On Sunday (5 November 2023), after heavy rain, the hiking trail on the Tatra Highway slid down about two hundred metres from Hrebienok in the direction of Rainerova chata, and the condition has worsened over the past few days. The situation on the spot is being analysed by surveyors these hours. The possibility of having to close the trail is also on the table.
The landslide occurred on Sunday afternoon, the rains severely damaged a twenty-metre-long marked hiking trail. Representatives of the Tatra National Park Administration based in Tatranská Lomnica, the town of Vysoké Tatry, the Mountain Rescue Service and experts from the Technical University in Košice met at the site today to assess the current situation. The mayor of the High Tatras, Jozef Štefaňák, confirmed that today (9. nomvebra 2023) at 9.30 a.m. he declared an emergency situation, thanks to which those responsible are able to act more flexibly.
"The pavement breaking away was probably caused by washouts, it is a very steep slope with a gradient of about 70 degrees and at the moment it is only holding by force of will. It is very difficult to say what else nature will cause, there is dry material, gravel, sand and if it rains hard it could all go down," estimates Peter Blišt'an from the Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Management and Geotechnology of the Technical University in Košice, who leads a team of surveyors documenting the condition of the pavement. They will use modern technology to analyse it, create a 3D model, and then geologists and the project engineer will assess its stability. "He will say whether this part of the road is still repairable or something new has to be built in a different way. Anchoring to the slope would be necessary, which is also not easy. It will be very complicated financially and technically to get the equipment here," adds Blišt'an. Experts have also noticed the disturbed rock blocks above the path, which will probably need to be anchored with nets or some larger pieces will need to be sensitively removed.
At the moment, the competent authorities cannot rule out the closure of the section.
"That option is in play. That's why we have experts here today to assess safety and suggest precautionary measures, which do not exclude the closure of the pavement. With another group of experts, we will look at the repair options and decide accordingly what we can do and to what extent before winter. Then we will solve the financing method," says Peter Spitzkopf, deputy director of the TANAP Administration, which, as a professional nature conservation organisation, takes care of the network of marked hiking trails in the Tatra National Park.
Tourists will find out about the possible closure of the trail from the website and other communication channels of the TANAP Administration and directly in the field and from information boards.. Along with this decision, the "tanapaks" would also plot a detour.
"The lower trail around Bilík's hut would be a solution for hikers, but without the possibility of entry for the mountain service on a snowmobile. There would also be a problem with supplying the huts," says Spitzkopf about the alternative to the detour.
The part of the Tatranská magistrála trail that has collapsed is not only an important artery for the tourist public, but also a way for mountain rescuers to get to injured people faster.
"If that trail closes, we'll manage, we'll get to the field on foot or by air, but especially the foot rescue will be longer. If we are not able to get through here, especially in winter, rescue operations will be prolonged by at least an hour - an hour and a quarter, which is crucial in the case of avalanches," explains Miroslav Živčák, head of the High Tatras Mountain Rescue Service regional centre.
He sees as a borderline solution the possibility of getting the equipment past the damaged section before any further landslides occur.
Source: the TANAP Administration
