Two ice climbers in the Zemm Gorge in Tyrol’s Zillertal caused a stir at the Ginzling mountain rescue service on Wednesday evening. Because a calamity had to be accepted, local manager Ulli Huber’s phone was hot.
“Does it really have to be like this to climb into an icefall with a headlamp next to a busy road in the dark at night?” It was also so large because, according to eyewitnesses, a climber’s headlight flashed red backwards. The result: numerous drivers driving into the gorge to Ginzling suspected an emergency situation.
Ulli Huber, the local head of the Ginzling Mountain Rescue Service, had a nearly constant phone ring. He counted about 15 calls. Huber then contacted Tyrol’s control center, where witnesses had already reported the “emergency”.
No contact with climbers possible
“I immediately drove to the icefall,” says the mountain rescuer. A telephone or telephone contact with the ice climbing duo was not possible, the climb to the wall would have taken too long for Huber. This is how he observed the situation.
Very slow
“The climbers were very slow. I waited about an hour to make sure it wasn’t an emergency.” Huber was unable to complete the “operation” until the duo descended safely.
Fortunately no alarm from the control room
“If the control center had sounded the alarm before I called, a whole team of mountain rescuers would have left,” he says angrily. So “only” he was tied up and not ready for real emergencies.
With a headlamp on the Innsbruck via ferrata
Gregor Franke from the regional management of the Tyrolean mountain rescue service knows such unnecessary pseudo-emergencies that the emergency services deploy, especially in the summer months. “For example, there are mountaineers who climb the Innsbruck via ferrata at night with a head torch,” he says. “Half of Innsbruck sees the lights and raises the alarm!”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
