Because he was afraid of heights along the way, a 53-year-old Czech decided to walk back from Krippenstein in Upper Austria. But he had made the calculation without the snow, which was sometimes two meters deep, and got lost in the evening twilight. After several anxious hours, he was miraculously found unharmed.
A Czech couple wanted to visit the “5fingers” viewing platform on the afternoon of October 8. To do this, they took the Dachstein-Krippenstein mountain railway to the Hohen Krippenstein. Because the 53-year-old was afraid of heights along the way, he decided to descend on foot via a hiking trail. He therefore asked other hikers in the area of the cable car about a possible descent route and had him explain it.
Inadequate equipment
At 4 p.m., the man said goodbye to his 40-year-old wife and set off armed with sneakers, casual clothes and a backpack with a jacket and a bottle of water. But soon the first hurdles appeared: After about an hour of walking, the 53-year-old sent his wife a photo of the view, but said the path was partially covered with two meters of snow and that he was making slow progress.
Woman called 911
At 6:25 p.m., he finally sent another message to his wife: he didn’t know where he was and his cell phone battery would soon run out. From then on, the woman could no longer reach her husband by phone and waited for him until 7:40 p.m. when she finally dialed the Euro emergency number.
Difficult circumstances
The Obertraun mountain rescue service was alerted and started a search for the missing person with a total of 18 mountain rescuers in different groups. The operation was complicated by fog, rain and snow-covered paths. The mountain rescuers tried to locate the Czech by shouting, which succeeded around 10 p.m. Miraculously, he was found unharmed on rough terrain in the Loskopen area. The mountain rescuers brought him back to the marked path and guided him from there to the cable car and further into the valley.
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.
