Took place in “Cupa Calimani la Ski de Tura” two years ago and had a very good experience. Despite the 7 hour long drive there, I decided to return for this year’s edition.

This was a winter with very little snow. I think it snowed more in Bucharest than in the Bucegi Mountains. Hoping that conditions were better in the Calimani Mountains, we left Bucharest on Friday afternoon and around 11 pm arrived at Cabana Lomas. The conditions there were arctic! -16 degrees C, with the chalet being the only shelter for miles. The road was barely usable, with a stream covering it in several places with thick ice.

The chalet was packed. There was a fire that kept the common room warm, but in our room we didn’t care about using the fireplace. We came prepared with our winter-est gear – I even got too warm in my sleeping bag in the middle of the night.

Saturday greeted us with sunny weather. It started getting warmer, with a high towards -10 degrees. Started with too many clothes on and had to stop and change after only 5 minutes.

There was a fluffy layer of powder for us to enjoy, but underneath there was little else and at times we could hear that depressing sound skis make when scratching onto rocks. Still, we had more snow than two years ago.

The route was varied, with beautiful descents as well as forest road descents, a couple of uphill technical sections, some flat areas and even short descents while on uphill mode. Another nice touch was going through the start point after the first loop, giving the spectators a glimpse into the race.

Finished in 3h17′, 60th out of 79, with more than double the time of the first place (Rares Manea with an impressive 1h26′). The Calimani Mountains and the ski touring cup here remain on my to-do list and I hope I’ll have the opportunities to come back often.