Alpinists wanted to climb the Zugspitze despite 50 centimeters of fresh snow. Ehrwald’s mountain rescuers had to rush to assist in a spectacular operation. Fortunately, it all ended well for everyone involved.
When the name “stopper puller” is mentioned, Regina Poberschnigg, head of the Ehrwald mountain rescue service, almost gets a headache. Because mountaineers dare to climb Germany’s highest mountain on this route with via ferrata routes if the conditions do not allow it. This was also the case on Tuesday: between 20 and 50 centimeters of fresh snow had fallen along the stop tractor route and there was also heavy fog.
Nevertheless, several alpinists set off from the Wiener Neustädter Hütte towards the summit.
Woman crawled back to steel cable
At 11:15 a.m., the emergency call came to the Ehrwald mountain rescue service. A German (42), who traveled alone, was unable to get any further. “She had overcome the rope-secured passage, but was afraid to move forward in the muddy snow on normal hiking terrain,” says Regina Poberschnigg. The woman “crawled” back to where she could attach herself to the steel cable.
500 meters of difficult descent
“Our first team, led by operations manager Gerhard Hundertpfund, took the Tyrolean Zugspitzbahn to the top and then descended almost 500 meters to the woman in the most adverse conditions, in places with 50 centimeters of fresh snow,” says the local manager. “It was a very tricky thing,” she says. Secured, the uninjured German was then taken to the top.
Ten-year-olds in sneakers
But that’s not all: there were other alpinists lying in the snow in the area where the crash took place – including three men with two children (aged 8 and 10). Poberschnigg: “We built a rope railing and supported everyone during the ascent.” The children – the girl only wore sneakers – were freezing cold, the mountain rescuers helped with heat packs.
“The alpinists totally underestimated the conditions,” says Poberschnigg. At least they were thankful and understood that it was nonsense.
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.
