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The live feed from the Vally of Five Lakes shows what visibility is like.
Heavy snowfall has trapped around a dozen people in a remote shelter high in Poland's Tatra Mountains.

Following a deterioration in weather and a heightened risk of avalanches, authorities at the Tatra National Park in southern Poland said on Tuesday that all 275 kilometers of trails would be shut until further notice.

The extreme winter weather has left around a dozen tourists and staff stranded at a mountain hut in the famous Valley of Five Lakes, the hut's owner, Marta Krzeptowska told the Polish state-owned news agency, PAP.

With snow cover in some places reaching up to 180 cm (71 inches) on Tuesday, Krzeptowska said guests would have to remain in the shelter until conditions improved and trails reopened. But she emphasized that the situation is under control.



"Everything is fine, no one is in danger, we have adequate supplies, and everyone is being cared for," the host said, adding: "This situation doesn't surprise us. Similar situations have happened before. We're calmly waiting for conditions to change."

A group of tourists had also become trapped in the shelter back in 2019. Then, after several days of no improvement in conditions, they were evacuated by park rescuers with the help of a helicopter, PAP reported.

While the late‑season snow has created striking alpine scenery, officials say conditions remain highly dangerous for hikers and other visitors due to deep drifts, unstable snow and trees breaking under the weight of snow.

A Level 4 avalanche warning, the second highest on a five‑point scale, is also in force, meaning avalanches can be triggered even by a small additional load on steep slopes and conditions are described as "extremely dangerous".

However, forecasts suggest that snowfall should ease, with temperatures expected to rise gradually in the coming days, though high avalanche risk may persist for some time as the snowpack stabilizes.