 Hello fellow climbers from everywhere!
If
you don’t have anything planned for this spring than you might
consider to join us at the 5th edition of “Herculane Climbing
Open”. This event is more than a regular contest, it is more like a
meeting with a lot of climbing involved.
Where is Herculane?
Herculane
is situated in the Cerna Valley in the South-West of Romania, near the
Danube and the Yugoslavian border, and is an old Roman Spa with hot
springs. The whole Cerna Valley is filled with limestone and offers a
huge playground for climbers. There is lots of room for new routes,
since only 15 % of the whole Valley is bolted untill now. There is a
train-station in Herculane , and all trains stop in Herculane, even
international ones. It is 170 km away from Timisoara , where you have
an international airport. For further information , if you want to make
the tripp sent us an e-mail or give us a call.
Why should I come there?
Well,
the whole Cerna Valley is a very beautyfull place with forests, pine
trees, two lakes and lots of rocks to climb on. Another good reason are
the Romanian climbers who gather here every spring to climb and party.
If that isn’t enough for you than you can not turn down the hot
springs.And did I tell you about the beautyfull girls in Romania ?
 What’s with this contest?
Herculane
Climbing Open started in 2002. The first edition was an onsight contest
an it was our first :o) but it turned out pretty good as a matter a
fact. For the 2003 edition we put up a new set of rules. The contest
kept its rules ever since and now the contest is an “after
work” competition. Down to the core, we bolt a number of new
routes and you guys get 2 days to redpoint them.The range of
difficulties will allow all climbers to join the competition. The
number of tries will not be accounted. Each route has a number of
points that will be divided to the number of climbers that redpoint
that route. The one with the highest number of points after 2 days will
be the winner and will get the bigger prizes. Begining with 2006 there
will be three categories, two male (rookie and open) and one female,
age doesn’t count. We will put quickdraws on the routes ,
everything else, rope,harness,shoes,chalk , belayer ;o) and whatever
you might need is your responsibility.There is no isolation so you will
not get bored.
With every year the interest for this competition
grew, and so the last edition of the contest gathered 87 climbers
competeing, and even more watching the event and supporting the
competitors.Last year we also turned international with 17 climbers
from Bulgaria, Serbia and France .The audience was from all over the
country.
 When is the event ?
As
usual the competition is held in the Herculane Spa area starting from
April 29th until the 1st of May 2005. Since the 1st of May is free in
Romania (Labour day) we will have prolongued week-end to climb and
party!
What if I don’t want to compete?
There
are enough routes in the area to keep you busy for the whole week. So
don’t worry, just come!There are also caving opportunities in the
area , and you can also go trekking on various paths in the Cerna
Mountains!
What is Romania like?
Well,
people are friendly, and there are generally no social issues or
dangers.You might look out for pickpockets if you come by train but
usually you don’t have any problem. The prices here are much
lower than in other european countries, just to have a clue , you can
buy a Beck’s beer in a pub at a price of 0.7-1 Euro. I always
look at beer prices in foreign countries to get the general picture :o)
 Accomodation …
There
are two camping sites in the area.One of them will be our headquarter
and like in previous years most of the climbers will gather there (the
camping will be open only to climbers).There is also another one, 4 km
up the valley , near a small WaterPark. Prices are lower than 5 euro/
tent. There are also Pensions in HErculane and a lot of Hotels with
various prices from 10 to 35 euro/night. You can also camp in other
places, free of charge , but not quite everywhere. We will direct you
to the best spots in the area . For more information on the Herculane
area visit www.roclimbing.net.(There is also a topo for some of the
climbing areas on this site)
What is essential?
Everybody HAS TO be in a good mood and have fun climbing with the others.
What was it like?
Photos from the past editions can be seen on our site under [ACTIVITIES]->[HCO]->[the year you want to see]
About us …
We
are the Alternative Climbing Club from the city of Timisoara and we
represent one of the main organizations that develop the Herculane
area. For this event we have the support of the Climbers in Atlanta,
Nevada(now) and Canada, who have helped us with this event from its 1st
edition untill now, and hopefully will continue to do so also in the
future. Thanks guys!
We are waiting for your participation, and as in the last years we will arrange for good weather ;o). See you all in Herculane.
For
the latest news about the event we will put up the news page as soon as
possible to keep you informed how preparations ar going on! So keep
coming back …
Andrei Simu
Siehe auch:
www.alternativetm.ro
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