Skiing in Bale Lac, 2007. We are a group of Engineers from Sweden who like to try out new ski places in the world. After skiing in places in Norway, the US (Park City and Vail) we decided to try something new. Out of the blue came a suggestion, Romania. So Romania it was although most of us new very little about this country. To ski in Romania might seem to be far away. As it turned out, it didn’t take longer to get there then going to Norway to ski. Romania is known for its beautiful nature, however to our knowledge not very known for its skiing. The snow condition this year turned out to be rather poor although the mountains are high, up to 2500 m, so we had to look around to see where to find the snow. A snow report shortly before or planned trip indicated some fresh snow in a place we newer heard of, Balea Lac. That is how we found out about Balea Lac and our mountain guide Iulian Cozma. Iulian helped us to plan the whole trip. A driver meet us at the airport in Bucharest and took us to Brasov where we spent our first night. The next day we headed for the mountains to see if we could find any snow. After driving a few hours in a flat landscape and poor roads we finally approached the Fagaras Mountains. Yes there was snow here. Balea Lac is to be found in the Fagaras mountains, located at an elevation of about 2000 m. To get up there you need to use the only cable available. As we approached the Balea Lac facility where we would stay for a few days, we noticed how incredible beautiful the mountains were. Plenty of snow, untouched virgin mountains and the best of all, no people. Yes, we had the whole mountain to ourselves, which was unique to us. All of us have been skiing for many years, however none of us had skid of pist in this manner. It was quite obvious how important it was to have an experienced mountain guide to help us Find the right paths. To ski and hike on a mountain with no ski lifts and no people makes you feel part of the nature in a way, which is hard to describe and must be experienced. To pause in the middle of the slope, look around and observe the nature, the contrast of the light and breath in the mountain air is a great feeling. This was a new experience to all of us and due to the help of an experienced guide like Iulian, a very positive one. Thanks Iulian for a great ski week, we hope to be back rather soon and try out new places. (Yes, the food and the service at the facility in Balea Lace was great, say thanks to Tomita.)
Trajan Badju & friends, Sweden – March 2007, Balea Lac, Fagaras Mountains tour
