Where to ski in Romania this winter
Several well-known ski slopes in Romania remained closed over Christmas due to the lack of snow. There are, however, slopes that are now open, and coming snows promise skiing enthusiasts plenty of opportunities.
Although it snowed on Christmas in several places across the country, the snow was insufficient for practicing winter sports on most of Romania’s ski slopes. At present, there are several places with slopes open for skiing, and in two only the mini-teleski and the conveyor belt are operating, Hotnews.ro reported.
First, winter sports enthusiasts can choose to ski on the Transalpina Ski Resort slope in Vâlcea County. The area includes seven slopes with different levels of difficulty, from beginners to advanced, the highest starting at an altitude of 2,000 meters. The price of a one-day ski pass for an adult is RON 190 (EUR 37.3). Children up to 12 years old pay RON 125 (EUR 24.5).
The ski slope is also open in Rânca, in Gorj County, at an altitude of 1,600 meters. Here, a one-day ski pass costs RON 150 (EUR 30) for adults and RON 100 (EUR 20) for children.
Also open is Straja, the resort in Hunedoara County at an altitude of 1,445 meters, where there are four slopes. Here, a one-day ski pass is RON 160 (EUR 31.4).
In Păltiniș, Sibiu County, the teleski is up and running, according to information on the website. A ski pass costs RON 165 for adults, RON 155 for pupils and students, and RON 135 for children aged 7–11.
The slope is also open in Băile Homorod, Harghita County, at 70% capacity. Here, prices differ depending on the day of the week. From Monday to Thursday, tourists will pay RON 110 (adults) and RON 90 (reduced). On weekends or holidays, the rates reach RON 130 (EUR 25.5) (adults) and RON 110 (EUR 21.6) (reduced).
Those who want to learn to ski or children can also do so in Vatra Dornei, where only the mini-teleski and the conveyor belt are open. Prices reach RON 170 (EUR 33.4) for adults and RON 140 (EUR 27.5) for children.
The Brașov City Hall, in turn, may open the first ski slope in the popular Poiana Brașov on Tuesday, December 30. The ski season is to be inaugurated in the coming days, depending on weather conditions. Although temperatures in the Postăvarul massif have been low in recent days, strong wind gusts did not allow the use of artificial snowmaking installations except in more sheltered areas. In most of the ski areas, the snow is artificial, with natural snow being only 5 centimeters, officials said, according to Agerpres.
Winter tourism has yet to pick up elsewhere. “Due to the lack of snow, resorts in the Prahova Valley and in Brașov have a lower occupancy rate. Less so during the Christmas and New Year period, when people go to parties,” said Traian Bădulescu, spokesperson for the National Association of Travel Agencies, cited by Hotnews.ro.
He also emphasized that most winter sports enthusiasts choose the months of January and February for these activities. Several representatives of ski slopes in Harghita, Brașov, and Prahova said they expect colder weather and snow starting in January, so they will be able to open the slopes.
Gondola Sinaia said in its Facebook page this past weekend that "once this windy period passes, we will open the upper area: Lăptici 1 in exceptional conditions and, a bit narrower in width, more like special slalom rather than giant slalom, Lăptici 2, Varianta, Soarelui 1 and 2, and Dorului. As a result, we will also operate the Dorului chairlift, not just the Soarelui one."
(Photo source: Poiana Brasov on Facebook)
