The last storm generated large avalanches in the Bariloche area. The San Martín shelter, in Laguna Jakob, recorded the video of an enormous amount of snow that slid down the mountain from the southern slope of Cerro Bella Vista last Thursday. Both trails are highly traveled by trekking lovers.
The previous week, Luciano Fiorenza, director of the Avalanche Information Center, had warned this newspaper that ““With the snow conditions in the mountains, avalanches could occur where they normally don’t.”.
After the last storm of wind and snow, the refugee from Jakob contacted the members of the Avalanche Information Center to indicate that he was climbing the hill when he saw an avalanche that fell «on the path from high up on Bella Vista Hill».
«We are talking about 800 meters of gradient«Fiorenza explained. He said that in addition, they had several records of avalanches on Cerro López and Frey refuge.
«Therefore, in these weather conditions, it is not recommended to go for a walk in the mountains. There is a high level of avalanche danger and a weather warning. These are not days for walking on trails. If you look at the video that the shelter worker sent us, there is not much snow, but Suddenly an avalanche falls that you do not expect and can take you away“, said the mountain guide.
He warned that At “low danger levels”, an avalanche can travel between 10 and 100 metres; at high danger levels, on the other hand, avalanches can reach a height of more than 1,000 metres.
“That is why it is important to know the level of danger in order to know what can happen. We are not only talking about remote places. In Cerro Catedral, for example, where the avalanche mitigation operation is being carried out, it was positive. All the shots were positive: when explosives were thrown, avalanches were triggered,” he said.
He said that the danger level last Friday “dropped by one point. Today it is expected to drop by another point, that is, to a more moderate level. Little by little, conditions are stabilizing.”
