Albota

Skiing in Poiana Brasov

2012-01-27T22:18:00.001+02:00

Avalanche risk in the Făgăraș Mountains has been rated to 'very high' so I decided to change mountains and hit the groomed pistes in Poiana Brașov instead. Ski lifts were nice for a change! This is the view from the top, with the Bucegi Mountains in the background.

Back in Galway

2011-11-27T02:05:00.001+02:00

I'm back in Galway for a few weeks. Weather as expected for this time of the year: wet, dark and windy. After a hot summer back in Romania, I can't say I mind the weather here too much...

Back in the saddle

2011-09-21T23:11:00.000+03:00

Now that the summer holidays madness is over, traffic on Transfăgărășan road is slowly returning to normal, virtually non-existent that is. Time to put this road to some good use before the first snow closes it down.

So, I took the bike out for a ride today. The plan was to climb all the way to Bâlea Lac. Cârțișoara village to Bâlea Lac is a 30km long climb, starting at an altitude of 450m and reaching the top at 2042m.

Weather was excellent, temperatures in the low twenties (centigrade), no wind whatsoever at high altitudes. Even so, it took me almost 4 hours to reach the top. My right knee has been acting up recently, forcing me to keep the speed down for most of the climb.

Exploring

2011-07-23T16:25:00.001+03:00

With summer holidays in full swing I decided to stay off the Transfăgărășan Road. It is simply too crowded this time of the year, especially during weekends. There's really no point in fighting the crowds when I can have this road almost to myself every year from October to June while it sits unused, closed to the public.

So I went exploring some unmarked trails I've had my eyes on for a while. The plan was to reach the Valley of Avrig, descend into the town of Avrig and return home on the busy DN1 road. The trails were awesome, steady climbs through the forest, followed by smooth, fun descents. Spectacular views over the Făgăraș Mountains opened up in places.

I left the forest descending through a stream bed probably having missed a turn higher up somewhere. Return trip was uneventful, however in the future I'll look for an alternative route to avoid traffic on DN1.
For anyone interested, the GPS track is available for download from bikemap.net

Training ride

2011-07-06T15:57:00.000+03:00

I'm quite happy with this morning's training ride: climbed from Bâlea Waterfall (1234m) to Bâlea Lake (2040m) in 92mins. A total distance of 13km, average speed of 8.5kph, a personal best for this particular stretch.

Panoramic view over Fundul Caprei Valley

Ferns

2011-06-19T19:50:00.000+03:00

Photos shot today during a relatively short walk through the forest. Luxuriant ferns in Doamnei Valley, Făgăraș Mountains.

R&R

2011-05-25T17:35:00.000+03:00

Had a couple of days off work recently so I planed an overnight trip into the mountains. The old cabin that we found a few months ago seemed like the perfect place to spend the night in. Up there time passed quickly. First day flew by between roaming the alpine tundra, cutting wood for the fire, fixing bits and pieces in and around the cabin. Miercuri was in charge of our touristic activities on the second day, which meant we had to inspect every single marmot burrow in the area. Kind of super fun for her, a lot less for me so I got busy with my camera. Below are a few pictures from that trip.

No fun on leash!

Preparing for the night

Getting the fire going

Cozy

Reading

Early morning

Crocuses

Insolation

Training ride

2011-05-24T16:33:00.000+03:00

Took the bike out for a spin this morning. The plan was to try and climb up 25km on Transfăgărăsan road, then turn around and enjoy the descent. Left quite early to take advantage of cooler temperatures and get back home in time for work.

Snow still covers the road in places at higher altitudes but it is melting rapidly. Road should officially open in about a week, right now two huge concrete beams are blocking vehicle access beyond Bâlea Cascadă. Not a problem to get through by foot, bike or ski.

Turned around shortly after passing the 25km mark, about 5km before Bâlea Lake. Descent was a joy, having the road to myself I didn't have to worry about incoming traffic. Average speed going up: 11km/h. Average speed going down: a bit over 50km/h.

Initiation

2011-05-11T13:49:00.003+03:00

My cousin B has been eager to leave behind the comfort of ski lifts and taste the thrills of backcountry skiing. We headed for Bâlea Lake early on Sunday morning to introduce him to skiing unmarked and ungroomed pistes.

Long climb

Weather wasn't great. We started our ascent through thick fog. By the time we reached the top, the mountain opened up a bit but overcast clouds made the surface definition of the snow to disappear. This was not a complete whiteout but still made reading the slope extremely difficult.

First turns

We commenced our descent into Doamnei Valley as soon as the sun made it through the clouds. Took B some time to adapt to the new conditions. As expected he found steering a lot more difficult than on groomed runs. Eventually he gained enough confidence to let the skis slide through more than a couple of turns at a time.

I've made it!

B made it through the most difficult spots in one piece. Scary to him were the big boulders we had to avoid. He was constantly under the impression that hitting one of those was imminent and unavoidable.

Posing

Having reached the place where snow became insufficient to continue on skis, we changed into hiking boots, strapped skis on our backs and slowly made our way home through the forest. Starting a bit dull, this turned out to be a great day in the end. Will B stick to backcountry skiing? That I don't know for sure...

Heading home

Bike trip through lush green forest

2011-04-29T16:43:00.001+03:00

We took a quick 30km bike trip early this morning. Fresh air and a beautiful dirt road through the forest make for a perfect start of the day. So far I've been unable to stop Miercuri from chasing wildlife. She does become deaf to my commands whenever she spots something in the forest. Not a big deal most of the time, she's chasing small game and she's not doing any harm, returning quite quickly. This morning it was a deer, two days ago it was a brown hare. I'm only worrying about the brown bear. Chasing it is a bad, bad idea. I could keep Miercuri permanently on leash but that takes the fun out of going downhill. If anyone knows of a good way to train a dog to not chase wildlife please let me know.

Diving the Bills Rocks

2011-03-20T12:32:00.001+02:00

I found this picture of me on the net recently. It was taken by Tom Moore before diving the Bills Rocks in Ireland, July of 2009. Roughly eight miles from Purteen Harbour, the Bills Rocks are famous for their spectacular underwater drop offs, crystal clear water and abundant sea life. I remember that weather was changing for the worst, the swell was already quite big. We dived the northern wall as it was more sheltered. Followed the almost vertical wall down to 40 meters and then headed mostly west for the duration of the dive. The water was very clear, the impressive wall covered in anemones was teeming with life. The only worry was avoiding being sucked into the gully visible at the top of the image, where the underwater current was extremely strong. The bumpy ride back to Purteen Harbour seemed to take forever, mainly for being stuck in a cold wetsuit for almost an hour. The Bills is a great dive site and I'm lucky to have dived it!

In search of snow

2011-03-19T21:17:00.000+02:00

To reach the place pictured above around mid March less than five years ago meant fighting your way up through deep snow, painfully advancing meter by meter. These days however you need to focus on keeping your skis out of rocks and tree roots. I went up there today for a few hours and it felt like beginning of June, virtually no snow below 1650m...

Burning the midnight oil

2011-02-25T19:28:00.000+02:00

A bug in an old C library ruined my week. At least I can start looking at solutions now that I know what the problem is...

Old cabin

2011-01-22T19:38:00.000+02:00

One of the last usable cabins in the Făgăraș Mountains. Most of the others have been vandalized, burned down or otherwise rendered uninhabitable. This one seems to have survived somehow. A small supply of tools is available, including axe and saw. A pile of firewood sits by the stove, ready to be used, split by whoever used the cabin last. A nice and thoughtful gesture, almost forgotten these days, here in these mountains.

Ski touring

2010-12-15T10:03:00.002+02:00

First ski touring trip this season, a two hours long climb in Bâlea. Legs did their fair share of work but upper body gave in pretty much from the beginning. Longer trips are out of the question without some additional training...

Ice and Rocks

Sîmbăta Valley

2010-12-09T16:09:00.000+02:00

Some pictures from last Sunday's hike up the Sîmbăta Valley. I stayed low as higher up avalanche risk jumped from nil to 4 overnight. It looks like more snow and lower temperatures are heading this way.

Saturday's trip - Doamnei Valley

2010-12-01T21:02:00.000+02:00

I went for a day trip in the mountains last Saturday. Snow had begun to pile up since midweek so I was keen to take a close-up look at the snowpack. It is always a good thing to keep an eye on the snowpack from early on as this makes assessing the avalanche risk a lot easier later on.

Wind slabs had already formed on leeward terrain, being over 30cm thick in places. There was a lot of ice on the rocks as well, making walking quite difficult. One wrong step and one of my trekking poles met its end. It snapped in two like a dry twig. It had a nice life however, 7 years of beautiful trips.

Miercuri was over the moon with the fresh snow. She led the way most of the trip. I am always amazed at how well she remembers different trails. With fresh snow, the trail was barely visible but she followed it perfectly. She remembers even the tricky bits which sometimes go against her instinct to follow the path of least resistance.

Breakthrough

2010-11-25T20:34:00.000+02:00

Sun fighting its way through the clouds

Moments before sunset

2010-11-21T12:03:00.000+02:00

I've been quite busy with work lately and haven't had much time to do anything else. I enjoyed a spin on my mountain bike yesterday and shot this picture minutes before sunset, after descending from Bâlea Waterfall.

Old track

2010-10-22T23:30:00.022+03:00

Went for a bit of mountain biking this afternoon on this beautiful track. Couldn't stay long as I had to get back to work. Weather looks good for the next couple of days. I'm looking forward to the weekend!

Flooded with color

2010-10-22T01:36:00.000+03:00

I left the house today as soon as weather changed for the better. Mesmerizing colors everywhere. Nature's last display of color before the long winter months.

Autumn colors

2010-10-19T21:49:00.000+03:00

It rained all day today. Mountains hid their faces in dull grey clouds. Minutes before darkness the view opened up just enough to reveal the warm colors of the forest.

Taste of winter

2010-10-12T10:53:00.000+03:00

Work has been keeping me away from the mountains lately. After a few failed attempts, I managed to squeeze in a short trip yesterday morning. Winter has settled in at high elevations since I went up there last, and looks like it means business this year.

Short break

2010-09-30T12:23:00.000+03:00

Taking a 10 minutes break after a long climb. Note my own personal heated pillow. One of the many advantages of hiking with Miercuri.

Blueberries

2010-09-24T15:25:00.000+03:00

Some of the last blueberries of the season.

Dangerous bends

2010-09-23T22:25:00.000+03:00

I took the plunge today and switched my Panasonic Lx3 camera to capture raw data before leaving the house this morning. Had no idea if I could process the pictures on my Ubuntu laptop but I did it anyway. And I'm glad I did it! Came across a cross-platform tool, called RawTherapee, which understands Panasonic's raw format and plays nice with Ubuntu. Below is the final result of this experiment, look at the amount of detail in the shadows! One thing is for sure, I won't be switching back to JPEG at least for a while...

Panorama of Doamnei Valley

2010-09-16T21:33:00.000+03:00

I took a quick trip into the mountains before work today. Weather was too nice to pass up.

Mushroom time

2010-09-12T17:25:00.000+03:00

This morning my friend Stef and I landed in mushroom lover's heaven. We were hoping to find enough mushrooms for a stew but ended up picking more than 30kilos in less than an hour. We're now busy storing them for the winter - steamed & frozen, dried in the sun and pickled.

Făgăraș Mountains at sunset

2010-08-25T23:20:00.003+03:00

A stomach bug kept me trapped between bed and bathroom for two days. Lost about 4 kilos during that time. With perfect weather and feeling somewhat better yesterday afternoon I decided to chance a short trip into the mountains. I didn't have any big hopes, just to get up there and spend some time in the sun, and maybe shoot a picture or two. At Lake Bâlea I begun climbing, looking for a quiet spot, trying to escape the crowds. Slow at first, still weak and nauseous, I started getting my strength back after a while. So I kept climbing. Reached Șaua Capra (2315m) and felt like going higher. Headed for a peak called Vânătoarea lui Buteanu (2507m) which I reached half an hour later, just in time for the sunset. By then I felt fully recovered. The light was incredible - long, deep shadows stretching over several ridges. Had to fight a bit with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 in those conditions but captured the images I wanted eventually. After dark I descended to Lake Capra (2241m) for more pictures. It was a night with full moon, the trail was clearly visible in front of my feet and after having spent two days in bed I was in no rush to get home. Got back to my car shortly after midnight. Bâlea Valley was fully asleep, only a couple of merchants were still awake, quietly minding their temporary shops. They seemed sad, as if knowing that in a few weeks weather will force them off the mountain.

Cârtisoara in OpenStreetMap

2010-08-21T13:23:00.000+03:00

Just finished adding Cârtișoara's residential roads to OpenStreetMap.

Miercuri

2010-08-12T16:34:00.000+03:00

Worm's eye view of Miercuri, this is what a few unlucky mice get to see last...

Another trip in Făgăraș

2010-08-10T20:16:00.007+03:00

Early Friday morning, two weeks ago, I had everything ready for a 3 days trip into the Făgăraș mountains. Weather forecast looked good. Miercuri, my dog and regular buddy for the last several trips, knows exactly when we're about to leave for another adventure. Body language gives me away I guess. She patiently waited by the car the entire morning, jumped on the back seat after I had the car loaded. I drove to Bâlea Lake (2034m), best way to quickly access the mountains in the summer. Parking the car here is an adventure by itself this time of the year in Bâlea, a popular destination for tourists who're trying to escape the heat.

I decided to head East, towards Podragu. The image above shows our entire trip. I kept the GPS on while on the move. The Garmin GPSmap 60Cx (and similar models) comes with a belt clip with an excellent click system that allows you to attach the GPS almost anywhere, to your trousers, belt or backpack. The click system malfunctioned for the first time (and last I hope). My heart skipped a beat when the GPS kept bouncing of the rocks gaining speed every time it hit the ground. It eventually stopped, 30m below me, coming to a halt hitting a decent sized rock. My lucky day, there were no direct hits to the screen. The only signs of fall were a few minor scratches on the shockproof housing. The unit was in perfect working order otherwise.

We reached the place called Portița Arpașului (pictured above) almost two hours from our departure. The trail to Podragu splits in two here. One trail, heading right, keeps following the main ridge and passes through a couple of potentially hazardous areas where some climbing is involved. The other trail, descending left into the Arpașu Mare Valley, is less exposed and doesn't involve any climbing. It requires however slightly more effort to complete due to its many climbs and descents. I saw Miercuri misjudging a couple of jumps earlier that day, due to the added weight on her back so I decided to follow the safer trail.

We kept crossing the secondary ridges, one by one. Long descents followed by longer climbs. Sun was strong, a few clouds were offering little comfort. You might be fooled into thinking that Miercuri was enjoying the view in the picture above. It was the call of the marmots that kept her so alert. She was too tired however to chase after.

The trail brought us high above the Podrăgel Lake (1957m) which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful glacial lakes in the Făgăraș Mountains. We stopped for a longer break in the shadow offered by the ridge we just crossed.

The last climb of the day, up the Piscul Podragului ridge, felt the hardest. I was unable to get into a climbing rhythm as Miercuri kept stopping every few meters. She was overheated and very tired, had to push her a few times to get her moving again. The climb offered no shadow whatsoever, this was not a place to stop.

A last look back at Podrăgel (Little Podragu) and we crossed to the other side of the ridge, to Podragu. Seconds later Miercuri found a welcoming spot in the shadow and I could see her begging for a break. We spent half an hour resting, dog sleeping, me taking pictures.

The final descent into Podragu took less than 15 minutes. We stopped at the hut where I had a beer, probably the most expensive beer in Romania at €3 a can, about 4 times the normal price. Stuff gets brought up there by donkeys, a grueling 6-7 hours climb hence the difference, I think. We spent the night close to the hut. It was a very windy one. Temperature dropped below 10°C. Miercuri slept outside on the grass.

Next morning we left quite early. The plan for the day was to reach Moldoveanu Peak and then return to Podragu and spend another night there. The trail from Podragu follows the main ridge offering breathtaking views in all directions. Miercuri enjoyed climbing to the top of every rock for a better look down into the North facing valleys. Barely visible in the picture above is Victoria, the town of my childhood.

We got as far as the final climb on Viștea Mare Peak (2527m). It takes another 15 minutes to get from Viștea Mare to Moldoveanu, Romania's highest mountain (2544m), on the right in the image above. We stopped however as both peaks were covered in thick fog and the wind was at its strongest. I saw no point in pushing further so we started our return trip to Podragu. The fog cleared eventually for a few minutes only, allowing me to capture an image of the highest Romanian mountains.

With plenty of time on our hands we took a small detour to Podul Giurgiului Lake (2270m), highest glacial lake in Romania if I remember right. Time for a well deserved break and lots of pictures. It was back to Podragu afterwards. I suddenly had a thought: why not spend the night by the Podrăgel Lake? I always wanted to camp there but never got around to doing it.

One hour later I had found the perfect spot for spending the night, slightly above the lake, by a waterfall, on soft ground. Two more hikers arrived later that evening. They pitched their tents nearby worrying about the bears in the area. We spent the rest of the evening chatting and sharing stories. The night was calm, no sign of bears. It rained a bit but the sky was clear again by 5am when I woke up.

We were all set and ready to go by 7:30 next morning. Shared the trail with our two neighbors, they were on their way to Bâlea Lake as well. It was first day's route in reverse, long climbs immediately followed by toe-crushing descents. Found this group of daisies, shortly before reaching Portița Arpașului.

Miercuri built up strength with every passing day. She was able to hike over 5 hours the first day, fully loaded with no visible discomfort. Actual moving time increased to over 7 hours the second day. By the third day she built up enough stamina to be interested in the occasional marmot again. You can see her here, crossing one of the last remaining snow patches, fully locked on to a marmot's position.

I shot the image above shortly before reaching Portița Arpașului. The three secondary ridges we had to cross are clearly visible here. Onto the main trail again, we kept a relaxed pace all the way back to Bâlea Lake, with Miercuri leading the way. By the time we reached the car the mountain was covered in thick fog. We blindly followed Miercuri the last strech, guided only by her and the noise around the lake.

Driving down the mountain required lots of patience. With extremely poor visibility and dangerous bends no one was in a hurry. Once back home, the adventure ended with the less glamorous, unavoidable and sometimes boring task of gear maintenance: drying, repairing, repacking and storing. The usual...

Fundul Caprei Valley

2010-08-06T09:40:00.000+03:00

Panoramic view of a beautiful valley in the Făgăraș Mountains. The weather was changing quickly. Half an hour later thick fog covered everything, visibility dropped to less than 3-4 meters.

Counting bears

2010-08-05T16:28:00.007+03:00

Enough brown bears to make your hair stand on end (Link to video, to keep Buzz happy). I'll keep the location to myself. Footage credit to Catalin Manoliu. I used PiTiVi to clean-up and stitch the separate clips together.

Silene Dinarica

2010-08-04T20:27:00.000+03:00

Came across this pretty flower a couple of days ago during my latest trip in the mountains. Has taken me a while to identify it. Turns out it is a species endemic to Romania, called Silene dinarica in Latin, Iarba roșioară in Romanian. Forms dense cushions, has creeping green leaves and purple flowers. A rare and vulnerable species growing in the Făgăraș Mountains.

Burzenland

2010-07-17T23:29:00.000+03:00

Panoramic view over Burzenland (Romanian: Țara Bârsei) as seen from the Piatra Mare Mountain. Image captured today during our climb to Piatra Mare Peak (1844m).

Lounging

2010-07-16T21:08:00.000+03:00

Azumi catching some beauty sleep.

First trek this summer

2010-07-07T13:52:00.005+03:00

Summer's been very capricious so far this year. Weather would change from one extreme to another in a matter of hours. Variations in temperature of at least 20°C from one day to the next have been a common occurrence so far. I don't complain, don't get me wrong. It is still a great summer as far as Irish weather is concerned.

Headed for the mountains as soon as the weather improved and forecast looked good for a couple of days. Chose a short trek, close to home with the option of leaving the mountain quickly should the weather turn for the worse. Just to be safe.

The rough plan was to head up Doamnei Valley, late afternoon, spend the night by the lake and depending on the weather next day, cross over to Balea Valley and finally head back home. We reached the trailhead around 4PM and started our ascent to the lake.

Reached the lake two and a half hours later. We set camp, fed the dog and ate something myself. I knew we were sharing the valley with a female brown bear with two cubs. I had seen their tracks earlier that day. Not a big issue though.

The night was quiet, no wind, no clouds on the sky. The dog slept outside the tent, on the ground. She kept checking on me every couple of hours, leaving her spot only to look inside the tent, heading back for another nap seconds later. No visit from our bear friends.

An early breakfast and we were on our way minutes after the sunrise. We climbed to the top of the nearby ridge to enjoy the views towards Negoiu Peak (2535m). Had to keep Miercuri on leash, to give marmots and mountain goats a break. Danger of her falling was also very real.

Crossed over to Balea Valley were the lake was still under lots of snow and ice. The road had been opened already, plenty of cars and motorbikes negotiating the tight bends.

Built during 1970 and 1974 by Ceausescu, who wanted a strategic road across the mountains, the 'Transfagarasan' (DN7C) sits closed under snow for about 6 months every year, from early November to late June.

We descended along the road, cutting short some of the bends. I have to admit that this part was much more fun in winter, on skis...

Backlit mushrooms

2010-06-30T19:25:00.000+03:00

Came across a cluster of orange mushrooms during one of my recent trips. Shot this image with camera laying on the ground, lens up. Not the sharpest image but I like it quite a bit.

Bikejoring

2010-06-29T16:54:00.000+03:00

We've experienced a significant temperature drop over the last few days, kind of bad for most people but good for my husky mix Miercuri. She's become alive again, keen to put on some miles after hiding in the shadow for the past couple of weeks.

Cluj-Napoca National Theatre

2010-06-15T09:58:00.008+03:00

HDR image of the National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The theatre was built between 1904 and 1906 by Austrian architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer who designed several theatres and palaces across Europe in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Rhododendron myrtifolium in bloom

2010-06-14T23:31:00.002+03:00

June is when the mountains here turn purple-pink. The Rhododendron myrtifolium blooms. Isolated in the Central European mountain ranges, this creeping shrub is found in the Carpathian and Balkan mountains between 1500 and 2400 meters. It can form large stands in the alpine heats. I gathered some flowers for tea yesterday, first time in over 10 years.

Field of poppies

2010-06-08T22:58:00.000+03:00

Poppies near Alba Iulia, Romania. I captured this image on my way back home from Cluj.

Garmin GPSmap 60Cx on Ubuntu Linux

2010-06-01T13:13:00.000+03:00

I finally have a Linux-only solution for downloading and analyzing data recorded by my GPSMap 60Cx. No more messing with VMware/VirtualBox, Windows XP, Wine and Garmin's MapSource, having to wait a good few minutes just to retrieve a few bytes of data from the GPS unit.

I use GPSBabel to download tracks and waypoints from the GPS unit, I then upload the data to Garmin Connect for visualization and analysis. Garmin Connect is not without fault but it gets the job done.

My latest bike trip shown on Garmin Connect

Track shown in GoogleEarth

A blast from the past

2010-05-31T20:27:00.000+03:00

I captured this image yesterday while cycling an old mountain road. It reminds me of my childhood. The pickup is a TV 12, aka "Teveu", a utility vehicle built in Romania during the communist years. A rare sight now.

Different

2010-05-30T23:44:00.000+03:00

A B&W shot I took yesterday. The tree was standing out from the surrounding evergreens through foliage and color.

Glacial valleys

2010-05-27T16:40:00.000+03:00

A HDR shot of Bâlea and Doamnei Valleys. Bâlea is the valley on the left.

First bike ride this year

2010-05-22T22:04:00.000+03:00

I got the mountain bike fixed so I took it for a ride earlier today to see how well it handles the trail. I chose a quiet windy dirt road as Miercuri is still getting used to chasing after the bike and I don't trust her on busier roads yet. Seems that she really enjoyed the trip and was happily running along after +30km. Bike behave well given its age.

Hiking in Sîmbăta Valley

2010-05-16T19:11:00.001+03:00

I was hoping to go skiing today but weather this morning was still unsettled with strong winds at high elevations so I chose to go for an easy and relaxing hike instead. Sîmbăta Valley is the perfect spot for this: a wild valley with breathtaking scenery and a decent trail. To get to Sîmbăta Hut (1400m) from the trailhead takes a little under two hours, an altitude gain of about 700m. Roundtrip is about three and a half hours including a short tea break at the hut.

Chasing butterflies

2010-05-04T13:37:00.001+03:00

I've only had eyes for snow and high mountains and almost missed spring. Spent some time in the garden yesterday chasing bugs and little critters with my camera...

Doamnei Valley

2010-05-02T21:26:00.001+03:00

Another early morning descent into this beautiful valley.

Skiing in Doamnei Valley

2010-05-01T16:54:00.006+03:00

I started my day with an early morning descent into Doamnei Valley while the snow was still frozen. One hour later the snow became too soft. This snow is jokingly called 'orthopedic snow', extremely difficult to ski on. Panorama below was stitched from thirteen different images.

View over Făgăraș Mountains

2010-04-29T18:09:00.002+03:00

We woke up to beautiful weather this morning. I shot this panoramic image just before breakfast. Went up to Bâlea shortly afterward. Snow was very wet and heavy so I didn't stay long. Hopefully the snow will settle over the next few days.

Hellbent

2010-04-26T20:43:00.002+03:00

K2 organized a ski test in Bâlea yesterday. Everyone was welcomed to try their new 2011 skis. I was pleasantly surprised by the maneuverability of the K2 Hellbent ski, with 132mm underfoot and a full-rocker profile it was designed for deep powder but performed beautiful in much harder snow. Carrying these bad boys up the mountain is another story altogether.

At play in Bâlea

2010-04-24T11:33:00.005+03:00

Yesterday started with clear skies and beautiful views of the Făgăraș Mountains which meant skiing in Bâlea was on. Gear, dog into the car and at 10am I was at the cable car at Bâlea Waterfall. One small problem however, no one else was around and they won't start the damn thing with less than 10 people on board. There's the option of an extra fee one can pay, the price of about 7 tickets, to get in and to the top. Two more people showed up, eager to go so we split the damage.

It was a bit windy at the top but snow was just perfect. Avalanche risk 3 out of 5 at above 2000m. We skied down a few slopes, taking pictures during breaks. The repaired ski was holding fine. Couple of hours later blood on the snow was a sign to cut the day short, Miercuri's paw started bleeding, snow can be very abrasive at times. Before our final descent to Bâlea Waterfall we crossed to the other side of the mountain through the longest road tunnel in Romania (887m) to enjoy some beautiful southerly views.

Bâlea Lac Hut with Capra Saddle (2315m) in the background

Paltinu Hut

View over Bâlea Valley

View from Doamnei Saddle

The entrance in Doamnei Valley

Leaving the tunnel

View to the South

One of the many avalanches we encountered today

Miercuri taking a break

Emerging Crocuses

Backcountry skiing stays amazing

2010-04-21T16:57:00.001+03:00

What a week it has been in the Bucegi Mountains! With close to perfect snow I have been nailing great lines almost every day. One of the skis is in need of repair now and needs to be fixed before I can head to the Făgăraș Mountains. The screws at the front of the binding have become loose and I am unable to tighten them. It is a similar problem with the one described in my earlier post.

Fog, wind and hoar-frost...

2010-04-14T18:06:00.002+03:00

... sums up our day today.

Back in the Bucegi mountains

2010-04-13T17:27:00.000+03:00

Back in Bucegi until the snow settles in Balea and the avalanche risk drops to more manageable levels. When I left the hut this morning the mountain was covered in fog, so I turned my GPS unit on, the track-back function is a lifesaver when the weather gets really bad. It wasn't the case today, halfway into the descent the fog cleared for almost an hour, more than enough time to enjoy the ride down, soak up the sun at the bottom and take some pictures.

Alaska journal found

2010-04-08T14:24:00.000+03:00

Today I've found the journal I kept during my trip to Alaska in 2003. I'm still missing half of the digital photos I took during that trip...

B&W HDR Experiment

2010-04-07T13:48:00.000+03:00

I've been experimenting with creating HDR images in Ubuntu using Qtpfsgui (recently renamed, more sanely, Luminance HDR). I couldn't get the colors quite right, need to dig more into the docs for that, so I've converted the image to Black and White. I've used 3 images taken at -2, 0 and +2. Perspective correction has been done in Hugin and I've applied a bit of noise reduction in Gimp using the G'Mic plugin.

Bâlea Valley yet again

2010-04-02T20:13:00.010+03:00

I'm back in Cârtișoara after spending two weeks in the Bucegi Mountains. Rushed through Easter shopping this morning and around one o'clock I had the car parked at Bâlea Waterfall (1200m) and was all set to start my ascent to Bâlea Lake (2034m). I checked the avalanche forecast before I left the house, it was 4 out of 5 at and above 1800m. Not great, but judging from what I saw in Bucegi I thought the forecasters were playing it safe. Will keep my eyes open anyway! I decided to follow the road as much as possible. Had to walk almost 1km to reach snow and put the skis on. A snowmobile track made my life much easier.

Suddenly I saw the footprints of a brown bear. So they're out of hibernation, big and hungry! Mister Bear had followed the path of least resistance, which was the snowmobile track I was following. Not good! My dog got excited. Dogs have the nasty habit of chasing bears, pissing them off and then running back to you for protection. That's when the trouble starts. Luckily mine forgot about the bear very soon and went to chase a squirrel scent instead. The bear left the trail a few hundred meters from where I first spotted his footprints. All clear!

About an hour into the ascent I met some snowmobilers. One of them had an accident which resulted in a few broken ribs. His friends were helping him of the mountain. Everything was under control so I pushed on. You'll see from the pictures that the higher you get, the steeper the terrain gets. To avoid a few avalanche prone areas I had to get off the skis and put the ice axe and crampons to work. Just to play it safe. It took me about 4 hours to reach Bâlea Lake and I was more tired than I expected. The last part took its toll. Snow was much softer and deeper than in Bucegi. It has still over 240cm in depth at the top of the valley while in Bucegi it doesn't have more than 90cm at the same altitude.

Caught my breath for a few minutes, ate half a sandwich, removed the skins from my skis, tightened my ski boots and I was ready to descend. What took me 3 hours to climb took less than 20 minutes to descend. The steeper part at the top was a lot of fun although the snow was somewhat heavy, making steering quite difficult. I got to my car about one hour after leaving the top.

Driving back to Cârtișoara I thought a bit about the possible dangers I avoided today: big hungry bear, rock slide, avalanches, fall. Knowledge plays a big role in staying safe but luck needs to be thrown into the mixture to guarantee a safe return. Or is it Karma?!

First Lx3 panoramas

2010-04-02T08:57:00.006+03:00

First panoramas stitched from photos shot with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 camera. I used Hugin for this task, an excellent piece of software. In the past I always needed to mark the control points manually but this time they were automatically detected and images were placed in correct order without my intervention. Cropping the final image can now also be done in Hugin, I used Gimp for this task in the past.

Valley of Ialomița

2010-03-31T11:32:00.003+03:00

Yesterday was another successful day, the highlight was a late afternoon descent into the Valley of Ialomița. Snow was still soft during the descent, forgiving to the knees but hardened during the climb back making for perfect skinning conditions.

Winter fighting back

2010-03-28T20:46:00.007+03:00

We have been trapped inside the hut by a wild snowstorm all day today. The weather turned bad in a matter of hours.

Sunday Outing

2010-03-21T17:40:00.007+02:00

Glorious weather for third day in a row. Sunny, no wind whatsoever. Having arrived at the hut yesterday afternoon, the plan for today was to pay a visit to our neighbors to the North, Vf. Omu weather station, some two and a half hours away (by foot or ski). I left quite early to avail of the frozen snow. The weather and landscape were an invitation to stop often and take lots of pictures. Spent about two hours at the station discussing avalanches, weather fronts, heliografs (sunshine recorders) and many other things with the guys on duty. On my way back I tried to hide my face from the sun as much as possible. Why, you might ask? Well, the sunblock decided to stay at home... Finally some pictures:

Morarului Ridge

Gaura Valley

Omu Hut

Bucsoiu Peak (2492m)

My latest hairdo :p

Unexpected visitor

2010-03-19T17:05:00.009+02:00

We laid bait for foxes, hoping for some nice photos. A pine marten showed up instead, a rare and unexpected visit... Link to video (to force the video to show in Google Buzz)

Sunrise over Cârțișoara

2010-03-18T09:54:00.003+02:00

Two consecutive days, same hour of the morning, slightly different angles, dramatically different landscapes.

Skiing in Busteni

2010-03-10T20:30:00.003+02:00

I've never skied the piste in Busteni before so I gave it a try today. The piste was groomed to perfection, skipass a bit dear however. A very enjoyable day overall.

Heavy snowfall

2010-03-06T23:13:00.003+02:00

It has been snowing uninterrupted for the last 24 hours. We attempted our now usual route in Bâlea Valley earlier today but had to abandon early. The fresh snow reaching high above the knee offered no support even when on skis. Breaking trail was a nightmare. Higher up at Bâlea Lake the snowpack has reached 230cm.

Short ski video

2010-03-04T11:39:00.004+02:00

A short video shot by Dieter last Sunday.

Resting day

2010-03-02T22:00:00.005+02:00

My knees needed a break from skiing today so we went for a short walk around the hut enjoying the sun and the beautiful landscape...

Fresh powder

2010-02-28T21:20:00.005+02:00

We got spoiled with fresh powder this morning. The fog lifted just in time giving us the chance to carve the perfect lines for most of the day.

Ski trouble

2010-02-25T22:06:00.005+02:00

One of my skis developed a fault yesterday, minutes after hitting the trail. The binding, a Dynafit TLT Speed, started to release the boot when in touring mode which should never happen. Having just arrived at the cabin, prepared to spend at least a week in the mountains, I was reluctant to descend so soon in the attempt to fix the problem. Luckily the guy who mounted the bindings in the first place, was available in a nearby ski resort and kindly offered to help. So today I started my day with a 6km trip to meet him. The last 200m climb was a nightmare, the binding releasing at least 10 times during the ascent. It seemed that one of the fastening screws had become loose, forbidding the locking mechanism to engage when switching to touring mode. Missing some materials we were unable to finish the repair today. I had no choice but to walk back to my cabin.

Bâlea Valley once again

2010-02-23T23:38:00.004+02:00

Bâlea Valley has become a regular spot for my ski tours this winter. I went up there again yesterday. The perfect day, overshadowed only by the death of a skier who was caught in an avalanche three days ago. The avalanche debris (not pictured here) were a stark reminder that the backcountry is a dangerous place, where written and unwritten rules of snow travel should be obeyed at all times.

Skiing in Predeal

2010-02-19T16:53:00.004+02:00

The skiing season continues. I went to Predeal yesterday. Snow was great, I got to descend about 5000m in total, in a little over 4 hours. Thinking of going?! Note that a ski pass for half a day (12:00 to 16:30) will cost you €20, one for a full day (9:00 - 16:30) will hit you for €32. And avoid weekends or you'll spend most of your time in line at the lifts.

Skiing in Postavaru

2010-02-09T17:57:00.006+02:00

It has been snowing at a slow but steady rate for the past couple of days. Skiing on piste, taking advantage of the lifts and avoiding avalanche areas, sounded like a good idea this morning. Not having to wait in line at the lifts was great, today being a working day. For the same reason good snow lasted for longer. Fog was the only minor nuisance. Total vertical descent: 4816m. A great day overall.

Viscol in Piatra Mare

2010-02-07T23:51:00.002+02:00

Snack time!

2010-02-06T18:01:00.006+02:00

Miercuri is hunting for a little snack...

Din nou în Valea Bâlea

2010-02-03T19:13:00.004+02:00

Încă o zi superbă, însorită, fără vînt, temperatura un pic sub -5°C. Nu stau mult pe gînduri, arunc rucsacul și schiurile in mașină, Miercuri sare pe bancheta din spate si plecăm din nou spre Bâlea Cascadă. De acolo urmăm același traseu ca și ieri. Hoinărim cîteva ore prin căldare, ajungînd pînă aproape de Bâlea Lac după care ne întoarcem înainte de lăsarea serii.

Scurtă tură în Valea Bâlea

2010-02-02T20:42:00.007+02:00

Pornesc de acasă tîrziu, ajung sus la Bâlea Cascadă un pic dupa ora 3:00pm. Pun focile pe schiuri și o iau în sus pe Transfăgărăsan. Zăpada este neatinsă. Un strat proaspăt de 15-20cm acoperă orice urmă. Urc încet, fără grabă.

O capră neagră se hrănește cu lăstari tineri la cîțiva metri de drum. Nestingherită iși vede mai departe de treaba. Mă opresc din cînd in cînd să fac cîte o poză. Stau și ascult: valea este încremenită, nici o adiere, nici un zgomot.

Începe să se întunece. Urc de aproape două ore, sunt deja în golul alpin. E timpul să fac cale întoarsa. Scot focile si încep coborîrea. La masină ajung pe întuneric , la lumina frontalei.

Văile Viștișoara si Viștea

2010-01-26T17:03:00.008+02:00

După o săptămînă de congelator in Bucegi m-am gîndit să mă încălzesc puțin acasă, la Cîrtișoara. Ca să nu stau toată ziua degeaba m-am dus să văd noua pîrtie de schi "Moțul Drăgușului" deschisă de curînd în apropierea complexului turistic Sîmbăta. De dimensiuni modeste, deocamdată, pîrtia se pretează începătorilor. Din cîte am auzit, în primăvară vor începe lucrările de extindere a pîrtiei. De întors m-am întors pe sub munte, prin locurile unde am copilărit si pe unde n-am mai trecut de cîtiva ani buni.

Valea Viștișoara

Valea Viștea

Off-trail

2010-01-20T14:35:00.004+02:00

Yesterday's snow storm laid more than 60cm of fresh powder. We took a 3 hours long walk off the beaten path earlier this morning. Miercuri was fighting to stay afloat in some places. In the end she decided to stop breaking trail and let me do all the hard work.

Four Elements

2010-01-18T20:07:00.003+02:00

Air, Fire, Earth and Water

Pinus Mugo

2010-01-14T16:45:00.002+02:00

Evergreen dwarfed tree native to mountainous areas in Central and Southern Europe.

Resting

2010-01-13T17:00:00.002+02:00

Miercuri taking a break from pulling during yesterday's trip.

Beautiful seconds

2010-01-09T13:49:00.005+02:00

A beautiful sky greets us early morning. It didn't last long, soon after the fog covered everything for most of the day.

In the blizzard

2010-01-07T17:27:00.002+02:00

Snow needed!

2009-12-30T10:46:00.004+02:00

There has been very little snow so far this winter. Even at high elevations there isn't much. There's still hope however...

Plimbare de Craciun

2009-12-29T22:55:00.006+02:00

Din cauza vremii nefavorabile (ploaie torentiala si temperaturi cu mult peste 0°C) traditionala plimbare de Craciun a avut loc cu cateva zile intarziere anul acesta. Am profitat de acest pui de viscol care a reusit sa astearna un strat subtire de zapada in cele cateva ore cat si-a facut de cap.

Back home for the winter...

2009-12-07T18:20:00.007+02:00

After leaving Ireland and driving 3031km in 36 hours stretched over 5 days I am finally home. No sign of winter yet.

Windsurfing in Silver Strand

2009-11-25T18:20:00.001+02:00

Pebbles

2009-11-24T17:58:00.001+02:00

Kylemore Lake

2009-10-23T11:50:00.005+03:00

Fantastic view over the Kylemore Lake to the Connemara Hills.

Cliffs of Moher în Alb si Negru

2009-10-21T14:26:00.006+03:00

Sunt câtiva ani buni de când n-am mai trecut pe aici așa că sâmbata trecută profitând si de vremea bună am hotărît să dăm o tură în zonă. Câteva poze...

Killary Harbour at sunset

2009-09-28T17:45:00.007+03:00

A little bit on the wild side of HDR with this lenticular cloud on top of the mountain of Mweelrea, 817 meters high.

Asteptarea a meritat...

2009-09-10T17:29:00.004+03:00

Asteptarea dupa vară a dat roade, urmează câteva zile de vreme bună!

In asteptarea verii

2009-09-09T01:42:00.021+03:00

Trebuie remarcat optimismul irlandez, la sfârsitul celei mai ploioase veri din istoria recentă a Irlandei oamenii încă mai speră într-o îndreptare spectaculoasă a vremii. Din 15 Iulie n-a fost zi fără ploaie, peste 40 de zile consecutive. Ceva se întâmplă! Toată lumea freamată, soapte, ghionturi, chicoteli... Într-un târziu aflu si eu motivul: se anuntă vreme bună pe vineri! Alte stiri: număr record de sinucideri în acest an. Cred ca înteleg de unde atâta optimism: pesimistii n-apucă toamna...

Un cer amenintător, undeva lângă Maam Cross (An Teach Dóite), un sătuc în Connemara

Cluain Riocaird

2009-09-02T01:47:00.004+03:00

Una din putinele seri fara ploaie de prin iulie incoace...

Dive no. 45/2009 - An Bóthar Buí

2009-08-26T22:00:00.002+03:00

Duration: 56min, Buddy: Gerard Conneely

Street performers - Galway

2009-08-16T19:51:00.002+03:00