More about ASAK
The Student Speleologic and Alpinistic Club (ASAK, Akademski speleolosko-alpinisticki klub), one of the major caving clubs in Serbia, was founded in Belgrade in 1971. Initially a club of the students of the University of Belgrade, later it became open to general public. Currently, it gathers some 40 members, mostly students and pupils.
The activity of ASAK is concentrated on the karst regions of eastern and south-eastern Serbia, as well as on mountains in Montenegro, through weekend excursions and summer expeditions. During the last decade, ASAK was a participant or one of the organizers of the expeditions to Montenegro: Mt. Durmitor (1984, 1985, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006-2009), Mt. Orjen (1986, 1987), Maja Rusolija (1988), Prokletije(North Karanfili, 2006). In Serbia, we organized the systematic research of Mt. Beljanica and its surroundings (1987, 1988), region of Boljevac (1989), Jerma (1994), Miroc (since 1990), Cerje (1995 - 1998), Dzevrinska greda (since 1998), cave Velika pecina u Dubokoj (2000-2001), Dubasnica (2005), Stara planina (2009), etc. Currently, most of the activities are oriented towards the explorations of the region of Miroc Mt. and ridge Dzevrinska greda, the exploration of Lazareva pecina cave, and prospection of new areas. The explorations of Miroc led to the discoveries of the caves Nemacki ponor and Buronov ponor, 3.422 m and 2.925 m long respectively, and several pits deeper than 200 m (deep for Serbian standards), including Rakin ponor which in September 2000 became the deepest cave in Serbia, after the dive performed by our coleagues from SOB. The area is still relatively unexplored and new discoveries are expected. The karst ridge of Dzevrinska greda, near Mt. Miroc, brought a previously unknown large cave Drenjarski sistem (3731 m surveyed so far), which is currently being explored. Cerjanska pecina, once the longest in Serbia, had 950 m of new galleries surveyed in 1996, and 835 in 1998 and 1999) with several unsurveyed passages and leads to follow. Karst areas in Serbia are numerous and generally poorly explored, so discoveries of new caves are frequent. Unfortunately, the closest terrains of our interest lay 200 km or more from Belgrade.
ASAK is the organizer of the Symposium on Karst Protection. The symposia are the only scientific meetings in Serbia dealing with karst, so although being primarily dedicated to karst protection, they became open to all karst researchers and amateur speleologists.
Club meetings are held every tuesday at 7.30 pm in our rooms in the 2nd basement of the Belgrade Faculty of Chemistry, followed by a pleasent stay in some of the nearby pubs. SRT training sessions are organized on weekends on the abandoned quarries in Kosutnjak.