Snow and cold can also cause dangerous situations in the mountains in the summer. A 44-year-old German and his son (15) also had to see that. The two ended up in a difficult situation on the Dachstein.
On Tuesday morning they went together with the cable car Dachstein-Südwandbahn from Ramsau am Dachstein to the Hunerkogel. From there, the two hiked over the prepared slope to the Seethalerhütte on the Dachstein Glacier in the municipality of Hallstatt. There they already noticed that fresh snow had fallen during the bad weather of the past few days and the temperatures had dropped considerably.
winter conditions
After a short glacier crossing, the two holidaymakers climbed the “shoulder via ferrata” despite the wintry conditions to reach the Hoher Dachstein. After only a few meters on the via ferrata, the 44-year-old father had to admit that this project was not feasible for him and turned around. Since his son had already moved on and was out of sight and shouting range, he sent him a message on his cell phone. He told his boy that he would turn around, but to do the scheduled tour only if he wanted to.
Fatal decision
The 15-year-old decided to do the same and kept climbing. However, at an altitude of 2,879 meters, he also noticed that he had underestimated the length of the via ferrata and the winter conditions. Due to his severely hypothermic hands, the boy was unable to move forward or backward. About 400 feet below the summit cross, he made a distress call at about 10:40 a.m. and requested rescue from the exposed shoulder climb.
Helicopter rescued Bursch
To avoid a time-consuming and lengthy rescue on the ground by mountain rescuers, the escape police helicopter was called in. Despite strong winds and increasing clouds, the crew of the police helicopter in Linz was able to pick up the slightly hypothermic boy with the variable rope and fly into the valley. There he met his father again and they were able to continue their vacation together, exhausted but unharmed.
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.
