Romania with the Boys!

On the mission to ski the Balkans, the next logical destination was Romania and the Carpathian Mountains. The expectations were not very high, but in the end we realized our perception of Romania was mostly wrong. We expected a poor country, with outdated infrastructure and mediocre mountains. In the end it turned out a great "boys weeks" destination, with superb ski-touring terrain, interesting food, friendly people, lively historical cities in Transylvania and breathtaking medieval castles, which inspired Drakula. We also realized the western Carpathian Mountains are actually closer (6 hours) to Slovenia then most of the mountain ranges in the Balkans (9+ hours), with completely new highways as a bonus. As the opening photo suggests, we had very serious winter conditions throughout the whole week. Snow was abundant and the temperature was -5 C in the valley and down to -20 C in the mountains. Despite having only one sunny day, all ski-touring trips were a big success.

After having delicious Hungarian goulash at my good friend Jerry in Kecskemet and spending a charming evening in Timisoara (photo above), we penetrated the western Carpathians and settled in Poiana Marului. This is now a quiet village set between the mountains, but used to be a luxurious tourist destination for Ceausescu and his communist elite. For starters we attacked Bistricioara (cca 2000m) over the ridge and surprised a few loggers when skiing back to the village. We spent the night in the cozy Artarul pension, which is run by a retired Canadian "Gasterbiter" and his lovely wife. The next morning we did a quick tour of the ruined 5-star hotel (photo below) and continued our journey towards the east.

Over the years, Artač developed an interesting theory, which goes something like this: "With abundant snow and low temperatures, there is no such thing as bad weather for ski touring, as long as you choose the right destination". In this spirit, we continued towards the east and attacked Sturu (1823m) along the way. It turned out a great trip, with first class powder and a big fire to free our instincts and keep us warm at -15 C.

Exhausted from a long day in the mountains, we stopped for the night in Hunedoara. We woke up early next morning and were blown away by the Corvin Castle (photo below), which would surely please Drakula himself. After lunch, we drove to Sibiu, a very well preserved medieval city. Even though the temperatures were around -10 C, the city was quite lively, and we spent the evening in one of the underground pubs. We slept in a cozy Vila Sibiu (12 eur / person), where Leon and Keber decided to continue the party, by drinking and singing Bosnian songs. When joining for breakfast they were slightly embarrassed, but we all had a great laugh.

Our next destination was Balea Lac (2050m), which is located high in the Fagaras mountains. There is a road which goes up to the lake and across a tunnel towards the south, but was completely unrecognizable under meters of snow. Since the cableway was not operational, we took the second option called "ski-touring ascent" and reached the lake in a snow blizzard at -20 C. We entered the ice chapel with skies and had a drink at the ice residence. It was -5 C inside the hotel, and the beer remained chilly until the last sip. Looking for something cheaper and especially warmer, we settled down in Cabana Paltinu, with a nice fireplace and definitely the best option around. There we also met Adrian (Davo), who was preparing to organize a ski-touring competition in two days. We had a long discussion on the weather conditions and snow stability, which he worried, will blow away the weekend event.

We woke up early next morning and the sun was shining for the first time on this trip. It was too dangerous for any serious mountaineering, so we decided to walk through the tunnel and descend to Cabana Capra. About 200m above the cottage, Keber triggered a small avalanche, and even I had a short ride. We decided to avoid any potential "Cabana Express" and rather enjoyed sunbathing and lunch at the tunnel entrance.

After a long walk through the tunnel, we reunified with Davo, who was delighted to tell us that northern slopes were more than stable. This is just when Keber popped a new beer and was expecting to take the afternoon easy. He was a little grumpy at first but quickly surrendered to powder delights in the neighboring valley:

In the evening, we drove to a small ski resort Paltinis and enjoyed sauna in a luxurious 4-star hotel. Well rested next morning we did a 20km round trip across a No-name mountain (cca 1970m). We spent the last night in Arad, also a nice and historical city, and drove back towards the reality of everyday life. Tired, happy and satisfied!

Ski-touring season 2018

After a few years hijacked by global warming, this winter was finally cold, snowy and long. Our ski-touring season started in November and lasted until the end of May. I grabbed this opportunity by the horns and made some great trips with the lads but also with coworkers and family. So lets go back to November 2017, which was heavily hit by powder. Together with Robert we attacked Vošca (1737m) both from sunny Slovenia and shady Austria:

December brought additional snow and semi-stable conditions, making Karavanke an easy and logical choice. Artač and Leon, who don't need additional introduction, popped-up like rabbits on the first sunny weekend. Srednji vrh (1797m) gave us light "Canadian" powder, which is not very common in Slovenian mountains. Even Artač was showing signs of emotional delight, which is even less common :)

Since Karavanke mountains were becoming our good friends, Leon and I decided to take another stab at Srednji vrh. Above Tinček, we were seduced by a solid ski-track which led us directly towards Stol (2225m). We turned around on 1800m and enjoyed a chilly lunch with spectacular views. Solid skiing but less powder due to South / East orientation of the slopes:

December was so nutorious that we decided to tackle a new region in Karavanke. East of Trupejevo poldne, there is a gorup of mountains around 1800m high, all very safe and attractive to ski. We started in Srednji vrh and skied both from Grajščica (cca 1780m) and Murnovec (1864m) which is the highest member of the gang. We cooked pasta at the very top and enjoyed powder on a perfectly sunny day. Again it was very chilly and we estimated around -20C in the shady valley behind Murnovec:

Starting in 2018, the winter conditions remained very stable. After a heavy lunch at my mother's house and putting the kids to sleep, Ana and I decided to stretch our legs and attempt to break the fog. Mission accomplished as we drank tea and watched the sunset from the top of Krim (1107m). It wasn't long before we realized it's -10 degrees and the night is right around the corner. I skied great powder straight to our house, while Ana managed to hitchhike a local jeep:

On the first days of February, we experienced one of the heaviest snowfalls documented in the last 100 years. Some places received over a meter of snow in less than 24 hours. The team was quick to assemble and considering safety, we attacked the abandoned ski-piste Macesnovec (1200m) above Rateče, precisely on the border with Italy. We enjoyed fantastic winter scenery, but on the other hand, we consumed no pleasure in skiing. We usually celebrate big quantities of snow, especially in combination with low temperatures and steep slopes.. however, this time it was simply TOO MUCH! The only possible descent was to follow our own tracks. Disappointment was extinguished with beer "alla spina" and a long afternoon debate:

After the legendary boys week in Romania (preparing a separate post), it was time to fulfil an old promise and give my colleague Miha a ski touring taste. There was plenty of snow on Ljubelj and the quantity increased as we attacked the popular Triangel (1705m). Miha was more than happy, but only next season will show if he sticks with the sport:

One of the season highlights was ski-touring with Jakob, my 2-year-old son. He was very excited and this was also an opportunity for father-son bonding. In the middle of April we made a trip to Blejska koča (1630m) above Pokljuka. Lojze was quick enough to follow, while the other family members were dragging behind:

There was a lot of snowfall on Pokljuka this winter, which brought great spring conditions. Together with Leon we attacked Brda (2009m), where we enjoyed solitude, great views of Triglav and a skiing poetry on a few centimeters of melted snow. Martin climbed the classical Mrežce (1965m), and had a lot of fun as he paraglided around Veliki Draški vrh and landed just in front of our cottage:

Solid spring conditions continued throughout April and we were planning to tackle the Bohinj trio - Matajurski vrh, Veliki Raskovec and Rodica for desert. Together with Robert and Leon we formed a strong team; however, the fog on the mountain summits was even stronger. For this reason we reached only Matajurski vrh (1936m), but took pleasure in compact snow in a valley of north-west direction. We celebrated the trip by swimming in the Bohinj lake and making plans for the future:

There was a good quantity of snow that accumulated over the winter, which meant the ski-touring season extended well into May. This is when Lojze, my father in law, finally got his act together and we climbed the Bela peč (2005m) mountain pass, which is just west of Gilberti hut (Sella Nevea). The trip had all the late spring elements, including but not limited to: hot sun, cold beer, dirty snow and most important - lots of fun:

At the end of May, when many Slovenians were taking off for the seaside, Leon and I were not ready to give up. Legendary Rok Medja gave me a hint that snow was still hiding in the valley behind Viševnik. We were rather skeptical, when we ascended above Rudno polje on grass; however, our doubts vanished when we peeked over the eastern ridge (Kačji rob). First we skied from Srenjski pass (1959m), then Studorski pass (1892m) with a short deviation towards Veliki Draški vrh (2240m), and then across Srenjski pass for the second time. It turned out to be a great trip to close the season, with more skiing then we dared to hope for:

In conclusion, the ski touring season 2017/18 was very productive and lasted for more than six months. This was something normal between 2006-2012, but less common in the last years. It was very cold with constant percipitation, which is also the reason why we skied lower mountains. Actually the average "summit" hight was only around 1750m. Karavanke and Pokljuka were the winning destinations, and I have skied many of the mountains for the first time (Grajščica, Murnovec, Macesnovec, Brda, Matajurski vrh, Bela peč and Srenjski / Studorski pass). I also had the opportunity to ski with my coworkers Robert and Miha, and most important - my son Jakob!

Mangart pass

The first part of winter was not very generous with snow - it was either raining high in the mountains or it was dry and cold. You might be surprised, but I was completely in differed to these conditions. This is because on January 23, my son Jakob was born! By the end of February, my ski touring abstention was gaining on strength, and when Leon finally turned 30, we registered a picturesque trip to the Mangart pass (2080m). Due to unstable snow conditions we ended our ascent at a military ruin (1920m) from World War I. We enjoyed a long powder descent back to the valley, as well as pizza and beer in the Bovec apartment!

Bulgaria with the boys!

Every spring we leave our wives, girlfriends, mothers and children at home in order to explore foreign mountains. This unique one-week experience is always full of ski-touring, exotic traveling, culinary excess and most important quality time with the lads. Logistics are fairly simple – we pack our ski-touring gear, onboard the legendary 20-year-old Volvo and drive. Your first guess might be Switzerland, France, Austria or some other country in the Alps. However, we are always attracted towards the East and South, which can offer more solitude in the mountains, exciting culture and very important for the lads – more than reasonable prices. The whole trip (8 days) costed around 280 euros per person, including everything, and I have to add that we were only choosing hotels with a descent spa or at least a sauna.

After Slovakia, Bosnia and Montenegro in the previous years, Bulgaria was the next in line. The country has two spectacular mountain ranges in the Southwest – Pirin and Rila. They both have countless peaks above 2500m and receive abundant snowfall.

We used the rainy days for exploring Bulgarian cities and relaxing in the local spas. During the sunny period we crossed the Pirin range and slept in basic but friendly mountain huts, which could always offer heavy "kachkaval" and icy beer:

Day 1: Ski lift to Bezbog hut (2240m) and climbing/skiing the Bezbog peak (2662m)

Day 2: Crossing the nearby lake, descent to the valley, Đano (2657m), descent towards Northwest, Momin dvor (2722m), descent to Tevno ezero hut (2512m)

Day 3: Crossing under Valjaviška čuka (2652m), long descent into Demjanica valley, no-name peak above Tevno Vasilaško lake, descent towards East, Tipiz (2645m), descent to Demjanica hut (1895m)

 

Day 4: Veliki poležan (2862m), descent Northeast, Disilica (2700m), long descent to our car at Goce Delčev (1412m).

 

Demjanica, a long and beautiful valley, offered us tons of powder:

 

The Rila Monastery deep in the mountains is one of the oldest still operating monesteries in the world: