Rescuers were looking for a Polish snowboarder. The man got lost in the Tatra Mountains

Tatra rescuers take reports of lack of contact with a person who went to the mountains very seriously. In extreme cases, a long absence can result in death – as in the case of a tourist who was trapped under the snow by an avalanche. Fortunately, this time, thanks to the quick help of the Slovak services, the whole situation had a happy ending.

A Polish snowboarder got lost in the Tatra Mountains

The report regarding the disappearance of a Polish tourist was received by the Slovak equivalent of TOPR in the evening of January 31, 2024. Horská záchranná služba was alerted by the friends of the 46-year-old snowboarder, who informed about the lack of contact with the man since the afternoon. HZS rescuers responded to the call and started a search in the Slovak Tatras in the upper part of the Bystra Valley. Polish employees from the Beskid GOPR group soon joined the action. The search for the Pole lasted until the early morning hours.

The man was exhausted and cold

Rescuers searched the route up the Bystra stream, where in the morning of the next day they found an exhausted and hypothermic Pole. Due to the large amount of snow, its transport from this place turned out to be difficult. After warming up, eating a meal and drinking hot tea, the injured man borrowed skis from one of the rescuers to reach the quad in the deep snowdrifts. The 46-year-old was then transported by vehicle to Mútżańska Piła (773 meters above sea level), where his friends were waiting for him. The whole operation had a happy ending – in such cases, tourists are most often transported to hospitals. This time, despite spending long hours alone in the Tatra Mountains, the man managed to escape almost unscathed. A report from the intervention was posted on the official Facebook of the HZS organization, where Internet users thanked them for their hard work in the comments.