Record snow layer at Bâlea Lake: 162 cm, tourists warned about the risk of avalanche

Meteorologists have measured the largest snow layer this winter, at 162 centimeters, at Bâlea Lake, in the Făgăraș Mountains, at altitudes of over 2,000 meters. Tourists who practice skiing outside the marked slopes are warned by mountain rescuers to be fully equipped, although the avalanche risk is moderate, at level two out of five.

Dan Popescu, the director of the Sibiu Mountain Rescue Service, emphasizes the importance of appropriate equipment, including a helmet, probe, shovel, and avalanche transceiver. Bâlea Lake is popular among backcountry skiing and off-piste skiing enthusiasts, considering that there are no marked slopes, unlike the Păltiniș resort. Access to Bâlea Lake is only by cable car, as the Transfăgărășan road is closed up to Bâlea Waterfall.