Category Archives: 5. Foto

Ski touring and Romanian mountain hut, Bărcaciu, Făgăraș mountains

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Ok, this country has some faults, nothing is perfect, but if you come to live with them and you love nature, you will find happiness here. We have traveled some and we liked what we saw over our borders, but somehow, I for one am always drawn back here, to Romanian mountains. Not the tallest, not the steepest, not the most beautiful, but they resemble us… complex, complicated :))

One thing I like about romanian mountains are the mountain huts. Basic, old, rugged but in a cozy kind of way. One place in particular that I’ve always come back to with pleasure is Barcaciu hut in Fagaras mountains.

Here I found knowledge, friendship, beauty, and will. The will to do something in the area, to develop and to offer free know how and that pleased me a lot.

This place is nice, Mihai, the guy in charge of the hut, along with his parents are making a great job on keeping the old hut alive.

This place is just great and if I had lived closer to the area, I would have visited it more often, alongside with the other huts in the north west part of the Făgăraș mountains.

This part of Făgăraș is the greatest, lots of trails, great amazing ridge, lot of snow in the winter and great people!

And don’t forget the food, they know how to cook a great meal! Mrs. Mariana, Mihai’s mom it’s a great cook and half of the reason I go to Barcaciu is for the meals I get :))), no lie here :D. The other half would be the trails and the snow in the winter. There are some spots there where you can have some great ski touring days if the weather and the mountain allow it.

We’ve been there already this winter and we got half lucky. Great day, not too cold and not too windy, and with decent snow conditions. We had some bad visibility, flat light on Puha descent but we had to deal with it. You cannot have it all, and you have to learn how to be grateful for what you received.

If on Saturday we had a bit of luck and we had a full ski touring day, on Sunday the snow came and we had to stay near the hut because of the bad visibility and unstable snow. But Mihai didn’t let us rest, he made sure we remembered how to use our avalanche safety and rescue equipment and had some avalanche rescue drills near the hut. We tried also to ski some of the fresh pow but the visibility was just too bad, so we called it a day. Not bad for the first ski touring weekend of the season.

If you want to discover the area in terms of ski touring, the event held by Mihai each spring is a good start, just check out Schi de tura la Barcaciu in the first weekend of spring :D. And here, another beautyful weekend spend here!

Thanks Barcaciu for all the good times! Cheers mate!

Ski touring on Lespezi peak, Făgăraș mountains, Romania

Ok, judging from the first pic of this post, this is a proper winter for shredding… but take a look at the other pictures… and this happens in January 12, 2020… this is critical…

Not even in spring did we catch these conditions here. Don’t look too far, we ourselves are the cause. But how radical the situation must become in order for us to change this… I’m really curious if technology or something else will save this one…ok, let’s leave this aside, for now.

This weekend we did the Lespezi descent, a bit too early because of the poor snow and spring conditions.

Lespezi peak is one of the easiest to access 2500m peak in Făgăraș mountains, and one that you can ski from the very top.

It’s a nice tour, the pictures from the last part of the climb, and from the peak are just awesome, as well as the descent. This one calmed my appetite for ski, but not for long. I really hope it’s one of those late winters that shows their strength in March :D, how wonderful would it be!

Until then ride safe!

Ciucaș Enduro 2019, awesome friendly contest

Last year in August, Ciucaș Enduro was revived in a new, not so competitive but pretty awesome form.

It was a friendly enduro contest, something more like a gathering, in which riders treated the so called contest as they wished. Some of them really battled but most of the riders present were only there to ride the trails with their friends and to somehow have a taste of how an enduro contest is held.

It’s a good thing because people get to see how an enduro mtb contest is like but have way more fun. Not everybody is prepared for racing enduro and this way you get a casual intro into riding enduro.

Besides this, you get some cleaned trails, music, food, great beer and lots of fun with your mates or get to know new people from the community.

Hope the contest will be held next year too, because we really enjoyed it and had a great time riding and having fun.

Thanks to all volunteers and organizers for making it possible. Cheers mates! 🚵‍♂👊🍻

Cindrel electric bikepacking trip, thanks to NevAcademy

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Ok, so the season had to end with some quality bikepacking trip and all had gone down thanks to NevAcademy and their great bikes.

We wanted to go back to Cindrel mountains because last time we came here we had 48h of rain which made us cut short the track we wanted to do. This time, thanks to Adrian and his electric bikes, we managed to do the track in a record time and we had some great fun going uphill, not only downhill.

Let me tell you, it’s something else with the electric bike, a totally different kind of ride, you have loads of fun going uphill, you cover a lot more ground, and you workout quite the same. As I see it so far, if you live next to a mountain, don’t hesitate to buy an electric bike, it’s exactly what you need. The electric bike will not replace your old trusty non-electric bike but it will complete “the ride”, trust me.

As we live in Bucharest, and have to go 2h minimum by car to reach any mountain, the electric bike is not yet an option but we shall talk in a few years…

Ok, so our trip was already planned from last year, we knew the track we wanted to do and where we wanted to sleep.

We wanted to reach Cindrel peak, then Frumoasa peak, descent on the rocky road down to the road that takes you to Gura Râului and then go up to Cindrel mountain refuge. Only that, on the way up we stumbled upon a nice hut belonging to the forester in the area, and it had a room opened. It looked too good to be true and we decided to spend the night there. It was so warm and cozy that we didn’t even inflate our mattresses… It was the best sleep I had in a while ☺

Next day we did some inventory on our equipment (watch the movie below), and then up on the bikes and up the mountain, back to the ridge of Cindrel mountains. We passed Cindrel refuge and then did some electric push bike until we reached the ridge. From there we descended to Canaia refuge on the other side of the ridge and then back to Păltiniș on an awesome trail that goes from Bătrâna Cole. Man it was fun, so fun that we were howling like wolves on the descend 🤭🤙.

This weekend made me reconsider the possibility of owning an electric bike in the future and opened up some new ideas of rides in the future, some hybrid ones, just you wait 😜.

Thanks Adrian and NevAcademy for the ride, we had a great time and can’t wait to ride together again.

Until then, we leave you with the material below to take your own conclusions. Ride safe!

JET2GO SPALATOR PORTABIL PENTRU INGRIJIREA BICICLETEI

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Ok, sezonul rece si noroios s-a instaurat si este momentul perfect sa prospectam o astfel de unealta care ar trebui sa fie nelipsita din portbagajul riderilor independenti de sezoan :P.

Oricum, avand in vedere ca suntem trecuti de jumatatea lunii decembrie si inca ne dam cu spor, putem spune ca este o iarna bikefriendly si cred ca putem deja sa dam crezare “zvonurilor” cu incalzirea globala…. dar cine stie, poate luna martie o sa fie adevaratul gerar

Revenind la JET2GO, am intrat in posesia acestei jucarii prin intermediul unui prieten, Dan Mazilu de la freerider.ro, care mi-a propus as il iau, sa il folosesc si sa imi zic o parere obiectiva despre el.

Fiind posesor de un Karcher OC3, chiar eram curios ce altceva mai este pe piata si cu ce vine nou.

Va zic din start ca desi au acelasi scop, sunt foarte diferite si modul in care le veti utiliza o sa difere. De ce? din cauza aspectului si practicabilitatii fiecaruia dintre cele 2 aparate.

Unul este mic, cu doar 4 litri de apa si un aumulator intern si unul este destul de bulky, cu vreo 15 litri de apa si cu incarcare la priza de 12v sau la bricheta masinii.

Daca as avea o masina cu un portbagaj generos, eventual cu priza in portbagaj, nici nu as sta pe ganduri, as lua jet2go fara probleme, l-as pune in portbagaj si as uita de el. Eventual l-as umple la nevoie cu apa. Daca as avea o masina mai mica, in care stiu ca daca intram 3 insi cu bagaje si mergem la o tura, atunci poate as sta putin pe ganduri, desi, cei 15 litri de rezervor imi surad nespus de mult.

Daca Karcherul trebuie sa il scoti din portbagaj ca sa il folosesti si trebuie sa ai o rezerva de apa caci cei 4 litri abia iti ajung sa speli o bicicleta, jet 2go nici nu trebuie miscat. Il lasi in portbagaj, ii cuplezi dusul, il bagi in alimentare si il pornesti, fara sa il ridici din portbagaj, si iti faci treaba cu el, spaland cam 2-3 biciclete cu 1 rezervor, depinde cat de pretetios si insistent este cel care le spala. Cu tehnica corecta de spalare poti ajunge si la 4 biciclete. Nici nu este indicat sa te fatai cu el umplut cu 15 kg decat daca ai dat drumu la antrenamentul pt sezonul de ski. Chiar este foarte greu umplut cu 15 kg de apa si nu foarte portabil.

Legat de constructia aparatului, este foarte robust si are un feeling foarte heavy duty. Nu este genul de obiect pe care ti-l doresti curat si stralucitor, ci parca vrei sa arate pt ce a fost facut. Este cat se poate de simplu si intuitivi cu un buton de pornire, un port pt alimentare si cablul pt dush, toate in partea din spate a aparatului.

Are 2 buzunare laterale de plasa in care poti sa depozitezi cablurile sau periile cu care vine din dotare.

Ca si accesorii incluse, regasim in pachet urmatoarele:

  • furtun lung de 6 m – și acesta de foarte bună calitate, flexibil, dar nu moale;
  • cablu alimentare priză 12V (lungime 3m);
  • pistolul – din plastic de foarte bună calitate, putere reglabila a jetului de apă. Trăgaciul poate fi blocat în poziție pornită dacă nu vrei să mai apeși pe el;
  • perie – se insealează la pistol;
  • duș – se insealează la pistol;
  • piese de rezervă: conector de plastic, duză din aluminiu, garnituri.

Totusi, lista poate continua prin urmatoarele optionale:

  • acumulator extern care este și lanternă – pentru a putea folosi spălătorul și dacă nu ai mașina lângă tine;
  • adaptor priză 220 V la 12 V – pentru a putea folosi spălătorul și acasă, pe balcon spre exemplu;
  • pistol cu recipient pentru șampon.

Treaba cu acumulatorul extern care este si lanterna este chiar faina. Cati dintre voi tineti o lanterna in masina. Daramite o baterie externa atat de puternica. Nu stii niciodata cand iti moare bateria masinii in mijlocul “pustietatii” sau cum se zice in filme, “in the middle of f**** nowhere” si colac peste pupaza mai ai si 5% baterie la telefon. Da, e highly improbable dar este o sansa.

Oricum, acumulatorul extern este foarte fain si suprinzator de puternic, putand deservi vreo 4 goliri de rezervoare adica un numar considerabil de spalari.

Un alt accesoriu util este adaptorul pt priza, facand astfel jet2go mai versatil, in sensul ca il poti lua in casa sa iti speli balconul, sau, sa iti speli bicicleta pe balcon daca nu ai un balcon prea fancy.

Si, cred ca cel mai tare accesoriu care inclus este dusul. Nu cred ca sunt singurul care visez la ture lungi, la explorat poteci noi si la concedii nomadice in locuri indepartate in care sa campez langa masina dupa o zi de date pe poteci faine. O astfel de tura nu trebuie sa lipseasca din nici un sezon, macar una pe an. Ca e de bikepacking, ca te muti cu masina de la poteca la poteca, este foarte fain atunci cand campezi langa masina si este si mai fain atunci cand stii ca poti sa faci chiar si un dus. Accesoriul asta chiar este super fain si chiar daca il folosesti o singura data pe an, parca isi justifica indeajuns scopul :).

oki, hai sa cumulam mai jos specificatiile tehnice ale acestui aparat:

  • greutate: gol 4,1 kg; plin 18 kg
  • capacitate: 13,25 L (oficial 15)
  • dimensiuni: 41,5x23x35 cm
  • alimentare: 12V
  • putere: 60W
  • presiune apă: reglabil între 3 și 9 bar
  • flux apă: 2,2 L pe minut
  • lungime furtun apă: 6m
  • lungime cablu alimentare: 3m
  • accesorii incluse: piese de schimb duză, duș, perie, conector
  • accesorii opționale: acumulator extern, adaptor priză 220, pistol cu recipient sampon
  • autonomie acumulator extern spălare: 20 minute (mai mult după formatare)
  • autonomie acumulator extern lanternă: 50 ore (oficial)
  • timp golire rezervor (13 L la jet maxim): 5 minute
  • preț Jet2Go la data publicării recenziei: 590 Lei
  • preț acumulator extern: 299 Lei
  • preț adaptor priză: 100 Lei
  • preț pistol cu recipient șampon: 60 Lei
  • importator: Jet2Go România

Nu as vrea sa dau mai multe detalii despre acesta aparat si v-as redirecta catre articolul de pe freerider.ro care este mult mai detaliat.

Am vrut doar sa va impartasesc parerea mea legata de acest aparat. Este un aparat care merita si isi justifica pretul si o astfel de ustensila nu trebuie sa lipseasca din portbagajul celor care weekend de weekend ies la dat.

Verificati articolul lui Dan la urmatorul link, Test de lunga durata – spalator portabil cu presiune jet2go, si de asemenea verificati si materialul foto video de mai jos.

Keep on riding all year long!

 

Un articol inspirat de freerider.ro 😉

METAL ENDURO 2019 RAW LINES

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Sorry for the late post, but only now I found the time to do this 😅

I have some videos from this season that I am going to process, probably during the winter, most of them from Enduro stages that happened this year.

Now is the time for Metal Enduro RAW lines. It is fun to see how some of the top 10 riders in RO treated the technical parts of the tracks, a real joy to watch.

Until next video, enjoy and ride safe because the season is not over yet 🤙. Check the youtube channel for videos of metal enduro special stages, all 8 of them 😁

Yeah, and with my thanks to the friends from Bike Attack Reșița for this wonderful enduro season! 🚵‍♂🥇🏆👊

MEHEDINȚI RELOADED

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Yep, another superb one in Mehedinți county 😜, this time 3 new trails and some fun riding on the old ones.

We can’t get enough of this place, it has something different to it, something like a… wonderland 😀 and our buddies here are just cool to ride and hang out with, so no wonder we always come back here with great pleasure. And I have a feeling that it is not the last stop here for this year 😅🤙.

So, this time we did Domogled descent with Feregari descent, and afterwards we went to Tasnei valley and did some hardcore riding, and when I say hardcore, I really mean it. That trail made you look very hard for the word flow in it … But it worked out ok 💪🤭.

After this totally hardcore Saturday, we did the Mehedinți Enduro trails on Sunday, but with a surprising one, the old but new Priest trail which is pretty awesome let me say :D, just check out the video bellow.

Here you can find the videos and some pics from that great weekend. Aaaa, and don’t let me forget, Thanks Jan and Alex for the great pictures and for the great riding, it was a pleasure riding with you and follow you on the trail 👊🍻.

You can find the links to the trails here: Domogled Trail; Feregari Trail; Priest Trail.

Until next time, ride safe! 🚵‍♂

Epic one in Bucegi Mountains, Omu peak – Tiganesti – Clincea – Bran descent

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Another epic one in Bucegi Mountains, Omu peak – Țigănești – Clincea – Bran descent.

This one was pure gold! Glad I listened to Petre Paraschiv on this one because it was so epic. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Omu peak in Bucegi mountains, classic route, pretty crowded…. that’s why I don’t look so eager to go there. The scenery is just breathtaking but I kind of like less crowded trails.

But the descent was just so good and met up just 2 groups of hikers.

The weather was almost perfect, at Omu peak it was looking like it’s about to snow, we had our hands and feet cold as ice, and pretty hard to brake in these conditions… But after we passed Scara peak, the temperature was better. And that’s where the fun part begun!

A trail with lots of flow, but also some steep technical parts that challenged us.

Be careful because you have some carry bike to do, and some chains in sight, almost like via ferrata :P. But after that part, that is also very amazing, the fun part begins.

Check out the track HERE, and the video also. On youtube channel if you look it up you will find the extended version of the video ;). Enjoy and ride safe!

Harghita Enduro CNE 2019

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5th national cup race, second time at Harghita Enduro, and it was uberfine!

All things lined up for a perfect weekend, the crew, the accommodation, the weather, the weekend (with world cup dh finals in line) just perfect. We had lots of fun hanging out together, catching up with the boys from other areas of the country and just riding perfect trails.

At these events it’s not all about the racing. Maybe for the top places it is but for middle riders it’s more about hanging together and about the atmosphere that creates around the event.

Last year it rained like crazy and this year it was dry like desert. Totally different conditions and the trails are too. In dry conditions I think you really get to see the harder part of Harghita trails. When trying to ride them fast, they really bite you 😉

There are 3 different trails here, one harder than the other, the last PS being the dh course with a hard-steep part at the top and a flow line at the bottom.

All specials decents around 300m elevation and have almost 2km in length. The transfer is on a fire road that is used for reaching all PS starts. For exact map of the contest trails, check out trailforks here ;).

There are a lot of options for accommodation in the area all with great stuff, clean spaces and good food. This year we stayed at Vitus Pension with more of a mountain hut feel, and all we can say is that the food was just GREAT! Sugo pension, where the race office was, is a great option to ;).

Madaras peak is near, around 30min hike, and is a great peak to reach because of the view and the unique appearance.

For a different story, also check out the article from last year here.

Special thanks to Ride more crew and Bike Attack Resita for organizing the event and the cup!

Until Metal Enduro, ride safe and have fun! See you there 😉

Semenic Enduro first edition #CNE 2019

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Year of firsts ;), Semenic Enduro. I think all riders that didn’t know the area, were very surprised of Semenic trails, we for sure were. Man, the dirt, the rocks, the lines… just sick!

This one is not to be missed next year, you must trust us on this. Or better, check out the clip above and the pics bellow and we are sure it will be enough 🤣🤟.

The trails are technical, with rocks and different lines, loam and dirt. All of these make it quite difficult and challenging to ride at a higher speed. Don’t get us wrong, they have a lot of flow, but you have to pay attention and work a bit to get back from the trails safe ;).

One second of distraction and you will pay for it :)). The stages are demanding and long and you will feel it, for sure on ps2. When you think you finished it, bam! the hard part begins :D.

The top of the mountain has some different feel to it, the view, the abandoned mountain hotels make it that way. We enjoy riding here a lot, and being so close to Resita, makes this place a destination to visit even beside the contest ;).

Thanks again Bike Attack Resita for putting another spot on the map, you can look up the contest trails here, on trailforks!

Until next time, ride safe!

Ciocanu Enduro First Edition 🤟

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And it happened. The contest was way earlier than this article 🤣👊 It was the second stage of the Romanian National Enduro Cup 2019, back in June, organized with the help of the crew from Bike Attack Resita that took the whole cup under their wing.

They picked up in each location a local organizer and here at Ciocanu MTB Trails they found us and Geo Simion, the godfather behind the trails here! It was a bit of a struggle to understand all that it involved, but looking back, it ain’t such a hard job. You need some planning, a week off from work and a good welded crew to help out. The trails did gain some customization for the contest but otherwise they were the same good old trusty trails that Geo built ;).

We had a bit of bad luck with the weather, I think it was the only contest that received some rain. The bottom part of the trails was full of mud, but what can you do about it?

The feedback was great, I think it was the first contest to reach 150 riders, full number of chips that we had for the contest.

The local people from Bughea de Jos were for sure impressed by the event and the number of riders that came in the area.

Next year we will make it bigger, better and maybe with less pedal sections 🤣👊 public demand 🤭.

So, for some more exact information about Ciocanu enduro, it has 4 special stages and a transfer segment that will be used to reach the starting area of ​​each route. Each special stage will have between 2 and 3 km and an elevation of about 300m.

First one is a speedway, low difficulty, for the riders to enter their paces and prepare for the next 3.
Second one, technical route, with many rhythm breaks and spectacular ramps. There will be exposed areas, with wide openings near the path.
Third one, similar to route 2 as difficulty, but the positioning is in a wooded area, especially beautiful, welcoming for tourists and spectators.
Forth one, it has common parts with route 2, which alternates fast and technical areas with lighter points, this is the latest route built in the area.
The main characteristic of the routes is their fluidity, making them accessible for any level of preparation. “BE FAST OR BE LAST!”

Also, check out the trail forks maps for the contest here.  This year, all contests have maps like this. It’s a smart thing because this way, you shoot two rabbits with one fire, the contest and putting Romania on Trail forks with some great trails ;).

We also had a donation box, where riders could donate used equipment to be given to the local kids in the area. I think next year we will put more thought into this idea :).

Until then, have fun riding your bikes and check out Ciocanu Enduro or Romanian National Cup next year. It’s awesome!

Photo Credit: Cristina Ion, Bogdan Vlad, Crina Elena! 👊🍻🤟

SHAPING THE SOUTH, STARTING WITH MEHEDINȚI ENDURO

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This year will be a year of firsts. First Mehedinti Enduro, first Ciocanu Enduro, first Semenic Enduro, first Ebike enduro contest and the list will go on.

The whole Romanian cup is looking pretty good and it’s all thanks to this people, Bike Attack Resita and the ones that they engaged in their youthful ambitions :D.

In this short movie you can see a glimpse of Mehedinți Enduro and what’s to come. Things are happening, good things.

Mehedinți is an area that deserves much more attention. If you pay some attention to this county you will find a place of tales not long forgotten and you will ride trails that tell stories…

For us is one of those magic places that we want to visit each year, a peaceful and friendly place. Good memories were built here and that made our bond with this place strong :).

Okay, now back to some more accurate information :D.

The contest was awesome, and all thanks to Alexandu Pufan and the guys from Bike Attack Resita! Cheers mates for making it happen, not just Mehedinti but the hole cup!

The 5 special stages from the first edition of Mehedinti Enduro are located on the Topolnite Valley, a very varied area from a geographical point of view, this aspect making each route quite different from the others.

The first route is the rockiest and longest (and also the hardest to reach, with a transfer of almost 7km), with several exposed and loose areas. Completely natural, this is in fact an old tourist trail brought to life on the occasion of the event.

On the other hand, the second special stage will be the shortest, but especially interesting. It will pass through the ruins of a fortress and descend along a natural roller coaster, and at the end a rocky and open area will be crossed.

The next two routes have the same starting point, being built from scratch over the last 3 years. Much easier from a technical point of view, they will probably be to the liking of bike parkers. Thus, the route no. 3 will test the skills of riders with several tens of berms, while the next one will show us who is best in the air, here being built the biggest gaps in the entire competition.

The last route, completed this month, is actually a combination of everything you have encountered so far. The technical areas alternate with the flow areas, including particularly tight switchbacks, straight portions of speed, drops and gaps, on unpredictable terrain.

The total distance to be traveled is somewhere at 28km, of which 8 are downhill, along the special stages :D. That sounds like fun right! For exact map of the contest trails, check out trail forks here :D. With this new format cup, Romania will appear on the map with some awesome trails ;).

This be said, make sure you don’t miss it next year because it will be better :D.

Cheers mates and enjoy the rest of the cup! Also check out this articles for more footage from the area ;).

Photo credit: Cornel Pufan

Straja and Parâng quality trail riding

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Ok, so we haven’t posted for ages, that’s true, but we hope to make a recovery this fall.

Somehow, the plans didn’t go exactly as we wanted and we sacrificed the writing for riding and working :P, but we have a lots of stories to tell and a lot more going on. Mainly we wanted to make an article about each stage of Romanian Enduro Cup, that was just sick as so far. This weekend is Harghita Enduro, you can read more here, and then final stop, Metal Enduro Resita.

Ok, that’s it for now with apologies, let’s say something more meaningful. This weekend we went to a short trip to Valcan mountains (Straja resort on trailforks) and Parang mountains, 2 places that we have never ridden on.

Man, it was a good choice because we found out some serious trails here.

At Straja, we knew the terrain from last year, from Straja Enduro, but we have only been there as photographers. This year we got to ride the place. Still sorry we didn’t manage to reach the contest but next year for sure we will not miss it.

Straja has mainly 4 trails, 2 at the top of the mountains, a bit more alpine and you can reach them with a chairlift or by peddling out, and 2 long descents at the bottom where you have a gondola to help you out. The gondola and the chairlift do not always work so is good to check it out before you head there.

There is also shuttle service but it has a minimum number of riders that gets it started, at least 5 so check this out too.

The 2 main trails, the ones that run both sides of the gondola, Lupilor and Baloo by their names are just sick! you really feel that you are alive when you ride them. Your arms to :))))

For accommodation if you enjoy a basic mountain hut with cozy beds, shower, a great view and oh yeah, a great host, please check Allma Pension ;).

After a fuzzy evening with the fellas, next morning we headed out to Parâng mountains after a quick breakfast at a Medieval restaurant in the center of Petroșani (P.S. very good omelet there :D)

In Parâng we took the chairlift up. It’s an old chairlift with no support for bikes. It’s something improvised so please take care of your bikes. Check out the way they put them on the chairs and put some protections for the frame, just below the saddle because they will hang out by the saddle. We used our knee pads for this :).

From where the chairlift lets you off, we headed for Parângul Mare peak. It’s only pushbike from here, or, if your name is Ludo May, you might be able to ride it out… not us.

After 3 hours of pushbike, carrying or hiking it, we gave up and headed back. It was a bit late, so we decided to head back early. It was a bummer but the descent from Cârja peak was awesome. Steep, rough, loose technical, a real jam :D.

Form where the chairlifts let us, we rode fox trail, that takes you back to the base of the chairlift, you can find it on trailforks.

Man, that’s a very nice trail, with a lot of flow! it is a bit obscured in the middle or at the end but it’s ok, just ask the locals for directions.

Overall, it was a nice weekend, really funny with quality riding. Check the videos and photos bellow to convince yourself :D. Ride safe!

SHAPING THE SOUTH, MEHEDINȚI ENDURO

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This year is the first edition of Mehedinti enduro, courtesy of Alexandru Pufan aka The Pufalot who has worked his ass off for us to have an awesome contest on the 12th of May here in Topolniței Valley, Mehedinți county.

Yep, this guy has shaped some awesome trails here and took the time to show us around. It is the second time coming here and we had the same feeling, being amazed of what this place has to offer.

The contest itself has around 27.5 km with and elevation of 1350m and 5 downhill stages varying between 1 and 2 km long. Here’s a description of them made by The Pufalot, on which we agree 👊.

The 5 specials from Enduro’s first Mehedinți edition are located on the Topolnița Valley, a diverse area geographically, making the trails quite different from each other.

The first trail, La Muerte Peluda, is the rockiest and the longest (and the most difficult to reach, with a transfer of nearly 7km), with several exposed and inadequate areas. Completely natural, this is in fact an old touristic trail brought back to life with the occasion of the contest.

On the other hand, the second special PS2, Imagination land, will be the shortest but most interesting. It will pass through the ruins of a fortress and will descend along a natural carousel, so that in the end it will pass through a rocky and open area.

The following two, PS3 and PS4 have the same starting point, being constructed from scratch over the past 3 years. Much easier from a technical point of view, they will probably please those who prefer more of a bike park type of trail with lots of berms and jumps.

PS3, Stevie Nicks will actually be a berm skill test for the riders, having a dozen of berms, while the next one, PS4, Blame Canada, will show us who is best in the air, building the biggest gap in the competition. And yes, this guy’s a South Park die hard fan 🤣🤟.

The last trail, Taming Strange, completed this month, is actually a combination of everything we’ve ever met. Technical areas alternate with flow paths, including very tight switchbacks, straight-forward portions, drops and gaps, on unforeseeable terrain 😳.

Hope these words made you an image of what to expect, and if not check up this edit that we made from our first day of riding here.

Second day we took a short trip to Herculane baths to check up some sick exposed trails that we will be uploading soon on youtube. Besides this we will upload all 5 contest trails in the next days so stay tuned on VRR youtube channel 🤙.

Also, you can find the complete map of the contest here: MEHEDINTI ENDURO ON TRAILFORKS! 🚵‍♂

Yes, it was a sick weekend and all we have to say is that we can hardly wait for the contest and to come back here to check out more trails. For sure in autumn we plan another trip here, there are so much more trails to be ridden.

This guy is actually shaping the south of this country! Cheers mate! 🍻

P.S.: Remember 12 mai 2019 – Valea Topolnitei.  Photo credits: Alexandru Pufan.

You can also check out this article about Mehedinti county: MEHEDINTI FTW

WHITE VALLEY SPRING SKIING

WHITE VALLEY SPRING SKIING

Maybe this was the last run of the season, and what a season it has been. Great snow, great touring days, great slopes and great friends. One to remember with lots of new places discovered and new things learned. That’s most important, always to learn something, never to settle for less. Another one added to the pile of memories. Cheers mates! ⛷❄🍻

HAPPY SKIER FACE

LESPEZI PEAK SKI TOURING DAY

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This one has to be one of the best ski touring days of this season. Second time I have been on Lespezi Peak, both on skis. This beautiful 2.5k peak is also known as Corporate Everest because of its shape and relatively easy access even in winter conditions, making it pretty crowded…😅❄⛷

It’s a nice peak that offers a terrific view over Făgăraș mountains range. As you climb you can see the whole south valley of Transfăgărășan road with great peaks on each side and when you reach the top you can see Negoiou peak and Călțun lake with the great Călțun wall in all of its steepness…

As a descent route you can either go back the way you climbed, or get back 100m elevation and then enter the valley beneath the peak, or, if conditions are good, as we catch them, you can enter the valley almost directly from the peak on one of the ridges (almost spines) that forms underneath the peak.

Either way, check the conditions and get all information.

For us, was a great climb, a little windy, and a wonderful descent on a sunny afternoon.

For sure we will try it next year too. Cheers and ride safe! Enjoy!