Two new valleys dropping from the steep slopes of Baba Mare towards Valea Sugarilor, unfamiliar couloirs, winter snow, and a few hours when the plateau seemed to forget it was May.
From the cable car climbing towards the plateau, I could see that a little snow had fallen overnight, but it didn't look like anything significant.
It wasn't until I stepped out of the station that everything changed. Cold air, winter light, and that kind of silence you only get on mornings after fresh snowfall.
The first track headed towards the Sphinx.
I had two new valleys in mind, dropping from the steep slopes of Baba Mare towards Valea Sugarilor. I'd looked down at them many times before, without knowing exactly where they narrowed, how much room there was between the rocks, or whether the line continued all the way down. That was exactly what made them so hard to ignore.
The first track after fresh snow.
You don't look for it. You recognize it.
The first valley began steeply, through a narrow couloir with a few small drops and snow that was better than we could have expected in early May — firm and fast.
The second started near Baba Mare, dropping straight from the plateau between rocks and wind-loaded snow. Lower down, the valley narrowed between dwarf pines, and after a longer slowdown, a small avalanche caught up with me from behind. A Toma hack. I saw what was happening and kept going.
Other than that, everything flowed naturally.
A few more unhurried runs, with snow still connecting the steep terrain and couloirs that seemed to belong to another season.
After exploring the new valleys, I continued through familiar terrain — wider couloirs, more speed, and continuous flow between the dwarf pines. The snow no longer connected all the way down towards the cable car, so the final part of the route continued on foot, through crocuses and the last patches of winter scattered between the rocks.
By the time I reached Cimitirul Elefanților, the grass had already started to show. This is when the mountain changes in the most beautiful way. The kickers begin to appear, there's speed to be found on the last strips of snow, and the days grow long enough that there's no reason to hurry back down.