Tourists warned of moderate avalanche risks at over 1,800-m elevations

Salvamont Arges on Monday issued a warning that there is a moderate risk of avalanches at over 1,800m elevations, and in the Balea Lac-Cota 2000 Transfagarasan sector snow gets 137cm deep. "At this moment, the snow layer measures 137 centimeters in the Balea Lac-Cota 2000 Transfagarasan sector. Temperatures at the summit will remain between -2 up to +12 degrees Celsius, which will moisten the frozen layer at night. The reported avalanche danger is 2, moderate risk, at elevations of above 1,800m; below, snow cover is discontinuous. Moderate risk does not mean the absence of avalanche risk! Even at 1,800-1,900m people can be caught by avalanches coming from higher elevations; in addition, not all wet slabs at lower elevations can be quantified," according to Salvamont Arges. Paths in the ridge areas of the massifs that exceed 1,800m elevation in Arges county are not visible due to the snow, posing orienteering and safety problems. "The wet snow layer has a frozen substrate of about 20-30 centimeters that makes it very unstable. In the area of Moldoveanu Peak there are still large snow cornices facing east that soften during the day prone to breaking under the weight of climbers. Given the current circumstances, all the mountain tourist trails in the Arges area that go up to the ridge routes or the actual ridge routes of Fagaras, Piatra Craiului, Leaota and the Iezer Papusa mountains are completely closed and will remain closed," Salvamont Arges point out. Tourists in distress can call the National Mountain Rescue Dispatcher by pressing the "0salvamont" keys. Information on the state of tourist trails can also be requested at this number. AGERPRES (RO - author: Cornelia Dumitru, editor: Irina Poenaru; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)