Due to heavy snowfall, the Baengnokdam East Ridge at the summit of Hallasan has been closed for the 30th day.
According to the Hallasan National Park Management Office on the 25th, access to the Hallasan Seongpanak trail section from Jindallae Field to East Ridge summit and from the Gwaneumsa trail section from the Samgakbong shelter to East Ridge summit has been prohibited since Jan. 27 through this day.
The steep Donnaeco trail has also been completely closed for the 30th day since last month, the 27th.
The closure of the Hallasan summit and surrounding areas is expected to continue until early March.
The closure of the Hallasan summit for the purpose of preventing trail damage occurred temporarily in 2001 and 2003. However, it is uncommon for the trails to be closed continuously until March due to weather impacts like heavy snowfall.
Since December of last year, heavy snowfall has been continuously repeating near the Hallasan summit. The explanation from the management office noted that new snow has piled up before the previous snow has completely melted, completely burying the trails.
According to the management office, there is a snow accumulation of 2 to 2.3 meters around the Jindallae Field area, making it difficult to secure safety through trail maintenance.
An employee entering near the summit to secure the trail encountered a massive ice wall near a cliff. There are concerns about potential major accidents if the ice wall collapses suddenly.
A management office employee over 180 cm tall was reportedly buried up to the waist in snow while conducting snow removal work at Manse Mountain on the Eorimok trail.
However, partial access has been temporarily allowed from the entrance of the Seongpanak trail to Jindallae Field and from the entrance of the Gwaneumsa trail to the Samgakbong shelter.