Avalanche warning for climbers and walkers after snow on MacGillycuddy’s Reeks

Walkers and climbers have been warned of potential avalanches in the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks that could cause them to be pushed down the mountain or buried.

Due to hazardous conditions as result of a recent cold spell the Kerry Mountain Rescue team urged visitors to be particularly vigilant around the Step, Curve and Central gullies areas, routes popular during the winter.

“While the Reeks are looking spectacular in their full winter coat at present, the conditions for climbing and walking are not so good, with a poorly bonded snowpack overlaying wet unfrozen ground,” the team said on social media.

Team member Colm Burke said such warnings were unusual but prompted by recent weather conditions and observations from rescuers in the field.

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“It’s actually the way the snow has fallen and the fact that it hasn’t consolidated. So it’s sitting in a number of layers in a fairly deep snow pack,” he told RTÉ’s News At One, explaining that layers had not bonded and were sitting atop ground that was not frozen.

“They can form these slab layers or wind slab layers that, if triggered by a walker or a climber, can release a huge volume of snow and potentially push someone down the hill or at worst bury them completely in a high volume of snow.”

Forecasted rain is likely to dissolve much of the snowpacks and their associated hazards, he said.

“We’re just asking people to be vigilant in those [specified] areas and if you’re not experienced in winter mountaineering or alpinism then maybe to leave it for another day when conditions are more suitable,” Mr Burke said.

Kerry Mountain Rescue dealt with 57 callouts last year, amounting to more than 3,100 hours of operations. The majority of these, it said, were in the McGillycuddy’s Reeks.