It’s true that the winter of 2016 was not the best in terms of ski conditions here in Vatra Dornei, but we still managed to have a few weeks when the snow, the weather, our ski slopes and tourists were in a perfect symbiosis in our little town in Northern Romania.

Actually, to be more precise, the cold weather in Vatra Dornei was not missed, but rather we missed the snow that usually comes with the cold. This is the reason why the traditional festival called Serbările Zăpezii (translated as: The Celebrations of Snow) got canceled this year. The reason? There was no snow to be celebrated in mid-February. Hopefully the things will go better next year.

Until then, though, let me tell you why you should consider visiting Vatra Dornei during winter time: because we do have great ski slopes! In fact, we have four of them, which I believe will suffice you no matter the skills you possess.

Ski slopes in Vatra Dornei

All ski slopes in our town are in close proximity to the tourist resort, so you will not have to cover a lot of ground until you reach any of them.

Ski Slope Park 1

This particular ski slope remains close to my heart for one simple reason: I learnt how to ski on it. It was not easy, I’ll tell you that, but it was a great experience and I will never forget it.

This ski slope is also the closer one from the resort (probably 500 meters or so). You just have to go through the Squirrels Park and you’ll reach it soon enough.

It’s about 900 meters in length and it’s equipped with a ski lift, a baby-lift, lights for visibility at night and snow guns (great for the times Vatra Dornei lacks snow but not cold).

You can access the transportation facilities by buying a pass. They have many offers down there, so you can buy one for just one lift or one for several days. Depends on you. The only thing I want to stress out about this is the fact that you need to be very careful on the ski lift in order to take your money’s worth, because if you fall down during the trip up you might have to continue on foot the rest of the way.

I know this because it happened a lot to someone I know. All right, it was me, now stop bugging me about it! 🙂

Right near this ski slope you’ll also find other facilities such as restaurants where you can get something to eat or drink (I recommend the mulled wine, by the way) or cottages for renting skies, snowboards and other winter sports equipment. A lot of hotels are nearby, as I already mentioned that the tourist resort is very close.

Also, from time to time, you might find here concerts or other types of events that’ll keep you entertained.

Ski Slope Park 2

Because 1 is often followed by 2, this ski slope is continuing from the end of the above one. Its difficulty level is easy and I know it very well because I used it a lot when I was learning this sport. It’s wide and presents a slight slope, perfect for beginners.

Add to that the awesome view you get over the town and over the nearby mountains from that altitude and it might just become your favorite, too.

It has a disadvantage, tough: its length of only 550 meters. But if you are not satisfied with the experience, you can continue the descent onto Ski Slope Park 1, which is another 900 meters long. If you do this, the ski lift at the bottom will take you back on top in no time (just don’t fall, ok?).

Squirrel Ski Slope

Yes, we have a Squirrel Park and a Squirrel Ski Slope. Why? Because the park is full of squirrels and the ski slope is near the park. Yes, we’re very clever people.

This particular ski track is 780 meters long and it’s parallel with the previous two ones. At its top, however, it connects with the Park 2 Ski Slope.

This is actually the youngest ski track from Vatra Dornei, getting opened just a few years back. It has a medium difficulty level, nocturnal lights, a modern ski lift with a capacity of 900 persons per hour and snow guns.

It quickly became the favorite one for both tourists and locals due to modern facilities, so it would be a pity on your part not to try it.

Black Hill Ski Slope

If you ask me, this is the most beautiful ski track in Vatra Dornei. I remember trying the snowboard on it for the first time a couple years ago, after I already learned how to ski properly. It was a bad decision, as I was going to find out. Long story short, I got tired of hitting the ground every 10 meters and so decided to seat on my bottoms and continue the descent.

I didn’t give up, though. Well, I mean, I didn’t give up on that particular ski slope, because I’d given up on snowboarding since then and continued with skies.

The best part of the Black Hill ski slope is its 120-seated chairlift. You will ride it for about 25 minutes until you reach the top of the mountain, which is a total of 3 kilometers, so you better dress properly.

But the view is worth it, I’ll tell you that. You’re in for some great photos from up there, because you will reach an altitude of 1300 meters.

What are you waiting for?

As you can see, the only thing preventing you from having a wonderful winter vacation here in Vatra Dornei is the lack of snow. It is indeed a problem for tourists and for businesses in the area, but we truly hope that the snow won’t forget us next season.

Until then, come to Dorna! We got a lot of other fun things to do in the rest of the year! What do you mean like what? Like horsemanship, awesome events and many more.

Pictures in this article belong to Ciprian Pardău. You can find him on pardau.ro, on Iubesc Vatra Dornei Facebook page or right here on Hai la Dorna.