Fresh Green

A few warm days transformed the forests around Brasov. I had to slow down and hike with my camera taking a few photos of the fresh green landscape!

A Full Month of Winter!

The winters in the last decades became more and more unpredictable in my hometown. Sadly, I know the same phenomenon is observed in many places all over our planet. The snow and the glaciers are a very good indicator of the climate evolution. After the climate and weather scientists, snow sports enthusiasts are among the first to notice the gradual warming of our winters.

View from Postavarul Mountain, January 2019

Take for example my hometown, Brasov: latitude 45 N, altitude 600 m, far from the oceans, surrounded by mountains. Here the winter used to last for more than three months, with practically uninterrupted snow cover. We did not know what rain was during the winter, except cases when a snow fall would start with rain and then quickly transform into snow. In the last 20 years it all changed. The winter is a roller-coaster. Cold weather alternating with really warm weather. Days with temperatures of +10C, +15C are not uncommon nowadays and can occur any winter month! The days with temperatures below -20C are quire rare and maybe nonexistent during some years... The record low in Romania was recorded n 1945 near Brasov: -38.5C.

The pattern of the winters in Brasov used to be like this:

• November is cold... preparation for winter
• December, January, February: Snowy winter. Occasionally warmer, but the snow would stay until March
• March.. often like a winter month with some sunny and warm days here and there
• April. The springtime starts to win over the winter

The pattern of the winters in the last two decades is like this:

• November feels more like early October, with frequent Indian Summer periods
• December can be warm and snow-less until around Christmas when it becomes colder
• January seems to be the coldest month, the one tat resembles winter most, but warm days are always possible
• February is unpredictable. Some weeks can feel like an early springtime
• March and April are totally unpredictable. Warm weather alternates with short cold spells with big snow dumps on the mountains
• Around Easter time, towards the end of April, beginning of May the weather changes suddenly from cold to almost summer

So It was a pleasant surprise the fact that from the end of December until the end of January we had uninterrupted winter! Well, maybe not quite in the city, but above 700-800 m it was real winter! Mostly below 0C temperatures and frequent snowfalls. For one week it got quite cold, around -15C and lower. But  February started with two weeks of warm weather and all snow below 1300m altitude melted... Colder weather and fresh snow is expected from this night though...

On Postavarul Peak during the coldest day of the winter: Saturday, 5 Jan, 2019

So while many were complaining that the weather is cold... it seems that most people are not used anymore with proper winter weather and clothes... we went out and made most of the abundant snow and crispy cold weather. Skiing is a great way to enjoy the winter and great cross-training exercise for runners.

Here are a few photos taken during these four weeks of winter.

Winter

Well, although more snow is announced for the next days, the winter season is practically over in the city and the snow line is gradually going up in altitude as the springtime progresses.

It was a good winter with abundant snow. There were warm spells of weather that melted all the snow in the city, but on the mountains, above 1400m the snow accumulated the whole winter and will surely last well into the month of May.

It was a good season for my outdoor activities. I did running, skiing, off-piste skiing, powder snow skiing, ski touring and sometimes just hiking in the snow.

So it is time to look back to a few photos I took this winter season around Brasov. Some are taken with a proper camera, others with the mobile phone.

Ultra Light Skiing

Ever since I started to be more serious about trail running I was fascinated by how light the running equipment can be. I love the fact that trail running gives me the freedom to move so efficiently and quickly through the mountains. However I cannot say the same about my winter favorite sport: alpine skiing. It feels like from year to year the alpine skiing equipment gets heavier and heavier. Well, we also have ski touring equipment which tends to get lighter every new season, but it is still quite complex... ski boots, special bindings, skins. And my problem is that the touring ski boots are not quite suitable for walking.

What I want to do is to leave home and get on foot to Postavarul Mt. top, then ski back... On the most direct route, from home to top, it is just a bit over 10km, with 1200m elevation gain. In summer I can reach the top in under 2 hours (my record is 1h36min). Of course, in winter it takes longer, but the descent on skis is faster and more enjoyable...

With the warmer winters we have in the last decades, it is quite common that there is no enough snow to start on touring skis from the city. So if I want to do the whole round trip on foot, I have to carry the ski-boots in a backpack... but I hate backpacks. I would also fix the skis on the backpack, and the resulting weight to carry on my back is about 8-10kg... Not very comfortable.

Last years I was skiing mostly on short skis (a.k.a. snow-blades or ski-blades). They are easier and lighter to carry, but still I have to carry my boots. It is also a lot of fun to ski on ski-blades.

As I am a good skier I was wondering if I could ski in normal mountain boots. In fact when I started skiing I did it with leather boots... Then I remembered that I saw somewhere that snowboard bindings would work in short skis...

Time to experiment! I had a pair of ageing ski-blades just right for the experiment. I went and bought a pair of cheap but very decent snowboard bindings. I needed to add a riser, to lift each wide snow-board binding so it would not touch the snow on steep slopes. I made the risers myself from two pieces of oak wood that I had lying around in my garage. So here is the result:

I already used it tree times. What a joy! I can leave home in my boots without any backpack. I carry the ski-blades on my shoulder, using a strap ans that is all! I can quickly get to the top; no boots changing required, no skin removing from the skis on the top. On the top I just have to tighten my boot laces and put the skis on.

Skiing down is a lot of fun. Skiing in normal mountain boots forces me to be more careful and thoughtful about each move I make and about the route. It feels like in the old days! I ski slower.. so the pleasure of the descent takes longer! And what a feeling of accomplishment when I reach the base!

As I am an experienced skier, I find it quite easy to ski with this setup. The groomed ski slopes make it even easier. I would strongly do NOT recommend such a setup for a beginner skier and also not for off-piste skiing!

Skiing in boots on ski-blades gives me such a liberating feeling! I also think of my grandmother. In her time they did the same: walked up the mountain on boots carrying the skis on their shoulder, and then downhill on skis.

Here are the photos I took during such a ski tip I did yesterday morning. Not the best photo quality as I took them with my phone.

On the way to Poiana Brasov ski resort. I started early in the morning  so I would reach the top of the mountain before 9AM when the cable installations start bringing skiers up to the slopes. It was dark when I left home at 6:30 and I had to use a head-light for the first two kilometers through the forest. You can see that there is not enough snow for skis on the forest road.

Close the the top. I can see the Brasov Depression covered in fog. Up here the sky is cristal clear, and the snow just perfect for skiing!

On Postavarul Summit at almost 1800m altitude. What a view! And what a ski slope! It is just 9 AM, time to start the descent before the other skiers start to crowd the slopes... Almost 800m of elevation down on 3 km of perfectly groomed slopes await me!

Walking back to Brasov on the on Poiana Road. There is no snow for skiing down... Hopefully we will soon have more snow also on lower altitudes.

Autumn Photos

The cold and windy weather of the last week stripped away the leaves from the trees. Winter is around the corner. Like every year, we had wonderful autumn colors in October. Some days I slowed down from my daily runs, took my better camera and made some photos of the beautiful nature. Here are some of the photos I took around Brasov during the month of October.