Pirin Mountains: Avalanche Kills Skier in the Banderitsa Valley

Tragically, a 29-year old skier from Bansko was today killed in the Pirin Mountains by an avalanche which fell down one of the many avalanche gulleys on the western flank of Mount Todorin Vrah (Mount Todorka) towards the Banderitsa Valley. The accident was spotted from a lift by Macedonian tourists and the Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Services were swiftly on the scene. Despite quickly locating the victim, they were unable to revive him. Although an experienced skier and former ski-instructor, it seems that he, like many other skiers and snowboarders, was tempted off-piste into a region that is known to be at risk from avalanches. Almost exactly a year to the day, on 28 January 2009, a snowboarder was killed by an avalanche in the same place. Recent extreme temperature fluctuations combined with fresh snow are currently hightening the risk of avalanches in this region.

New Record Low Temperatures in Bulgaria

Last night 17 towns and villages recorded new record low temperatures. These were concentrated in northern and eastern Bulgaria. Coldest of all was the town of Dobrich in the Dobrudzha region. The record low temperature for the town had been -15.2°C recorded in 1909, but last night temperatures plunged to -25.5°C. But even this is still a long way off the coldest temperature ever recorded in Bulgaria. That was -38.3°C recorded in 1947 in the small town of Tran which lies west-north-west of Sofia close to the border with Serbia.

Forecasters are predicting another very cold day and night. Today in the mountains, at altitudes over 2000m, it is expected that maximum temperatures will be no higher than about -12°C.

Danger of Frostbite & Hypothermia in the Bulgarian Mountains

The bitter weather continues its icy grip on Bulgaria. At 08-00 this morning it was -18.0°C on the summit of Mount Musala in the Rila Mountains and as low as -20.0°C on the summit of Mount Botev in the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina). The Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Services are warning that there is danger of hypothermia and frostbite and that those venturing out into the mountains should be properly equipped.

Bulgarian Mountain Weather Update

This week has seen Bulgaria swept by bitter Siberian weather, bringing heavy snow and plunging temperatures. Daily temperatures on Mount Botev in the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) have been averaging about -13°C during the week, and on Mount Musala in the Rila Mountains they have been averaging about -15°C.

'Rila' National Park: Investigation into Illegal Forest Cutting above Panichishte

The Bulgarian Ministry of Environment & Waters and the Executive of the Forestry Agency have started legal investigations into the illegal forest cutting which has taken place between Panichishte and the Seven Lakes.

The cutting has occured not far from the illegal new lift between the 'Pioneer' mountain hut and the 'Rilski Ezera' mountain hut. It is clear that this new felling was intended to continue development of ths ski-piste which was illegaly cut earlier in 2009 in the territory of 'Rila' National Park.

Construction of new ski developments and pistes is forbidden within the 'Rila' National Park. However, developers pushing for a new 'Panichishte-Seven Lakes-Mount Kabul' ski zone desire to encroach into the 'Rila' National Park, and the construction of the illegal new lift between the 'Pioneer' mountain hut and the 'Rilski Ezera' mountain hut was a fundamental first stage of their overall plan.

Permission for the proposed 'Panichishte-Seven Lakes-Mount Kabul' ski zone has not yet been approved, but obviously there are those who are interested in illegaly pushing ahead and trying to make it a fait accompli.

Interestingly, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment & Waters has recently rejected plans by the local forestry executive in Dupnitsa to cut new so-called fire-breaks in the forests in the region which, according to the Coalition 'For The Nature' just so happened to be of the same shape and location as the proposed ski-pistes of the developers! What a coincidence!

More information about the campaign to stop the development of the proposed 'Panichishte-Seven Lakes-Mount Kabul' ski zone illegaly encroaching into the 'Rila' National Park can be found on the website of the Coalition 'For The Nature'.

Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks

My new guidebook to 'Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks' has just been published today by Cicerone Press!

The 12 routes described in 'Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks' thread their way through the 'Central Balkan' National Park, 'Rila' National Park and 'Pirin' National Park, taking in ancient forests, shimmering glacial lakes, panoramic ridges and the two highest peaks in the country, Musala and Vihren. All great mountain walks in their own right, they have also been selected to offer the best chance of encountering a wealth of rare plants and animals. 'Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks' offers 2- to 3-day walks for fit and experienced mountain walkers and one full-day ascent of Mount Vihren with comprehensive background information about the wildlife to be seen.

Here is a short piece from the book's introduction:

'Blessed with a favourable climate, a wonderful variety of landscapes, a uniquely rich flora and fauna and a wealth of hiking trails, the choice of where to walk in Bulgaria is pretty much limitless. For the author of a guidebook such as this, it also makes the choice of what to include and what to leave out very difficult. In the end, I decided to limit the focus to Bulgaria’s three national parks, Rila, Pirin and Central Balkan. These national parks not only occupy the highest and wildest mountains in the country, but they are also threaded with a network of well-marked hiking trails. These paths typically lead through spectacular scenery and offer an unrivalled opportunity to encounter some of Europe’s rarest plants and animals.

As well as providing detailed route descriptions for many of the most outstanding walks offered by these three national parks, I have also included a great deal of background information about the history and geography of places passed along the trails, as well as comprehensive details of the wildlife likely to be seen. Mountain walking in Bulgaria’s national parks provides more than simply a physical challenge – it is a unique opportunity to experience wilderness and to glimpse the rare flora and fauna that still manages to find a safe refuge there.'

'Central Balkan' Important Bird Area

The 'Central Balkan' Important Bird Area (IBA) covers a total area of 166,678.21 hectares and includes not only the 'Central Balkan' National Park, but also the 'Bulgarka' Nature Park and several smaller protected territories.

Some 151 species of birds have been recorded breeding in the 'Central Balkan' Important Bird Area, of which 56 species are designated by BirdLife International as being of European conservation concern (SPEC). These include: 4 species of bird classified as SPEC 1 (species of global conservation concern), 21 species of bird classified as SPEC 2 (species with global populations concentrated in Europe and having an unfavourable conservation status in Europe) and 31 species of birds classified as SPEC 3 (species with global populations concentrated outside Europe but having an unfavourable conservation status in Europe).