

If, like us, you fly to Venice, you can make an express visit...

Packraft in the Noguera Pallaresa river

The river is a living environment, changing and subject to permanent development. The publishers of the river sketches and the creators of this website cannot be held liable in any case of inaccuracy, omission or error in the river sketches. The topos editors and website creators disclaim all liability in case of any accident that may occur on the rivers described in this guide.