Approximately 350 People Maintain Hiking Trail Markings throughout Slovakia

Ruzomberok, 17 May (TASR) - Approximately 350 people that mark trails renew trail markings and maintain marked hiking trails throughout Slovakia, head of the Slovak Tourist Club (KST) Peter Svec told TASR, adding that marking hiking trails involves carrying supplies, equipment, and paint into challenging mountainous terrain. Svec added that trail markers also carry signposts into the mountains, which they typically carry on their shoulders. They operate across Slovakia within so-called regional trail marking commissions. In addition to the marking itself, they also ensure that trails remain passable, which includes clearing vegetation, removing the aftermath of natural disasters and fallen trees, and very often maintaining technical aids that help hikers navigate the route. Trail markers from the KST trail marking section maintain and re-mark approximately 16,500 kilometres of trails. "We have an official standard that we follow for marking, which calls for a three-year renewal cycle. This means that roughly 5,500 kilometres of trails should be renewed each year if there were sufficient financial resources for this purpose. However, these haven't been ideal for a few years now, so naturally, less has been marked. Last year, we renewed around 1,200 kilometres," said Svec, noting that despite the difficult financial situation in recent years, Slovakia has managed to maintain one of the highest-quality networks of marked hiking trails in the world. am