Transfagarasan Highway<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Transfagarasan Highway is Romania\u2019s most spectacular and best-known road, and, thanks to an appearance on BBC\u2019s Top Gear<\/em> in 2009, is now one of the country\u2019s most popular tourist attractions. It was built between 1970-1974 on the personal orders of Nicolae Ceausescu (the Romanian communist politician and dictator) who wanted to create a strategic route across the Fagaras Mountains so he could move troops north should Romania be invaded by the USSR (as Czechoslovakia had been in 1968). Sibiu was, at this time, the country\u2019s military centre. The road up to Balea on the Transfagarasan is a spectacular journey, we wind up through the many switchbacks and through snow covered trees, just before we arrive at B\u00e2lea Cascada.<\/p>\n\n\n\nB\u00e2lea is a popular Romanian tourist spot, more so in the summer months, and there is a small market operating there year-round selling the usual souvenirs\u2019 but also a fine selection of stalls selling local produce. The cheeses and pastrami sausages are well trying, buy some and pack them in your bag as they make for a great picnic lunch on the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From here we leave the vehicles behind for the week and take our snowboard bags up to the departure platform of the single cable car that will transport us up to B\u00e2lea Lac, situated at 2000m where our accommodation for the trip is located. It is a spectacular ride up and it gives you a glimpse of the fabulous splitboarding terrain this zone has on offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the name might suggest, B\u00e2lea Cascada is famous for its waterfalls and the one we pass on the way up to the lake is one of the biggest and most picturesque waterfalls in Romania. It falls from a height of more than 60 meters, in the shape of a fan. It\u2019s looking at its best towards the end of the spring months but its still impressive, even in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Accommodation<\/strong>. Day 2. Arrival at B\u00e2lea Lac<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nB\u00e2lea Lac is a glacier lake situated at an altitude of 2,034 m in the F\u0103g\u0103ra\u0219 Mountains range of C\u00e2r\u021bi\u0219oara, Sibiu County. It is a site of exceptional natural beauty, and it is where our accommodation is based. There are only two lodges open all year round for visitors along with a meteorological and mountain rescue station. The two lodges are the B\u00e2lea Cascada and the Paltinu Chalet. We prefer to stay in the Paltinu lodge when we visit, due to its location, general ambiance, and an interesting backstory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Paltinu Chalet was designed and built as a private hunting lodge for the former President of Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu, and his friends. It was completed in 1972, two years before the commissioning of the actual highway. Over the years until his death in 1989 Ceausescu ensured that no expense was spared when it came to his personal comfort. In 1987 a generator failed on one of Ceausescu\u2019s hunting trips which led him to have mains electricity installed in 1988 (this was introduced via the power lines of the Balea Lac waterfall cable car).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The villa passed to former County Office of Tourism and from 1991 to SC Balea Tourism S.A. Sibiu. In 2007-2008, the villa was extended and modernized in a major project and the villa was re-classified as a tourist chalet. It is a combination of rustic and modern, keeping the essential elements of an alpine chalet in stone and wood. There is a large dining area, a well-stocked bar and a full menu to choose from each evening. On this trip each person gets a private bedroom with en-suite facilities. The location of the chalet is truly special, surrounded by mountains we can start to splitboard tour from the front door in the morning and ride back to it at he end of each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Terrain<\/strong>. Days 3 to 8. A Freeride Paradise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nOne of the big reasons we choose to return to the Fagaras range each season is because of the mind-blowing amount of freeride terrain on offer. There are no lifts so everything you want to ride must be accessed on a splitboard. This zone isn\u2019t that high (its biggest peak tops out at 2544m) but its easterly location means it\u2019s cold, so it holds the snow incredibly well. The other interesting thing is that it has a wide selection of steep terrain that is relatively easy to access. This allows (for the groups who might be interested) to ride some steep, shorter pitch aspects that offer up the perfect introduction to bigger mountain snowboarding. We have dubbed it \u2018Little Chamonix\u2019, as its perfect for those who are looking for a safely managed entry to the world of splitboard alpinism and steep snowboarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though there is a lot of steep and technical terrain, this zone also offers a huge number of easier aspects to ride on. A short skin from the lodge brings us to a ridge from which a rolling, fun 14km off-piste descent back down to the cable car is possible. Should we find that conditions and visibility are against us one day then we can choose to ride in the forests further down. This Transylvanian gem gives us all the options, whatever the weather might throw our way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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UIAGM splitboard guiding<\/strong>. Day 3 to 8. Your safety is our number one priority.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYour guide for this trip will be Polo Verdier. Polo graduated from ENSA in Chamonix with distinction in 2013, joining the Compagnie des Guides in Les Contamines. A UIAGM qualified guides can take you to the top of Everest. What makes Polo so special in this field is that he would be able to take you up it on a splitboard. There are only a handful of UIAGM qualified splitboard guides in Europe, Polo has led Rider Social trips since 2014 and has been our go to guide for our worldwide trips since 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also specialise in small group size. On this trip the guide \/ client ratio is 1:4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means you get to ride in terrain that would be off-limits to larger groups as it can be safely manged. Another Rider Social crew member will act as a backmarker on your trip. This added layer of safety allows the lead UIAGM guide to concentrate more on finding you the best lines to ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nA small group = more exciting terrain<\/li>\n\n\n\n UIAGM = professional and rare high mountain splitboard guiding<\/li>\n\n\n\n An all splitboard group = splitboard specific ascents and descents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nWe will be required to carry full backcountry access equipment. This includes snowboard boot crampons, a harness, and an ice-axe. Avalanche transceivers will be worn, and a shovel and probe will be in your pack, every single time we go into the mountains. If you don\u2019t already have experience of using this equipment, you\u2019re in the right place to learn about it. As a part of the trip, we also provide splitboard alpinism technique training \u2013 how to efficiently pack the equipment, when to deploy it and most importantly how to use it safely and effectively. Avalanche search and rescue training sessions will also feature. It could be that you are learning to search using a transceiver for the first time or, perhaps you\u2019ll use the training as a refresher course if you already know how to use one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All training and backcountry craft education is led by a Rider Social UIAGM qualified splitboard guide, we can also arrange for rental of any equipment you may need, should you not already own it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The daily splitboard touring<\/strong>. Day 3 to 8. Fitness & ability <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis splitboard trip is for people with a good level of snowboarding (minimum 10 weeks), experience of splitboarding and a high level of physical fitness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are no lifts here. A typical day will involve making ascents of minimum 1000 vertical metres on a splitboard (some days it will be more but we don’t tend to go over 1300 vertical metres) and there are ascents we’ll make that have sections which will require you to hike wearing snowboard boot crampons and the carrying of your board on your bag. It is hard work on some days but the rewards are incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You should be comfortable making kickturns on steeper gradients of around 30 degrees. Depending on the conditions this could be in an icy skintrack, you should already be familiar with using splitboard crampons (knives \/ couteaux).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We strive to help people become better splitboarders on these trips and will offer as much encouragement and tuition as required. However, we also expect you to pay full attention to any instructions given by your guide on the mountain. T<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you haven’t previously attended a Rider Social trip then we will need to ask you for a few details about your splitboard experience to date. This is necessary not only for your safety but that of the group as a whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On all of our trips we strive to provide the best experience for the group as a whole. We aim to put together crews of similar experience and ability in order to deliver on this. The stoke is real.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDeparture. Day 9.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nWe will leave the beautiful gardens of Balea behind on the following Saturday. Its breakfast as usual on the morning before dragging the board bags back to the cable car and getting back down to the Cascade around 10am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the bottom we will be met by our drivers and taken back to Sibiu where you can either choose to stay for a final night (not included in the price) or take an onward flight from the airport to your next destination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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