Bucegi freeride - part 1: v. Shugarilor

Last saturday we succeded a free ride tour completely new for us, altought I was previously over a hundred times in Bucegi, on all sides of the mountain ! Up to Babale with the cabin, walking to Costila, down to Pestera on Shugailor valley, up to Babale by foot, down to Urlatoarea Mare valley, back to the begining of Urlatorea Mica, ride down the valley until the cliffs baring the valley, down to Busteni by foot ! A 12h tour with two first time ride-down valleys.

Babutzele (the old ladys):

The Sfinx, eroded more by the tourists than the time:

Here is "Costila" and the begining of "Pripon" valley, where with exactly one year before I have started an avalance, of just laid down snow. It was more the scare than the danger. I look forward to return there soon because it is a beautiful valley !

Garcea saluts you, from the front:

And bakside :))) this is the only trick he knows on snowboard at this time :D

Vali on the valley:

Icy, immaculated:

An easy valley:

Easy riders:

Great weather:

Great view:

End of the valley, backward scape:

Satisfaction:

A little bit more of descent, snow fields:

B&W:

Draw you line ! I have drawn mine :D

Nobody has clouds like us:

Soon, it will come the second part, Urlatoarea (The Screamer) valley !

Devastated !

After 6 months of winter break, I took the mountain bike up again on the forest roads towards Poiana Brasov. One of the best descent in the area is from Poiana Brasov toward Tampa, through "Poiana Stechil". The really bad surprise was to find out all the forest down, because of a storm. A nice segment of the descent, of 20 min. usually, had taken us about 50 min. !!! now, because of all that trees down there. It was a nightmare !
Surely, I won't do this again too soon ! what a pity !

Malaiesti is Magic !

In the second day of Easter we were about 10 people, 100% Brasov, going up to Malaiesti valley for a ride (5 of us) or for a walk. Great weather and very big snow gave us one of the best days of this winter, and, for sure, the best snow-scape I've get in the last months. And I am also sun-burned !

This is the valley and the future hut:

Another type of turism, less ecological:

Thinking about heliski:

Going up for a ride:

It is hard to advance in the big, hard snow, and outside it is very hot:

Promises of a great free ride session:

Still going up:

Impressive "Scara":

Upwards it is not too steep for us:

So we took leftside, finding a shadowed corridor:

Nice ridge in "Bucsoiul":

Malaiesti tower, on the left the corridor was our target:

Great mountain, great sky:

Vali says hello to you !

Ready to take-off:

Quite hard snow in that zone:

Snow-shoes walkers, (adica rachetzi):

We did another descent, higher up in the valley:

Foot path, ski path, snowboard path:

Avalanches from Bucsoiul, arrived up to the Malaiesti refuge:

Our traces, great mountain set-up:

Down on the valley, there were a lot of natural kickers, you could spend a whole day down there:

Bottom-line: low avalanches risk, altought very much snow, but on the mountain faces the snow was thin, and very big cornishes up on the mountain: it was impossible to ascent towards the high plateau (hornurile Malaiesti). It is worths to stay a couple of days at Malaiesti refuge and to ride down all the valleys and faces of the area. It is more impressive and less populated than Balea.

The Triangle !

There are a couple of years since it had come to my mind the ideea of riding down "the triangle". I have called like that the steep, triangle shaped, valley having the origin under the "Piatra Mare" peak. It can be easily seen from Brasov and it looks impressive.
I have inspected it last autumn in a small walk up to the peak and then I climbed down the valley, eating tasty blueberries. Yummy !
Last Sunday it came the time to proceed. So, here it is the triangle:

And the nasty, altough very beautiful snow fields on the summit part. Leftside begins "the triangle".



My traces in the upper part seeking the best trace downhill, and of course, the best snow. First I have attempted to go down leftside of the peak, but it was soo icy that it made no fun.



Waiting for the photographer, you can see a slope about 45 degrees :



The attempt, nice powder, with small icy parts:

Less heroic was the climb up (in order to continue our tour in the direction of Predeal): some 1 meter powder in the lower part, then an icy face in the upper part, having only my telescopic sticks and my snowboard boots (and no ice pick) was really shitty to dig ladders in the ice :(

The bottom line: it is hard to climb there with the board, but the descent is really funny, I am proud of doing it, maybe next time I'll go down all to way until "7 scari" canyon.

Jumpin' Jack day !

Last saturday the weather was changing: clouds, sun, clouds, heavy snow... So I've arrived very late in Poiana BRasov, knowing that it is very difficult to make long tours, as the snow melted down of the ski slopes. So, it remains to take the shitty teleski in the upper part of the domain. A real pain in the ass for the boarders and co... So, I've amused myself taking pictures of Marius, his brother and other ski monitors and "pro" riders. Also I've squated the forrest around the Postavarul peak for more powder. And there is ! I've even managed to provoke small avalanches near the summit ridge. The end of the day was the Rossignol party down the slopes, with free meal and beverages and music (afterski party CDs).

But here there are the most spectacular photos of the day !