“Poarta Raiului” Ski Area in Sureanu Mountains was opened in 2009. Due to the position of the ski area in the heart of the mountains and due to the high altitude, you will discover one of the few areas that has the longest period of skiing during the year in Romania.
Resembling in terms of fair site the Vidra ski area (Transalpina Ski Resort), the ski area in Sureanu Mountains enchants your sight through its sublime scenery and vistas.
The area is uninhabited and it differs from the other ski resorts in our country, most of which were developed uncontrollably and chaotically. Skiing in this area you will surely feel the mountain feeling; the typical crammed buildings are doubtlessly missing.
We inform you that Travel Guide Romania offers information only based on personal experiences. All data is verified and the expressed opinions are the result of our personal experimentations.
General information: the ski area is comprised of ten ski slopes summing approximately eleven developed kilometres. The development starts from the minimum altitude of 1650 m, the upper limit of the ski slopes reaching 2010 m. Except for the developed ski slopes the area presents great potential for off-track skiing and ski touring.
Location: the ski area is found in Sureanu Mountains (known as Sebesului Mountains), a subdivision of the Parang Massif. The eleven ski slopes are found under two of the highest peaks in the Sureanu Mountains: Patru Peak (2103 m) and Sureanu Peak (2059 m).
GPS Coordinates: 45°33’59.60″N, 23°30’33.60″E
Access: the main access road that offers optimum driving conditions (the road is snowploughed daily) starts from Sebes Alba city.
Sebes Alba (DN 67C ~28 km, asphalt road) > Sugag (30 km – asphalt road) > Oasa Lake (13 km – the road is covered in snow most time of the skiing season) > Poiana Luncile Progoanei (5 km – the road is covered in snow) > Poiana Poarta Raiului (6 km – the road is covered in snow) > the base of the Poarta Raiului ski area.
The duration of the drive (from Sebes Alba town) is 2 hours.
The road is relatively well-kept. Until the area near Oasa Lake the road is asphalted, and from there to Sureanu ski area is covered in snow during the skiing season. We do not recommend setting off to go skiing without proper chains and winter tyres for your car. From Sugag to Oasa Lake you will ascend along Sebes River.
You will either have to bring your own car or come by bus in Sugag and from there you ought to hitchhike. We do not recommend the latter (especially if you have your ski equipment), because the distance is quite long and the road is not heavily circulated. For a better orientation, you can download the GPS tracker that will lead you from Sugag to the ski area.
Accommodation: because the ski area is relatively new, the infrastructure for accommodation is still in development. Near the ski area there are two areas where guesthouses were built: Poiana Luncile Pirgoanei and Poiana Raiului. Here you can find rooms with amenities that are worth between two and four stars.
A room with medium comfort for two persons costs around 120 RON/night. But you will have to make a reservation beforehand at most lodges, because the accommodation is limited at the moment.
Accommodation and Reservation near Sureanu
If you are mountaineer, you can spend the night in a tent near the slopes. You do not have to pay anything. Another advantage is that you will no longer have to walk such lengths in the morning and at night to/from the guesthouse. You will also avoid the jam made by the cars that block the road between the slopes and the guesthouses. In this case, you must have equipment for wintertime conditions. The temperature can easily drop to -15°C.
The parking lot of the ski area is right near the chair lift/ ski lift. The capacity is quite great, so that you should not worry about it.
Amenities and facilities of Poarta Raiului Ski Area in Sureanu Mountains – the slopes are equipped with a chair lift starting from the base of the ski area (1650 m high) ascending to 2010 m, under Patru Peak. From the upper part of the chair lift there are two options: red difficulty ski slope and black difficulty ski slope.
Also from 1650 m the ski lift ascends to 1809 m. From the arrival station you can go down two options, the former is a red ski slope and the latter is a blue slope.
From the top versant, from 1702 m you ascend with a second chair lift on the aforementioned ski slope options of Sureanu Peak. The chair lift reaches 1922 m, and you can descend on two ski slopes: a red difficulty ski slope and a blue difficulty ski slope. The different options offer diversity, so that you do not get bored easily while skiing.
Ski breaks can be done at one of the three restaurants/bars found near the ski slopes. The prices are highly acceptable. On sunny days you can take advantage of the beauty of the scenery seen from a terrace.
The cost of the tickets: the administration of this ski area offers a wide range of cards/ski passes which are advantageous in terms of money. Compared to the resorts found in Prahova Valley, this ski area undoubtedly offers great prices and virtually the same conditions.
You can purchase cards in points as currency available the entire season. A chair lift is 2 points and a ski lift is one point.
The cards can have:
3 points – 15 lei (adults) or 10 lei (children)
6 points – 25 lei (adults) or 20 lei (children)
12 points – 45 RON (adults) or 40 RON (children)
20 points – 60 RON (adults) or 55 RON (children)
The cards can be purchased for a specific period of time – you can use them on any facility throughout the set period.
– a card with a set period for one day costs 85 lei for adults, 80 lei for children
– a card for one hour costs 25 lei for adults, 20 lei for children
– a card for two hours – 45 lei for adults and 40 lei for children
– a card for four fours – 65 lei for adults and 60 lei for children
Slope opening hours: the ski slopes are opened for tourists Tuesdays to Sundays, from 9.00 a.m. until 5 p.m. Mondays the ski slopes are closed for maintenance.
Renting equipment: if you do not have your personal equipment you can rent ski boots, ski poles, skis and sun glasses. The cost of full equipment is approximately 40-50 RON.
We recommend that if you have the possibility to bring your own equipment do bring it, because you can lose too much time renting it especially if the place is crowded.
Advice regarding the gear: we advice bringing your own ski helmet (you cannot rent it) and gloves. It would be great to have sun screen – it is important because at this altitude the sun is so strong that it could burn your skin. Sun glasses are extremely important because without those your eyes could get burnt, thus giving you headaches. They are useful in bad weather as well, because you cannot ski without proper visibility.
Ski or snowboarding instructor: if you want to improve your skiing and snowboarding skills you can take up lessons from authorised instructors for 50 RON/hour.
For those of you who are interested in an advanced level of skiing or snowboarding, it is good to take into consideration the possibility of exploring the different trials and slopes around the ski area. The good part is that if you descend the same versants on the ski slopes you can easily get to the chair lift/ski lift.
Advice on the slope: do not forget to drink liquids, it is highly important to hydrate yourselves. Otherwise if you are not used to physical effort, you can experience muscle soreness or worse, muscle cramps. Eat solid food and sweets in your ski breaks to maintain your performance level.
Unfortunately, there is no phone service in the area, so communication on the ski slopes with your friends might be difficult. If you have walkie-talkies, do not hesitate to take them with you.
If you see an accident on the ski slope, as you descend let the Rescue Team know about the situation (because there is no service, you cannot call the emergency number 112).
We highly recommend this ski area which offers excellent ski conditions, accessible prices and high standards. The scenery is incredibly beautiful.
Here you have a video with Sureanu Ski Resort. Enjoy!
Pentru versiunea in limba romana
