Dear friends,
With great regret and sadness in our hearts, we must inform you that due to external circumstances beyond our control, we are forced to partially suspend the activities related to the ski lift and mountain bike trails in Muntele Mic resort.
Specifically, the competent state authorities have deemed that the works carried out for the temporary mountain bike trails do not comply with the current environmental regulations, even though other competent authorities have issued documents supporting the fact that such trails following the natural course of the road do not impact the environment. Therefore, it has been deemed necessary to suspend the mountain bike trail activity until the required documentation is completed.
Despite all the efforts we have made in recent years, it seems that we have not yet convinced the local authorities of the potential that summer activities in Muntele Mic resort could bring for the residents of Caraș-Severin county as tourists, for the local youth to develop physical abilities, and for those who could benefit from the available jobs in the resort during the summer. It is also important to mention that the local authorities would have been among the first beneficiaries of a lively mountain resort during the summer season, but that is another story…
Not to mention that on Saturday, we had another inspection by the authorities responsible for the Protected Areas… It is abnormal for cyclists who come to enjoy nature to witness our problems with the authorities, just as it is abnormal for a correction made to the trail three years ago, with the agreement and support of the local Mayor, to be reported by the same Mayor.
This trail and activity have been a source of income during the summer, especially for the 7 employees from Turnu Ruieni commune and indirectly for the local budget through the collected salary taxes. The energy bill of 20,000 RON in the last month, together with the associated labor costs, easily exceeded the revenue obtained, which is why suspending the Vâlsanu ski lift activity does not affect our business’s well-being, but in reality, it affects the well-being of the locality, and even the entire county since Caraș-Severin is still the last in terms of tourism. As for the Municipality, it certainly does not depend on the taxes collected from us, and the commune employees will probably find new jobs at the Municipality or why not, even at the local scandal tabloid.
Moving past the humor (dark), we confess that for us, this decision was not an easy one, considering the effort we have put in so far and the desire we had to develop summer tourism in the mountains. However, because all our efforts are based on good intentions, we have decided to partially suspend the activity until things become clear.
This does not mean that those who have pushed us to make this decision have won. It simply means that we are taking a break to gather our strength and win the battle. We thank them for existing because of their efforts; we become better, more patient, more perseverant, and stronger.
We would like to thank everyone who has been with us on this journey, all those who have been part of and contributed to our work, and all those who continue to support us in the fight to develop mountain tourism in Romania.
We appreciate every employee who has been with us all these years and whom, due to circumstances, we have had to part with for now. We apologize to them and their families that this time we lost this fight. But not the war. See you in winter.
SkyLounge Terrace and Snowlicious will remain open for those who come to the mountains and want to enjoy nature and clean air, as well as eBike tours for those in need of more adrenaline. We look forward to seeing you!
With hope and a desire for change,
weRIDE & weSKI Team – Muntele Mic
