Carpathian Mountains seeing visitor spike amid pandemic

(5 Feb 2021) LEAD IN:
Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains is seeing a large spike in visitors during the pandemic.
It's thought Ukrainians are taking to the open spaces in search of socially distanced recreation, while other entertainment spots remain closed.

STORY-LINE:
With crisp white snow, blue skies and not another person in sight for miles, one can see the appeal of spending time here.
In fact, locals say there's been a large spike in visitors to the Carpathian Mountains in recent months.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the requirement to socially distance from others appears to have made these wide, open spaces much more appealing.
"Considering the situation with the pandemic, with many entertainment facilities being closed due to the fact that one can easily get infected in, let's say in a shopping centre or something. Well, here, on the contrary, we have complete isolation," says Taras Zhovtyi, an expedition leader.
The activities mountain lovers choose to pursue vary and include hiking, ski touring, and free-riding on the numerous snowy slopes.
The weather has served winter tourism well this season too, offering plenty of snow.
"I didn't expect this (so many people) here in the Carpathians, which was once a dead spot. There is traffic like that in Chamonix in the Alps," says mountain guide, Mykhailo Poddubnov.
"We were climbing this mountain yesterday, and next to us there were guys freeriding, others were ski touring. There was also another group on another track nearby."
According to another mountain guide, Volodymyr Goron, there are roughly 1.5 times more people enjoying various activities in the Ukrainian mountains this year.
He believes restrictions on foreign travel have also contributed to the surge:
"Foreign travel is impossible, so people stayed in the country. As a rule, most of them have a pretty decent income, and they would have otherwise gone to Austria, or somewhere in the Alps. But instead, they go ski touring, hiking and free riding here," he says.
There's no official data on the number of people engaging in winter activities, but mountain guides here say they're seeing a lot more people than usual.
Ukraine was in lockdown over the Christmas period, but tough restrictions were officially lifted on 25 January 2021, with non-essential shops and shopping centres allowed to reopen.
But it seems many, such as first-time hiker Vyacheslav Reznichenko, still feel safer in the mountains:
"There is fresh air here (making it safer), but also there's common sense in everything. Whether you are in the mountains, or in a public spot, as long as you take some precautions you will be alright anywhere. But of course, we are safest while in the mountains, that's for sure," he says.
The Carpathians in winter are normally the choice of more experienced hikers. Therefore, mountain rescuers are having to stay more vigilant and react quickly to any reports of trouble.
Mountain rescuer Vasyl Fitsak warns of the changeable weather and often unforgiving nature of the Carpathians.
"People don't always realise that weather can get worse. A perfectly sunny, beautiful day in just 30 minutes can turn to a completely overcast sky, zero visibility, and lower temperatures," he says.
"These are seriously dangerous and even deadly risks."
The country of 42 million has recorded more than 1.2 million confirmed COVID-19 infections and over 24,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.

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