The conditions in the Tatra Mountains are difficult, the trails are icy and it is easy to slip. Two rescue operations were carried out over the weekend. – It's worth skipping the high-mountain areas because it's really dangerous – said Marcin Strączek-Helios from the Tatra National Park.
In Tary, the conditions for hiking are difficult and there is ice on the trails.
– On Monday, the temperature at Kasprowy Wierch was 1 degree Celsius. With a strong wind blowing high in the Tatra Mountainsfelt was -5/-4 degrees. On the northern side of the Tatra Mountains, where there is less sun, you can expect icing and snow in the highest parts, said TVN24 reporter Maciej Stasiński on Monday. He added that two serious rescue operations were carried out in the Tatra Mountains over the weekend.
Rescuers appeal for caution in the mountainsTVN24
Interventions in the Tatra Mountains during the weekend
On Saturday, the Tatra Volunteer Emergency Service carried out a rescue operation in the area of Bula pod Rysami. The expedition to recover a tourist who suffered a knee joint injury lasted almost seven hours, TOPR wrote on social media. 18 rescuers took part in the action and after reaching the site and providing supplies, they carried the man in a stretcher to the shelter at Morskie Oko and then transported him by car to the hospital in Zakopane.
As TOPR wrote, another rescue operation took place in the area of Czerwona Przełęcz in parallel. There, 10 rescuers carried a tourist with a leg injury in a stretcher. She was also transported to the hospital in Zakopane.
– Limited visibility made it impossible to carry out a rescue operation using a helicopter, which extended the operation in the mountains – Stasiński reported.
– Fog, low cloud ceiling, the helicopter could not be used. More than a dozen rescuers were involved in one expedition because the injuries were more severe. Lifting in the field requires more frequent changes at the stretcher, said Edward Lichota, a TOPR rescuer.
Icy trails
The Tatra National Park reminds that in the highest parts of the Tatra Mountains, there is a thin layer of snow and ice on the trails. “It is very slippery and you can easily slip, risking falling from a height,” TPN wrote in a statement. He added that during strong winds, branches and trees may fall on the trails. Hiking in such conditions poses a threat to health and life.
– The conditions are difficult, it is very easy to get unlucky and slip and get injured – said Marcin Strączek-Helios from TPN. He added that hiking routes need to be carefully considered. – It's probably worth skipping high-altitude areas for now, because it's really dangerous – he emphasized.
“It's worth skipping high-mountain parts for now, because it's really dangerous”
Main photo source: S. Bobak/TOPR/Facebook