The Tatra Mountains, which make up Poland’s southern border with Slovakia, have been blanketed by snow, making hiking conditions extremely dangerous.
In the last couple of days rescue crews had to save a group of people from freezing, and also bring down the dead bodies of avalanche victims.
On Wednesday, two experienced Polish tourist guides were killed by an avalanche on the Slovak side of the range.
The Poles are the first-ever victims of an avalanche in September.
“At the level of 2,000 metres it’s winter – around the mountain trails there might be up to 60-70 cm of fresh snow,” a high-mountain guide told Gazeta Wyborcza.
The guide explained explained that the rocks are icy, so hikers are advised to come equipped with ice axes, helmets, crampons and avalanche safety gear.
In the coming week, the mountain snow is expected to thaw, so the danger of avalanches is set to surge.
Weather forecasts also indicate that next week the Tatras might be struck by halny, a powerful foehn wind that blows through the valleys, not rarely triggering avalanches.
Its average speed reaches upwards of 100 km/h. In 1968, halny shattered the speed record, blowing at some 300 km/h.
Source: PAP, Gazeta Wyborcza, Portal Tatrzański
