Lost and Exhausted – Four teenagers were rescued from the Traunstein during the night

Four 19-year-old friends from the Czech Republic climbed the Hernlersteig and the Traunsee-Klettersteig on the Traunstein in the municipality of Gmunden (Upper Austria) on Tuesday at noon. The quartet arrived at the Gmundnerhütte around 5 p.m. and, after a break, began the descent via the Naturfreundesteig around 6 p.m. The group was then split up based on their different fitness levels. In the darkness that had already fallen, two friends encountered steep and impassable terrain, unable to move forward or backward.

Emergency call at 9 p.m
So the two finally called the emergency call around 9:11 p.m. At the direction of the officer, they were able to pass on their location coordinates and it was thus established that the duo had climbed a few hundred meters before the end of the Naturfreundesteig. Ten mountain rescuers from the Gmunden mountain rescue team left Gmunden together with an alpine police officer. After a short while the young men could be taken to the path via rope handrails and continue their descent.

Two friends were still on the mountain
When they arrived in the valley, the two told the officer that their two friends were still on the mountain. It turned out that they also only had a mobile phone with them and used it to light the way. A mountain rescue team finally climbed to the two 19-year-olds, who were alone in the Sulzkogel area and made very slow progress. Because one of the two complained of severe exhaustion and knee pain, he was first given food and drink and then led to the valley by a “short rope” around 1:00 am.