Straja ski resort is found on the northern part of the Vâlcan Mountains, 8 km away from Lupeni. Straja Resort sums up 26 km of ski area at the moment, which is divided in 12 slopes ranging from 750 m to 1868 m (maximum altitude).
The developed area with buildings and accommodation is found at the altitude of around 1400 m.
The ski area was recently expanded; the maximum altitude of the slopes reaches 1868 m – Straja Peak. The resort has undergone some upgrades in terms of wiring– the access chair lift in Lupeni was replaced with a modern gondola lift that starts from Braita recreation area.
History: Straja tourist resort took off owing to the attempt to reorient Valea Jiului area from industrial activities towards tourism. They tried to steer away from mining, although necessary, towards the development of tourist activities, such as the Vidra ski resort, the Sureanu ski resort, and the Valcan Pass gondola lift.
Although Straja was in the past visited by tourists only in 2002, it was declared a tourist resort. If in 1970 there were only 78 places of accommodation, now there is an estimate of 3700. Unfortunately, many buildings were built without bearing in mind the overall urban development, so you can say that the entire locality was, in a sense, chaotically developed.
Access to Straja ski resort is made by the gondola lift from Lupeni city, Braita (see the indicators from the main boulevard in Lupeni town). You will ascend an elevation level of 593 m and a distance of 2536 m. Another option is an 8- kilometre asphalt national road that has been in use since 2007.
If you are not housed at Straja Resort, we suggest ascending via the gondola lift, especially if you choose for the one-day Skipass. This way you will avoid the issue of finding a parking spot.
Accommodation is found in the proximity of the slopes, but most house guests deal with the issue of parking. Traffic inside the resort during wintertime is partially restricted, so do take into consideration the fact that you will have to carry your luggage from the parking lot to the guesthouses (~ 1kilometre).
Regarding accommodation, if we were to suggest you an area, we would suggest lodging in Lupeni town. There is a stark contrast between the prices at Straja Resort and in Lupeni city.
Accommodation and Reservation in Straja
The twelve slopes of Straja ski resort cater to all lovers of winter sports. The longest slope (Straja Slope) is 8.1 km and starts from Straja Peak (1868 m). It descends to the lowest altitude of 750 m (the base of the gondola lift). Unfortunately, the slope is impracticable due to the lack of snow at low altitudes. Difficulty (international system) – red.
Other slopes:
Lupului Slope– length: 519 m, elevation level 163 m, well-lit at night, difficulty: black.
Lupului II Slope – length: 750 m, elevation level 163 m, difficulty: red.
Canal Slope – length: 1400 m, elevation level 180 m, difficulty: black.
Canal II Slope – length: 1200 m, elevation level 180 m, difficulty: red.
Constantinescu Plateau – length: 1740 m, elevation level 366 m, difficulty: blue.
St. Gheorghe Slope – length: 700 m, elevation level 144 m, difficulty: blue.
Mutu Slope – length: 1269 m, elevation level 200 m, difficulty: red and blue.
Soarelui Slope – length: 405 m, elevation level 102 m, difficulty: blue.
Gondola Lift Slope – length: 3200 m, elevation level 593 m, difficulty: red.
Straja Peak Slope – length: 1000 m, difficulty: red.
Beginners’ Slope – length: 400 m, difficulty: green.
Skipass fees at Straja, 2014-2015
One-day pass: 90 RON; two-day pass: 170 RON; three-day pass: 240 RON; four-day pass: 310 RON; five-day pass: 380 RON; entire season – 1200 RON.
Hours: 09:00-13:00 – 40 RON; Hours 13:00 – 17:00 – 40 RON; Hours 17:00 – 21:00 – 40 RON
Hours: 09:00-17:00 – 90 RON; Hours: 13:00 – 21:00 – 70 RON
5 lifts – 19 RON; 50 lifts – 180 RON.
Opening hours for the slopes at Straja:
Chair lift: Mon-Sun 09:00-21:00.
Gondola lift: Mon, Wed-Sun 09:00-17:30 (Tue – closed).
Pros / The things we liked
– Wide range of options due to the numerous slopes;
– Highly accessible prices and high quality services;
– High elevation level of the slopes;
– The evolution of this resort. In a short amount of time it managed to become a highly important ski destination in Romania, due to its expansion of ski area and improvement of customer services.
– Spectacular scenery in Jiul de Vest Valley from the slopes.
Cons / The things we did not like
– In order to get to the upper part of the ski area where you can find the other slopes, you can only take one chair lift – this leads to the congestion of the wiring.
– There is a fragmentation of the slopes near the gondola lift. The slope running parallel to Chair lift has no continuity, so you will eventually have to take off your skis and cross a pedestrian area.
– The fact that the slopes are not managed by one manager – this leads to the inconvenience of buying two different types of tickets if you wish to try all the slopes.
– Few developed parking spots – you will find yourself in a situation in which you will have to park your car by the side of the road that is considerably far from the ski area.
The potential of the alpine tourist area of Petrosani is truly great. Above the depression, Retezat Mountains, Parang Mountains, and Valcan Mountains guard the area. The view from Straja Resort overlooking Retezat Mountains is wonderful.
If you find yourself in a tourist trip in Petrosani area, we highly recommend that you combine both Straja ski resort and Vidra ski resort (Transalpina-Voineasa) that is found 57 km from Lupeni. If you are a ski touring practitioner, we highly recommend an outing at Piule-Iorgovanul Mountains (Retezatul Mic) or Oslea Ridge (Valcan Mountains).
Pentru versiunea in limba romana
