At least eight hikers got lost in the snow on the peaks of the Alps over the weekend. Mountain rescue services and police had to rescue them.
Innsbruck – The early and heavy snowfall is still causing very wintry conditions on the peaks of the Alps. Although mountain rescuers and mountain guides have repeatedly warned against mountain tours, many tourists set out in the snow and ice – and failed miserably.
For example, a 44-year-old mountain hiker from the Warendorf district (North Rhine-Westphalia) was stranded on Saturday during a multi-day hike from South Tyrol to East Tyrol at an altitude of almost 3,000 meters. According to the Tyrol police, the tourist was on his way from the Kasseler Hut (2,278 meters) in South Tyrol over the Rosshornscharte (2,930 meters) towards the Barmer Hut (2,610 meters, East Tyrol), where he wanted to spend the night. “The mountaineer came off the path on steep terrain at an altitude of around 2,900 meters and ended up in impassable terrain, whereupon he made an emergency call at around 7:45 p.m.,” the police report.
Mountain rescuers and mountain rescue services warned against this – but tourists still set off for the snowy peaks
Mountain rescuers from the Defereggental local office climbed up to the mountain hiker on foot via the Patscher Valley and the Barmer Hut. The Libelle police helicopter flew to the area to provide support, but had to turn away due to fog. The mountain rescue team then reached the mountaineer at around 11:15 p.m. He then descended unharmed accompanied by the rescue team.
On Saturday, a man (38) and a woman (25) from near Prien am Chiemsee (Upper Bavaria) also got lost in the snow while hiking in the Zahmer Kaiser (Tyrol). They wanted to climb to the summit of the Pyramidenspitze via the Winkelkar. Instead, they went over a ridge to the Jovenspitze (1890 meters), which is very difficult to climb. Once at the summit, the duo could not go any further and called the emergency number. A Tyrolean police helicopter flew them safely to the valley.
On the same day, a 63-year-old Dutchman, his son and another person went on a hike from the church in St. Ulrich am Pillersee near Kitzbühel (Tyrol) towards Winterstelleralm. “Because the hiking trail was covered in snow, the group of three had to turn back after a while,” reports the Tyrolean police.
Dutchman got lost in the snow and fell ten meters
At around 12.15 p.m., while descending in the Kalktal valley, the 63-year-old fell about ten meters over rocky terrain from a gravel hiking trail into a ravine. He remained injured in the stream bed. His son made an emergency call. The injured man was rescued by the crew of an emergency helicopter and flown to the district hospital in St. Johann in Tirol. There, a broken elbow, bruises and abrasions were diagnosed.
On Saturday, two Austrian mountaineers (18 and 16 years old) lost their way on the ascent to Mittagskogel (3159 meters) in the Pitztal glacier ski area (Ötztal Alps) due to the snow conditions. After reaching the ridge at around 11:30 a.m., off the planned route over snow-covered terrain, they were unable to continue their ascent over the ridge to the summit. According to the police, they were also unable to return to the starting point of their tour. They therefore made an emergency call. Both young mountaineers were rescued by a helicopter using a cable winch and flown down to the valley.
The onset of winter in recent days has claimed several lives: In Hüttschlag (Salzburger Land), a tourist died as a result of an avalanche. Also in Salzburger Land, near Obertauern, a ski tourer died under a snow cornice. In another snowfall in the Karwendel (Tyrol), a 71-year-old man died while hiking in the mountains. In the South Tyrolean Dolomites, a woman froze to death after she and her partner were caught in a snowstorm. Near Berchtesgaden, an avalanche thundered through the kitchen window of a mountain hut.
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