News
2010-2011 ski season, Prahova Valley |
Ski-pass SinaiaDecember 2010: The new express chairlift is ready! Inauguration in December.
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November 2010: Sinaia in FIS competition calendar for 2011! Sinaia enters the International Ski Federation (FIS) competition calendar for 2011.
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Ski-pass SinaiaOctober 2010: A new express chairlift is currently under construction in Sun (Soarelui) Valley. It is expected to finalize the work sometime in December while the new chair lift will be operational in 2010-2011 ski season! The 4 seats express lift is opening new ski slopes in Sinaia, linking the top and bottom points of the Dorului area. Two new slopes are expected.
Technical data:
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Ski-pass SinaiaFebruary 2010: Excellent ski conditions in Sinaia! About 55 cm of snow are reported in Dorului Valley, selected slopes are groomed on daily basis. |
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SNovember 2008: Starting with the winter season 2008-2009, Teleferic S.A., the owner of the ropeways in Sinaia, is introducing the daily ski pass (or half day pass) for the ski season. The previous ski cards based on points will not exist anymore. More details on prices». |
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October 2008 New Mountain Rescue Hut. A new mountain rescue hut is under construction on Bucegi mountain plateau. Situated at 2300m altitude and having about 100 square meters, this place will help in a better coordination of the rescue missions in Babele area and beyond. The area has a high number of tourists in the summer, due to the easy access by cable car from Busteni and also due to the main attraction points like Babele, Sfinx and The Cross. The activity of the mountain rescue teams has been difficult in the past, lacking this key hut in a rather difficult area to access when, for example, the cable car is not operating. With this new construction, mountain rescue teams will have a permanent base and hence an increased efficiency in their rescue efforts. The hut will have medical facilities and few sleeping places. The construction has been started in august 2008, by the mountain rescue team members. It is desired that the inauguration is as soon as possible, however the weather at high altitude starts to deteriorate, first snow came at the end of September.
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Septembrie 2008, 12 bears relocated. At the end of August, 12 bears have been relocated from Sinaia area. Their new home is in the forests of Arges county. In recent months the bear situation became dangerous. Bears started to come in the center of Sinaia resort, early in the evenings. Locals and tourists safety was at risk, as the animals were searching for food, sometime entering on properties and searching for the garbage places. The bears staying on way to Cota 1400 were notorious. Several bears were staying on the side of the road, all day long, waiting for passing by cars to stop and their occupants to give them food. There was no shortage of people doing so, not realizing that this behavior is harming the animals and puts their life in danger. One german tourist has been attacked in Padina area, during the night, while he was camping with two of his friends. Fortunately the incident was minor, and prompted the authorities to take measures. Now the area is 'bear free', or we think so... Bears from Busteni and Predeal resorts had the same faith. Unfortunately, human life style won against these animals, which at the end of the day have no fault, as we entered and destroyed their habitat. It is worth mentioning that Romania has the biggest bear population in Europe, according to official sources.
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January 2008 New Gondola open! The new gondola is open for public!Even if there is some landscaping work to do at the bottom station, the new gondola is open for public every day from 9 to 16, except on Tuesday when there is maintenance schedule in the first part of the day. The new gondola is a good alternative (to the already existing cable car) to reach Cota 1400. If it is not handy to find the bottom station you can reach the place by taking the minibus which goes from the resort center, passing through Furnica district and having the final station right at the gondola station. The price for the minibus is 1 RON, while the gondola costs 10 RON one way. The new gondola has a capacity of 1700 persons per hour, while the travel time is estimated at about 5 minutes, with a speed of approximately 6 m/s. The line has 35 gondolas, each having a capacity of 8 persons.
Predeal got a new Poma ski lift! The two previous anchor ski lifts have been replaced by a new lift which will become operational in December. The new line is a detachable ski lift, has a capacity of 900 persons per hour with a speed of 3.5m/s. |
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August 2007 Invitation. Sinaia city hall is organizing every Saturday, until 15th of September, concerts in open air, in "Dimitrie Ghica" park. The events start at 18:00. The main performer is " Fanfara Consiliului Judetean Prahova", led by Alexandru Cazan. Welcome! |
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August 2007 International Festival "Enescu si Muzica Lumii". In the period 15-19 of August, takes place the VIII-th edition of the international festival "Enescu and the music of the world". During five days, more than 20 artists will master the piano, violin, trumpet, vocals. They will play Romanian and international pieces as well as pieces from the work of the great composer Enescu.The events will take place in the atmosphere of Peles Castle music hall, the main stage of the Casino, as well as in "Dimitrie Ghica" park. Program: shows start at 19:00, the show on Saturday starts at 17:00. |
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August 2007 Gondola Sinaia Cota 998 - Cota 1400. The constuction work on the new gondola is going forward, even that it's difficult to say if we will enjoy it in the begining of the next season. According to the information panel at the bottom station, the work has to end in June 2009. However, there are signs that there is a strong desire to "turn on" the new gondola by the end of 2007. The attached photos were made in the beginning of August 2007. |
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June 2007 New lifts are planned for Sinaia! Some of them are in planning stage, others in execution stage. A new gondola is planed to start operating at the end of the year, hopefully before the first snow. This will link the upper part of the city (at 998 m altitude) with Cota 1400. The gondola is an alternative to the existing cable car, however in order to access the bottom station one has to go the edge of the resort. This might not be so convenient for tourists staying in the center, but there are more alternatives. New lifts are in planning stage and if these would come to reality, the skiable domain will be extended with some great additions! It is envisioned to build a new express chairlift, on Soarelui Valley (~1900m altitude). The new installation has a capacity of 1800 persons per hour and has a speed of 5 mps. The length is of 1450m. A new skilift is also on the planning board, this will be constructed in the same area as the new chairlift, will have a capacity of 1000 persons per hour. The length is of 1050m. The ride in either of the two new lifts will take about 5 minutes. It is also in planning stage a new artificial snow-making system. This means that a water tank will be constructed at the bottom of the new chairlift station. Two snow making machines are on the buying list as well. The total cost of the investment is of 21 million EUR. Source: www.ziarulprahova.ro, translation in english by www.montania.ro |
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January 2007 The ice ring in Ghica park is open for the public. The place is open until 22:00, with some breaks for taking care of the ice surface. Prices: 10 RON for 1,5 hours, renting skates 10 RON. The ice ring closed in March. |
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December 2006 The prices for the ski magnetic cards, for the ski season 2006-2007, are available. [More details ..] |
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November 2006: As February 2007 is getting closer, the Local Council of Busteni, is preparing for hosting in excellent conditions the final of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2007. The climbing structure will be improved, and it will be prepared with few months in advance. In this respect, Clubul Alpin Roman has proposed that the structure will be ready as early as December. We will keep you updated... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
August 2006 In an interview given to Prahova Valley's newspaper ( Ziarul Prahova), Viorel Carjan, fauna specialist at the Forest County Agency, has mentioned: "In Sinaia, where the bear is a protected species, we have identified: 4 males, 5 females, 2 young bears, 7 cubs. We have also identified 44 red deers (Cervus elaphus), 70 deers (Cervus elaphus), 50 chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), 68 wild boar (Sus scrofa), 10 capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), and a number of european badgers (Meles Meles), foxes (Vulpes Vulpes), wolves (Canis Lupus), squirrels, lynx and wild cats. In Azuga area, there are: 15 male bears, 11 female bears, 1 young bear, 2 cubs. We have also identified 79 red deers (Cervus elaphus), 87 deers (Cervus elaphus), 166 chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), 50 wild boar (Sus scrofa), 32 capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)" This confirms the rich fauna that exists on Prahova Valley and also gives us the responsibility to protect it! Source: www.ziarulprahova.ro, translation in english by www.montania.ro |
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March 2006 An exceptional exercise took place in Bucegi mountains! The Mountain Police, from Sinaia's Mountain Center, and their counterparts from France, have presented the most advanced avalanche transceivers! The electronic gear can detect the victims located at up to 40 m distance from the device, and up to four meters depth. The efficiency has been demonstrated in real rescue missions in France. For three weeks, the Romanian and French mountain police have been performing simulated avalanche rescue missions, in very difficult conditions, on Peles Valley. The French officers, from Chamonix Mountain Center, which perform rescue missions in the French Alps, have been impressed by the professionalism of the Romanian Mountain Police. Sinaia's Mountain Center plans to have a highly skilled rescue team, with military members, following the European trend. This team will help in rescue missions the local Mountain Rescue Team (Salvamont). Source: www.realitatea.net, 23.03.2006, translation in english by www.montania.ro Related links: www.pghm-chamonix.com/ |
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March 2006 AUDI QUATTRO BIG AIR OPEN - 4 MARCH 2006 - DORULUI VALLEY SINAIA - COMPETITION OF SNOWBOARDING AND FREESKIING. |
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March 2006 The express chairlift has been inaugurated at the end of February 2006! The electronic key cards are valid also in Predeal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February 2006 The express chairlift is almost ready. The detachable chairs wait to be placed on the cable and few tests will be run. The target inauguration date is mid February 2006! The ticketing system has been changed, with the new RF-based system. Do not forget that you have to pay 20 RON as guarantee for the electronic key. Another news is that the electronic key card is valid also in Predeal. It the first time when you can use the same ticket in two resorts! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January 2006 The construction work is continuing at the express chairlift which will connect Cota 1400 with Cota 2000 in Sinaia. The latest news is related to the finalization of the Cota 1400 station. Also the cable is in place, which was not a trivial operation. There are high chances that in February 2006 we will go "express way" to Cota 2000. We will keep you updated! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 2005 Montania brings you the latest news from the Valley! It looks like a promising winter season, as the snow came early this year. We have visited the ski slopes from Predeal, Azuga, Busteni and Sinaia. No news from the first three mentioned places, we bring you just fresh images from the action places (see below). An older description can be found here. The major breaking news is the new Express chairlift in Sinaia, which is almost ready (it is expected to go into service early 2006). Until then, Montania.ro brings you exclusive photos from the construction site in Sinaia!!
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December 2005 A new ticketing system will be operational starting with the 2005-2006 ski season. The hardware is manufactured by AXESS and allows the use of KEYCARDS, and RF based ski pass. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selected Photos: Express Chairlift Sinaia, Construction Work, December 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
November 2005 The work at the new express, four seat, chair lift, in Sinaia, is progressing. Recently there have been advancements at the top lift station. The heavy work has been done with the help of a helicopter. Let's hope the weather will "help", so that the construction will be ready by the end of 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 2005 The rumors turn to be real!... the construction of a new chairlift has started in Sinaia! This lift will link Cota 1400 with Cota 2000 and will be an alternative to the existing cable car. Even if we are in September, Teleferic S.A. hopes to see the lift running before holidays. The new line is an express, four seats lift. The route of the lift is closely following the route of the old chairlift which existed between Cota 1400 and Cota 1860. Let's hope that we will have a long and warm autumn and during the winter we will enjoy the new express! With this new acquisition Sinaia will have the best winter offer in Romania, having one of the latest lifts and the most spectacular winter park. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 2005 Tuesday, September 6th, Sinaia was happy to welcome once again the passengers of the Orient Express! The world's most celebrated train, the Venice Simplon - Orient - Express carries passengers across Europe in the style of a bygone era. Itinerary: The trains starts it's journey from Paris, After three days of journey, time in which the express is passing thorough France, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, the trains enters Romania. There are only two stations: Sinaia and Bucharest! The express is reaching Prahova Valley in the morning. After breakfast, the train arrives at the mountain resort of Sinaia. The passengers disembark for a visit to beautiful Peles Castle, which was also visited by the very first Orient-Express passengers in 1883. They also serve lunch in a restaurant in Sinaia. After that, the train completes the short journey to Bucharest and next day is departing towards Istambul. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
August 2005 In the spring issue of Poma's newsletter we have an interview with Marc Velu, Export Area Manager. Referring to Romania he says: “This season (2004-2005), we have commissioned a new PHOENIX 4 detachable grip chairlift, the first chairlift to be built by POMA in Romania”, comments Marc Velu. “This lift is 1657 meters long and rises 610 meters with a carrying capacity of 2 400 passengers per hour. During the first weekend of operation, it carried 20 000 passengers ! It replaces an old two-seater fixed grip chairlift. We have supplied all the equipment, with the towers, cross arms and walkways manufactured on-site. The operating company, SC Teleferic Prahova, which also owns the Sinaia resort, aims to renovate Predeal completely and we will be installing an additional PHOENIX 4 there this year". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Montania Team visiting the other resorts on Prahova's Valley... searching for news... and for capturing on digital media the latest lifts... but let's see what is new:
Busteni: The express chairlift (four seats) is on duty... even that during our visit the slope was closed, due to bad weather. Still, we have found a nice atmosphere in Busteni, the snow was in good condition, and at the bottom of the slope there is a nice arrival area, with plenty of space to have fun.
Azuga: The place starts to look "tired". A nice surprise though, there is a new ski lift installed, at high altitude, so one has to take the chairlift to reach the place. Anyway, the slope that is served my the new ski lift is rather modest. We have tested the new slope Cazacu, not open yet, (you can reach the place after the top chair-lift station by climbing for another 50m). There are still many things to fix, our descend being quite "extreme", on a steep, narrow slope, between roots of trees... However, the bottom part is better than Sorica slope (the main slope from Azuga), so we look forward to see the work done and the slope practicable.
Predeal: The new chairlift is great, silent and... FAAAAST!! However, we have been disappointed by other aspects: the loading area is not arranged in an optimal way, this having an impact upon the efficiency of the chairlift. Anyway, let's not forget that the new lift was inaugurated in February 2005, so we hope that by the new season 2005-2006, some small aspects will be fixed. The unloading area has also some problems, due to the lack of space one has to take a 180 degrees turn right after getting off the lift. And another "strange" aspect, there is a too fast chairlift which implies that the slopes are too crowded, actually even if there are two slopes, only one has a decent vertical drop (of red level). And a final note: Predeal successfully organized the 47th edition of the World Military Ski Championship.
Sinaia: For a complete analysis we have decided to say a few words also about Sinaia. For an advanced skier, Sinaia has the best offer. Feb-March 2005 have been a dream in Sinaia, bringing heaps of snow. The layer was 140cm at Cota 1500 and in Dorului Valley we have skied in 50cm of powder, having a base of 2m at Dorului Hut. The high altitude of Sinaia had a great advantage... while at 2000m it was snowing, in the other resorts (Predeal, Azuga, Busteni) it was raining... The season 2005-2006 looks also promising. There are rumors that new cable transportation will be built. A new express chairlift (or gondola) will link the city with Cota 1400, starting from Taverna Sarbului. This will be continued till the top of the mountain (Cota 2000), by another new express chairlift. The link Cota 1400 - Cota 2000 will be constructed, most probably, by Poma. The line type will be Phoenix 4 and will have, more or less, the following characteristics:
We will keep our eyes open and try to post here any news related to the subject. Montania, March 2005. |