By opening Lomnické sedlo, the number of opened pistes in the resort of Tatranská Lomnica will be complete, which means there will be 12 km of groomed skiing routes available in total. The 1,240 metre-long piste of Lomnické sedlo is popular with skiers not only because of difficult conditions but also high-quality freeride possibilities in its south-western section, the so called Francúzska mulda (French mogul). The 5.5 km-long route from Lomnické sedlo through Skalnaté Pleso up to Tatranská Lomnica offers unique scenery and beautiful views of the countryside under the Tatras. The slope of the steepest piste in the High Tatras, which is marked with poles, is groomed regularly with snow grooming machines and the terrain is monitored and probed by the Mountain rescue service, which decides whether the piste can be opened or must be closed due to a high avalanche risk.
Although the free terrain in the French mogul is used mainly by ski tourers, the Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. (TMR) company is warning all ski tourers as well as skiers not to enter the ski slopes in the High and Low Tatras outside the official opening times, i.e. after 04:00pm and before 8:30am. In order to groom steeper sections on the slopes, machines are pulled or anchored by steel ropes. Groomers weighing several tonnes “hang” in this way not to disturb the cover on the piste surface. And it is the tight steel ropes that skiers/ski tourers often do not see in the dark. There is a high risk of collision with such ropes at night. Along with typical accidents on the ski slopes, there are more and more cases of ignoring the Rules on the slopes and collisions of undisciplined skiers with snow groomers or their anchored steel ropes. These accidents are often fatal and result in devastating leg injuries or even more tragic consequences. During the last year´s season, there were 3 disastrous crashes of skiers and anchored steel ropes in the Low Tatras. “Safety comes first in our ski resorts. That is why TMR does everything we can to secure safety for skiers on our slopes during the day as well as at night. In spite of the lack of legislative support, which does not deal with the issue of ski tourers on ski slopes directly, the so called Ski patrols were launched in Tatranská Lomnica and Jasná in December 2014. These patrols check how the Rules on the slopes are respected during the day and whether there are any other problems on the pistes. The websites of our resorts www.vt.sk and www.jasna.sk, LED screens in individual resorts, information boards with maps and instructions as well as signs on the pistes contain information and notices regarding a possible danger of collisions with snow groomers. They also inform about the opening times of the pistes and restricted entry to the pistes outside the opening times. When grooming the slopes in Jasná, the machines use portable signal lights for warning. We would like to warn all late-comers who stay on the slopes after 04:00pm as well as all night ski tourers not to cross the pistes at night and risk a collision with snow groomers. We understand that ski touring has become a mass sport on the pistes mainly during the day because there is not enough natural snow in the valleys. Many ski tourers have season ski passes and alternate their sports activities – one day they use ski lifts, at another time they trek up the slopes. However, basic rules of safety movement on the slopes must be respected every time. Due to increased interest in the so called fitness ski touring, we are offering organised ski touring trips with a professional guide along a designated route in Jasná every Friday. We suggest all amateur ski tourers should respect basic safety rules. If they trek up ski slopes, they should use the right edge and avoid crossing from one side to another. Groups shall always ascend in lines, not next to each other and all ski tourers should be very careful especially in places where they cannot see properly,“ said Dušan Slavkovský, the director of ski resorts in the High Tatras.
Local Tatra people are expecting increased interest in skiing as well as cableway trips during the spring school holidays. The weather has finally improved so the visitors can enjoy a genuine winter atmosphere in the Tatras, a great deal of snow and great skiing conditions. Let us hope the positive development regarding natural snow will not change soon.
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Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. (TMR) is the leader in tourism in Central and Eastern Europe; it owns and operates attractive mountain resorts and hotels. In the Low Tatras TMR owns and operates the resort Jasná Nízke Tatry and hotels Wellness hotel Grand Jasná, Boutique Hotel Tri Studničky, Chalets Jasná De Luxe, Hotel Srdiečko, and Hotel Rotunda. TMR is also the owner of Aquapark Tatralandia, the largest Slovak aquapark with year-round operation, which besides water entertainment includes Tropical Paradise, a special tropical indoor hall with sea water, as well as Fun Park, and accommodation in bungalows and apartments of Holiday Village Tatralandia. In the High Tatras TMR owns and operates the resort Vysoké Tatry with mountain areas of Tatranská Lomnica, Starý Smokovec, and Štrbské Pleso, which TMR co-manages. In the High Tatras TMR also owns hotels Grandhotel Praha Tatranská Lomnica, Grandhotel Starý Smokovec, and Hotel FIS Štrbské Pleso. TMR also owns a 19% share in Melida, a.s., which leases and operates the resort Špindlerův Mlýn in the Czech Republic. In Poland TMR owns a 97% share in the mountain resort Szczyrkowski Ośrodek Narciarski S.A. (SON) and a 75% share in a company that owns and operates Silesian Amusement Park (Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko). TMR also owns and leases hotels Slovakia, Kosodrevina, Liptov and Ski&Fun Záhradky a Bungalovy to third parties. By the end of 2014 nearly EUR 200 mil. had been invested into development and modernisation of TMR’s resorts. TMR shares are traded on three European stock exchanges – in Bratislava, Prague, and Warsaw.