Overview
Vârful Judele (meaning "Judge Peak") might not be among the most visited summits in Retezat Mountains, but certainly is among the wildest. It has 2398 m altitude and offers one of the most amazing views over Central Retezat with all its peaks and lakes.
View towards Turnul Portii and Judele (in background).
Judele in autumn.
It is accessible to tourists from Şaua Judele (Judele col, 2370 m) and is delimiting towards NW / N the mysterious Gemenele Scientific Reserve. The access in this area is only allowed with special authorizations. It's said they make studies to observe plants evolution without any human interaction. Personally, I think they've found an extraterrestrial spaceship there (joking).
It’s impossible to talk about Judele Peak without mentioning its smaller brother: Turnul Porţii (meaning "Gate Tower"). Spectacular granite tower, having 2287 m altitude, with an airy summit ridge and vertical walls up to 170 m. A col separates it from Judele.
Judele has three main ridges which connects him to the rest of the peaks in the area. Towards W - Bârlea Peak (2348 m), Sesele Mari (2324) and Sesele Mici (2278 m). Towards SE - Şaua Judele, Slăveiu Peak (2347 m) then continues with Culmea Slăveiului. And towards NE – Turnul Porţii, Poarta Bucurei (2280 m), Bucura I (2433 m). The latter is the only part of Retezat's northern main ridge which is not passable without climbing gear. No further arguments are needed to say that this is the roughest corner of Retezat.
Being located somehow in the middle, almost all of the the highest peaks and about a dozen beautiful alpine lakes of Retezat Mountains are visible from this spot. The best view opens towards the East: in the Bucura cirque alone you can spot as many as 6 (+2 smaller) tarns, with Vf. Peleaga, Vf. Mare and Vf. Custura in the background. In the Northerly direction you will look down to Ştirbu Lake and see Vf. Bucura and Vf. Retezat, as well as Turnu Porţii and Poarta Bucurei. In the South, the Slăveiu ridge dominates the horizon, in the East and Southeast the lowering ridges provide views to the more distant neighbouring ranges Ţarcu and Godeanu, respectively.
Spledid panorama of Central Retezat from Judele summit.
Click for details.
Getting There
The most convenient access point is Bucura Lake. From here follow the market tourist trail to Saua Judele, then Judele Peak.There are other variants also:
● from Gentiana / Pietrele Valley (longer)
● from Gura Zlata or Gura Apei Lake (much longer, 8-9 hours of hiking required)
The shortest access path to Bucura Lake is from Poiana Pelegii. For more details about access and accommodation please visit parent page dedicated chapter or the official site of Retezat National Park.
Red Tape
Judele Peak is sitting right on the border of Gemenele Scientific Reserve. The reserve is delimited to east and south by the main ridge Retezat Peak – Bucura I - Poarta Bucurei - Judele – Sesele Mari – Radesu Mare. It’s marked by red square with white outline. Access to this area is only permitted with authorization from Romanian Scientific Academy.Camping is not permitted outside of designated places.
Wood-fire, swimming in glacial lakes and disturbance of local flora and fauna are prohibited. Washing with soap or detergents in alpine waters is not encouraged. All the wastes, including the biodegradable ones, should be taken outside of the park.
For other useful information please check the dedicated section from parent page Retezat Mountains and the rules of Retezat National Park here.
 Scientific Reserve territory. |
 Gemenele Reserve border. |
 Stirbu Lake. |
Camping
Judele lies far from all huts operating in Retezat. However, it is well accessible from two nearby official campsites. Bucura Lake (2040 m) is closer (approach to climbing walls takes less than one hour), but Zănoaga Lake (2000 m) is not far, either. At both places, there are water sources and basic shelters (used by the Salvamont mountain rescue team in the summer season, thus not available for others during this time, only in emergency). Poiana Pelegii campsite (1630 m) is also a suitable starting point, although you will have to cover more elevation from there (first you will have to ascend to Bucura Lake).More information about these campsites can be found on the dedicated section of the parent page Retezat Mountains.
 Salvamont refuge at Bucura Lake. |
 Unfavourable weather at Bucura Lake campsite. |
 at Zănoaga Lake. |
Hiking
from Tăul Porţii
from Viorica lake
Agățat lake and Poarta Bucurei ridge
Slăveiului ridge
First of all, let's mention that no marked trail leads to the summit of Judele (so, if you take the NP rules very strictly, it is not allowed to climb it). However, one of the marked trails crosses the Judele saddle, which is so near to the peak that temptation is hard to resist if you are not afraid of a little scrambling. The saddle can be approached in four possible ways:
1) Bucura Lake – Tăul Porţii - Agățat Lake – Şaua Judele
Difficulty: difficult
Time: 1.5 - 2 h
Level rising: + 400 m
Marking: blue stripe -> yellow stripe -> red dot
2) Bucura Lake – Ana Lake - Viorica Lake - Florica Lake - Agătat Lake – Şaua Judele
Difficulty: difficult
Time: 1 - 1.5 h
Level rising: + 380 m
Marking: red dot
Routes #1 and #2 merge by the well-hidden Agățat (Hanging) Lake, situated just below Turnul Porţii. From here a steep ascent follows up to Judele saddle - this part of the route is usually covered with snow until summer, and can be dangerous to tackle unprepared in such conditions.
3) Zănoaga Lake - Şaua Judele
Difficulty: moderate
Time: 1 - 1.5 h
Level rising: + 370 m
Marking: red dot
4) Bucura Lake – Tăul Agăţat - Şaua Judele – Vârful Slăvei – Şaua Slăvei – Ana Lake - Bucura Lake
Difficulty: difficult
Time: 4 - 5 h
Distance: approx 5.5 km
Level rising: + 550 m/ - 550 m
Marking: red dot, stone marking, yellow dot
Route #4 follows Slăveiului Ridge (from Şaua Judele to Vârful Slăvei) which is wild and marked only with stones, so the hiker must be prepared for some route finding. But this probably makes it even more interesting. Recommended circuit, together with the small deviation to Judele Peak.
Once you have reached the Judele saddle, take the obvious ridge (unmarked) towards the peak. The first section is wide and comfortable. When you reach the base of the summit, it gets more exposed (see the photo on the left). The safest route is a path on the western side of the ridge (the photo on the left shows the exposed eastern face), which is occasionally marked with stone piles. Soon you will reach the summit of Judele, marked with a wooden pole.
For more trails and information please check Retezat Mountains tourist map.
Climbing
Overview
Yes, Judele and Turnul Portii are one of the places in Retezat Mountains suitable for alpine climbing and mountaineering. This spot is mentioned even in old Romanian climbing books, the routes here being established quite some time ago. A big advantage is the proximity to Bucura Lake camping and the easy access to the walls. The climbing routes are located in two distinct zones: Turnul Portii and the E and SE face of Judele. NOTE: Some of the routes are inside Gemenele Scientific Reserve. A permit might be necessary to climb them. If there are any doubts regarding this, please contact Retezat National Park. The first routes were established in Judele Peak in 1961 by Emilian Cristea, the pioneer of Romanian climbing and mountaineering. Routes in Turnul Portii:| ID | Name | Pitches | FRTA* Grade |
UIAA Grade |
First Ascent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. | NE face of Turnul Portii | 4 | 2A | V- | A. Irimia, E. Cristea (20.09.1961) |
| B. | Route from Canionul Judele/Turnul Portii | ? | 2A | ? | A. Irimia, E. Cristea |
| C. | Turnul Portii W ridge | ? | 3A | ? | A. Irimia, E. Cristea |
| D. | Custura NV a Turnului Portii (entry from L. Stirbului) |
? | 2A | ? | E. Cristea, A. Irimia |
| E. | Taul Agatat | 5 | 2B | ? | A. Irimia, E. Cristea (20.09.1961) |
| F. | Turnul Portii NE ridge integral | 9 | 2B | V- | ? |
Routes in Judele:
| ID | Name | Pitches | FRTA* Grade |
UIAA Grade |
First Ascent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G. | Traseul no. 1 from Creasta Gemenele | ? | 4B | ? | E. Cristea |
| H. | Traseul no. 2 from Creasta Gemenele | ? | 4B | ? | I. Karacziony, E. Cristea |
| I. | Creasta Gemenele | ? | 3B | ? | I. Karacziony, A. Irimia, E. Cristea |
| J. | Piciorul Judelui Mare | ? | 4A | ? | T. Cristina, E. Cristea |
| K. | Roland Gellner | 4 | 3B | ? | A. Irimia, E. Cristea (24.11.1961) |
| L. | Custura Judelui | ? | 2A | ? | A. Irimia, E. Cristea |
| M. | Custura cu Campanule from SE face of Judele | ? | 2A | ? | E. Cristea, L. Karacziony |
 TP summit ridge. |
 Old diagram with the routes. |
 TP SE and NE face & Judele E. |
|---|---|---|
 TP summit ridge in winter. |
 TP NE ridge integral. |
 TP SE wall. |
There isn't much information available about these routes and probably they are not climbed very often, but I managed to locate a few of them. Hopefully, after more climbing in Judele area, I will be able to add more pieces to the puzzle you see right now in the two tables and the old hand drawn sketch.
Romanian grading system (FRTA)
The alpine routes in Romania are rated in the Russian grading system and reflecting the overall difficulty of the route (while leaving out the technical difficulty of the hardest move). This is why most documentation also contains the UIAA free-climbing rating of the crux of the route, as well as the aid-climbing rating.
Detailed information about Russian grading system as well as conversion to French system can be found here.
The Romanian grades are known to be softer than the Russian ones. The 7A grade was also mentioned, something corresponding to the french ABO, but I don't know if this was finally accepted in the official scale.
My personal recommendation when choosing a [Romanian] route is to check first the UIAA technical difficulty and/or the aid grade and the number of pitches. Then treat the Romanian FRTA grade only as a generic overall difficulty indicator.
Conversion table:
| Russian Grade | Alpine Grade |
| 1B | F/PD |
| 2A | PD |
| 2B | PD+ |
| 3A | AD |
| 3B | AD+/D- |
| 4A | D |
| 4B | D+/TD- |
| 5A | TD/ED |
| 5B | TD+/ED |
| 6A | ED/ED+ |
| 6B | ED3 and up |
Weather
- Weather forecast for Bucura Lake
Weather by meteoexploration
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When to climb
Harsh winter conditions
The most welcoming weather can be anticipated around late summer - early fall, when precipitation is relatively little, but temperatures are still warm, and the approach routes of Judele pass are free from snow.
In winter, Judele is reserved only for experienced mountaineers: the summer approach route poses serious avalanche danger, while the ridge approach is very exposed. There is no mountain rescue service in this time of the year, either (see Retezat Mountains parent page).
The summer route from Bucura Lake can be dangerous even in early summer, as snow remains on the final section (below Judele pass) for quite a long time, and the slope is very steep: once you're slid, it's hard to stop and there are hundreds of meters to go down, ending in rocky terrain...
Maps
Paper maps
See the Retezat Mountains parent page.
Online maps
A powerful online map is being developed by the Open Maps Project. Below you are provided with its embedded version for the area around Judele. In order to display the map properly, javascript must be enabled!
Map and viewer courtesy of: Open Maps Project and turistautak.hu
External Links
- Online climbing guide for Retezat Mountains. Information in Romanian only.
- Retezat National Park page.
- Retezat page on alpinet.org (Romanian only).
Additions and Corrections
[ Post an Addition or Correction ]
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| yatsek | Grading scales | |
Voted 10/10 | I bet most SP'ers (including myself) aren't familiar with the Romanian grading scale so it might be a good idea to write a few lines about that so as to avoid confusion. Could you confirm the info here? Also, I can remember quite a few EC Europeans complaining recently about too wide pages being hard to read on a laptop screen, so maybe that greatest image could work equally well if it was just a bit smaller. Cheers, Jacek | |
| Posted Sep 5, 2010 6:22 am | ||
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| mibu | Re: Grading scales | |
Hasn't voted | The information you pointed is correct. However, I see this confusion about Romanian climbing grades appeared a couple of times. So I wrote a small chapter where I collected all this info and added a few clarifications. I also reduced the wide picture you referred ;) Cheers, Mihai | |
| Posted Sep 5, 2010 3:26 pm | ||
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| yatsek | Re: Grading scales | |
Voted 10/10 | Multumiri. | |
| Posted Sep 6, 2010 2:40 pm | ||
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