The death of a German woman (28) on Saturday as a result of an avalanche accident on the Gaiskogel in Sellraintal – the ‘Krone’ reported – was probably due to extremely tragic circumstances. This is the third avalanche victim this winter.
The 28-year-old climbed the Gaiskogel (2,820 meters) on Saturday morning with her boyfriend (26) and a 32-year-old German. There they wanted to ski from the Nordrinne to Haggen with their freeride skis or splitboard. The trio reached the summit around 11:20 am. “The snow was hard near the top. This made it not so easy to stick the skis in the snow while the skin was ‘falling off,'” police said.
The woman may have put her first ski on the snow. When she wanted to take off her second skin, the wind blew her other ski into the eastern flank of the Gaiskogel. Although equipped with a ski stopper, he drifted about 200 meters and became stuck in the snow.
Her partner then decided to ski up the steep eastern slope and grab the skis. He reached it a moment later and tied it to his backpack. Moments later, an avalanche broke out above him and caught him. He was dragged about 30 meters and turned several times.
Woman caused avalanche
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old companion also went to visit his colleague and stopped about 100 meters below the man. Shortly afterwards, the 28-year-old had a fatal accident. She may have tried to ski down and caused an avalanche. “The 28-year-old was buried under snow and was therefore dug out by the mountain rescue team. Attempts at resuscitation were negative. The 28-year-old German died at the scene of the accident,” investigators said.
The two men were unharmed, rescued by the emergency helicopter and handed over to mountain rescue. Mountain rescue services, dog handlers and the Alpine police were present.
Three avalanche deaths this winter
The woman was the third avalanche victim this year. At the end of November a Pole was killed in an avalanche near the bell tower. Shortly before Christmas, a Pitztaler also ended up in an avalanche on the Rappenkopf. He still hasn’t been found. If you count the German ice climber in the Ausserfern who was swept away by masses of snow, we already count four avalanche deaths.
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.
