Some current data and observations regarding the ski slopes in Suceava County, Romania

Abstract

Current climate change poses numerous challenges for humanity. People's leisure activities are affected by climate warming, here including winter sports, in general, and skiing, in particular. In this study, we inventoried the ski slopes in Suceava county and selected the most important ones for an analysis of their length, facilities and potential. The 18 ski slopes on which we focus are located in 7 administrative-territorial units, of which 4 are resorts of national interest - Vatra Dornei, Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Gura Humorului and Suceviţa - and 2 are resorts of local interest - Mălini and Pojorâta. Most of the selected ski slopes are of medium difficulty level (72.2%), those with easy difficulty are 16.7%, while those with high difficulty represent 11.1%. Due to favorable climatic conditions and history, Vatra Dornei is the administrative unit with most ski slopes and most kilometers of ski slopes in Suceava county, followed by Câmpulung Moldovenesc. A long-term strategy should be established for building a sustainable ski slope in the mountain area and geographers are specialists who can cover important chapters in a pre-feasibility or feasibility study.

Keywords

• ski lift
• artificial snow
• floodlight
• average and maximum slopes