Evaluation of the Avalanche Danger in Northwest Rila Mountain - Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions: Southeastern Europe - page 98

Fig. 9.3 The Northern steep and rectilinear slope of the Otovishki ridge is avalanche dangerous
and keeps until late spring a lot of snow

(Fig. 9.4 ). In winter at certain conditions, their approaches are avalanche

dangerous.
In the region of the hostel “Ivan Vazov” (2,300 m above the sea level) was
observed a snow coverage with a thickness of 3-4 m, when the posts of the win-
ter marking are also covered up. The approaches to it in winter are with a moderate
avalanche risk.
For the last few years, the region around the hostel The Seven Rila Lakes became
extremely popular between the admirers of the free-ride driving in Bulgaria. In the
region avalanche dangerous is the eastern slope of the Dry Hill, turned to the circus
of the Seven Lakes and especially its northern part. The gullies opposite the hostel
Rila Lakes are very steep and after January in the central gullies are formed also
big peaks. This makes them quite dangerous after snowfalls and winds. Many of the
self-confident skiers underestimate this danger and they ski along the gullies under
any kind of conditions.
Another avalanche dangerous part of the mountain is the valley of the Malyovitsa
river. Along all routes to the Shelter “ B

”, The Rila Monastery ,“ Ivan Vazov ”,
there is a high level of avalanche danger. The gullies of the Kalbura Hill over the
first terrace are very unstable right after the snowfalls (Panayotov, 2004 ). Along the
right slope of the valley between the peaks The Black Rock and The Camel in the
winter of 2006, an avalanche of 1 km long and 300 m broad broke off. Six Slovak
tourists were affected but they managed to get away only with some small grazes and

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