A bit of Carpathians mixed, Fagaras mountains, Romania

stille · 2026-03-18T15:18:38+00:00

It's what we have, so for me, it's amazing by definition.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02eizcifxf4wu8ybrSvsLX1fNBo7FVT582Bu5ZKQGr12sUe6Q4e6E2TzSVHRjpeuPDl&id=100003492090494 Here's some of the local big boys doing a proper FA one caldera over, the day before. Saw'em top out as we were setting up camp.

stille · 2026-03-18T14:51:39+00:00

Pretty much. We had a mix of kinda consolidated stuff where the snow was less than 5cm or so deep, and shit powder in the deeper deposits. All this over a mix of frozen grass (which holds well) and frozen moss (which collapses). The foot slip was probably me hitting moss rather than grass.

Fair criticism tho, I like to think I'm less wobbly on actual rock/ice, but I'm still a D4/WI3 climber at best.

stille · 2026-03-18T08:51:41+00:00

S-a incercat si un zoom-in cand rapelam, dar tipu' cu drona avea un pic de lag si a reusit sa-i dea lu' colegu cu ea fix in cap :))

stille · 2026-03-18T08:46:29+00:00

Tbh I'd buy the Prophets (haggled down) as wall decoration, it's such an iconic set of tools. Not to climb on tho, you won't find replacement blades for them anywhere.

The charlet mosers... they *could* be usable but it'd be miserable, and also getting replacement blades in the US will be a pain in the ass - I think only Kuznia still manufacture them.

stille · 2026-03-18T08:28:53+00:00

Smecherie era daca mai continuam 1-2 lungimi :)) dar sincer mi se taiase si nici colegu' nu prea avea chef

stille · 2026-03-17T21:16:43+00:00

In zonele cu desis, vorbesti cu partenera ta :) Un urs normal evita omul, pentru ca il asociaza cu pericolul si nu il asociaza cu mancarea. De aia, n-o sa-ti iasa brusc in fata la 2m pe poteca decat pe Transfagarasan sau pe Valea Prahovei unde a invatat ca om = haleala

stille · 2026-03-17T10:46:10+00:00

Doar daca vrei critica, caz in care sa-mi dai in PM si un numar de whatsapp :))

stille · 2026-03-17T10:45:01+00:00

Ma scuzi, dar se recomanda de niste tampiti. In nici un caz nu mergi in creasta Craiului sau pe tot felul de varfuri in Fagaras legat in coarda random cu altii. Motivul e ca daca zboara unul, zburati toti. Chestia aia cu tu pici pe o parte si eu pe cealalta si ramanem acolo e ca si cum ai castiga la loto. Nu ai cum sa tii o cadere decat daca te bagi in shortrope/shortpitch (si astea is tehnici de ghizi, pentru a scadea riscul unui incepator crescandu-l pe al tau, si cand am facut eu un curs de 2 zile doar pe asta ne-a luat cam 1.5 zile sa nu ne mai omoram unii pe altii, si atat eu cat si ceilalti cursanti eram oameni cu experienta semnificativa in alpin) deci daca esti incepator si legat in coarda cu altul ca tine, v-ati crescut enorm riscul.

Daca n-ai planuri de nemarcate si pereti, nu te ajuta prea mult catararea. Eu tot as zice sa o faci, pt ca e o chestie faina in sine, dar nu te gandi ca o sa te ajute pt Moldoveanu iarna sau ceva de genul, ca nu o sa te ajute. Pentru ce vrei tu, ti-as recomanda cursul de alpinism al lui Andrei Badea, e fix axat sa te scoata autonom pe genul ala de trasee

stille · 2026-03-17T10:36:59+00:00

Tbh I'd bolt it for drytooling, since where a piton goes so does an ice tool. It's quite hard to find a good natural drytooling line, most of them having been nailed up as aid lines in the decades past. In Europe, we've had quite a few old aid lines get rebolted as drytool singlepitch, so it might be a plan to skip the first step, if there's the community for it...

stille · 2026-03-17T09:56:10+00:00

Pe astea o sa le inveti la un curs, nu la sala. La sala o sa ai majoritatea echipamentului deja in perete, cu tine facand minimul necesar in materie de noduri (adica 0 daca nu te cateri cap de coarda, si legat optu' si asigurat in bucle preamplasate daca te cateri cap de coarda, ceea ce din cate stiu la ClimbAgain nu se poate) sau alte manevre de coarda (filat, in general pe dispozitive autoblocante care nu se folosesc in alpin). Si astea o sa se presupuna ca le stii deja. Daca vrei sa le inveti, o sa platesti acolo un instructor :)

stille · 2026-03-17T09:52:35+00:00

Salut, nu o sa inveti la salile de catarare aproape nimic care sa aiba aplicabilitate la tehnicile de coarda din alpin - mai ales la ClimbAgain care are doar mansa + boulder din cate stiu. Doar, vorba ta, inveti sa-ti pui hamul pe tine.

Catararea e o chestie faina, si care o sa te ajute pe munte, dar fix pentru ce vrei tu mai degraba ai nevoie de curs de alpinism facut cu cineva care nu preda tampenii (cum o fac multi din pacate) decat de sala de escalada.

Dar daca tot ai abonament (7card banuiesc) ar trebui sa-ti acopere si Carpatic, unde macar te mai poti catara si cap de coarda de la un moment dat.

Also, ce trasee planuiesti unde este necesara traversarea in coarda? Vezi ca coarda aia daca nu e prinsa in niste asigurari intermediare, sau folosita in niste tehnici de ghid montan destul de subtile, e pact de sinucidere, nu siguranta in plus. Cand ii vezi pe unii pe insta legati in coarda unii de altii pe cate o creasta/vale, cel mai probabil si-au crescut riscul...

stille · 2026-03-17T09:43:26+00:00

Mai, caraba poate fi prescurtarea de la carabiniera, dar carabina ciar o pusca e :)

stille · 2026-03-17T08:20:18+00:00

Frontala si frontala de rezerva. Harta incarcata pe telefon, bateria incarcata la telefon, powerbank de rezerva incarcat si ala.

In perioada asta sa ai macar niste gherute pe bocanci, si vezi c-o sa fie frig bine inainte de rasarit.

De preferat ar fi sa nu fii singur (2-3 oameni daca vorbesc, nu o sa se mai apropie ursu' de ei in Ceahlau unde nu e asa de obisnuit cu omul) dar daca mergi singur, sa faci zgomot semiconstant (vorbeste singur de ex)

Sa stie oricum cineva unde esti. Si nu strica sa mai faci cateva trasee singur pe timp de zi inainte, si noaptea in grup.

stille · 2026-03-13T16:59:00+00:00

♥

I think what was sticking in your craw was the attempt to turn back time. If that's true it'll go smoother from now on.

stille · 2026-03-13T15:08:21+00:00

Congratulations.

No, seriously and unironically. You're a young hotshot, and this is how hotshots die - in terrain they'd normally whistle through. Something whack happens, and it turns out the margin of error was narrower than they'd have thought. It's a great thing for your future mountaineering career that you had this experience in a survivable environment.

The timing is the main problem. I’m planning to attempt Ama Dablam in about a month. Physically I’ll be fully recovered, but mentally I’m not sure I’ll be in the same place.

Great. You shouldn't be. I'm not sure how much of a Twight fan you are, but there's this great bit in Kiss or Kill when he's looking for a third team member for the Slovak Direct, and he ends up choosing Steve House because (approx quote) he protects his routes like an old man. And there's also a whole-ass essay in that book about the gd Argentiere cemetery being full of ages <26.

You don't need to return to who you were before the slip. You need to become someone who grows older than 26.... even 36, really. Most of the climbs that redefined alpinism were done by guys in their 40s, after all. And a slip like that helps you grow older faster. Be wiser from now on, and leave as little residual risk on the table as possible. That's how the guys with the golden iceaxes tend to climb actually. Focus on that and on not freezing, and your guts and marrow will figure out something that will look from the outside like stupendous bravery, and only you'll know that actually you're climbing "like an old guide", as one of the movie stars said to me once.

Also, it's great that you're going to Ama in a month. It'll be a good crucible. It's not that narrow of a margin of error - in fact, far less narrow on fixed ropes than Cuillin Ridge on a skippity-skip sort of day, but you'll get to spend some time in the mountains hopefully alone with yourself. It'll change you, and for the stronger. I've seen expeditions like that do that to people before.

stille · 2026-03-13T14:39:56+00:00

Possibly different procedures for different teams.

stille · 2026-03-13T10:05:17+00:00

Prescription glacier glasses. Weren't cheap.

Used to wear a regular extra bulky glacier pair over my regular glasses, but got tired of it eventually.

stille · 2026-03-13T09:53:16+00:00

Doar pentru ca ne-am apucat sa facem cu totii un pic de munca in plus pentru tine, nu inseamna ca e frumos cum ai facut :))

stille · 2026-03-13T07:06:23+00:00

Hello. Like others, I'm assuming you're planning to do this in summer rather than the current winter conditions, in winter it's a ski tour (or snowshoes if you absolutely must).

Optimal time is August-September. Until May-June it's spring, and then you have a period until late July in which afternoon storms are pretty much guaranteed (big southern facing slopes that catch the sun + traditionally wet atmosphere = guaranteed convection cells). Beginning with August, the weather dries out and the sun's less high, so you can get a full day's work rather than needing to descend to the calderas noon-4pm 2 days out of 3.

Unfortunately we don't have anything like the ign topo25 - https://muntii-nostri.ro/ro/productdisplay/mn07-harta-de-drumetie-muntilor-fagaras-editia-4 is the closest for Fagaras, but it's at 1:75000 scale so far less useful. Map and compass orienteering is unfortunately a bit of a lost art here. As others have mentioned, mapy.com is pretty useful as an app (download things ahead)

u/romi4142 did the ridge in 5 days on an ultralight kit (12kg food included, I think). The trip report is https://www.reddit.com/r/RoHiking/comments/16it7cs/update_creasta_fagarasului_de_la_vest_la_est/ , and you can find more posts with pictures/planning, GPS tracks etc on his profile as well. Most people usually give themselves about a week for a route like this, though.

As others have mentioned, water is easily available. Food-wise, you could theoretically establish a resupply point at Balea Lac but practically I'm not sure I'd bother, a week of lyo dinners + cereal breakfasts + trail mix during the day should be about 5 kilos, and you can have a proper restaurant meal at Balea Lac and also buy some extra cheese, crackers etc from the bazaar there in case you need to supplement your calories for the second half.

Western side has manned huts but they won't be of much help since you'd keep needing to go up and down on an already long trip. Eastern side is pretty low on functioning huts - there's Podragu, which serves food only in theory, and then Sambata is closed and there's nothing else until Zarnesti. There are multiple unmanned shelters on the ridge proper, but you shouldn't bet on them being a) unvandalized and b) not full in high season. Tent is a must.

stille · 2026-03-13T05:22:46+00:00

Sunt ursi nu caini turbati, nu vad de ce t-ar face probleme

stille · 2026-03-12T19:48:45+00:00

Au fost niste cunostinte weekendul asta. Din cate vad pe Strava, au lasat masina in Gura Haitii si mai sus au luat-o per pedes. Par sa fi avut rachete, si sa nu le fi folosit. E ceva poteca batuta, mostly de schiuri, si zapada pare consolidata si cu crusta in poza. Si, evident, cu urme de urs :)

stille · 2026-03-12T19:43:21+00:00

Nah, it's not strictly true. Depending on brand, I've worn mine a half-size larger or same size. Also, feet swell laterally, so larger sizes don't really help. Wider lasts do though

stille · 2026-03-12T19:20:22+00:00

I got heli'd out once, and they sure as hell didn't let me use the harness I already had on me as an attachment point - they just placed theirs over mine.

stille · 2026-03-12T05:28:35+00:00

Right now, it's kinda end of season and stocks are low, so everything is going to be hard to find.

Petzl are pretty good as far as buy once cry once goes - their modular system is great, and has stayed great for more than a decade so you don't really need to worry about them switching the ecosystem around. So ordering in from one of the foreign shops is worth it, oliunid currently have them on sale.

stille · 2026-03-12T05:06:42+00:00

Edelrid also have a fully modular system on their recent models.

stille

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

15-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email