The day before, the Czech couple had set out on a climbing tour to the summit of the Hoher Dachstein. In the late morning they started on foot from the valley station of the Südwandbahn. The 50-year-old and his 42-year-old wife had to climb almost 1,200 meters in altitude to reach their destination. But that didn’t happen: five hours after they had started their tour, the two reached the entrance to the shoulder via ferrata. When they arrived at the Mecklenburg Band at an altitude of 2861 meters in the evening hours, the Czechs were so exhausted that they spent the night outdoors.
Originally they wanted to spend the night at the nearby Seethalerhütte. According to the police, the exhausted climbers called the innkeeper that they were out of strength and would bivouack. The next day, around seven o’clock, the landlord received another call from the couple. This time he was asked for help.
He informed the mountain rescue service, which was supported by the emergency medical helicopter. Finally, the man and woman were flown to the valley station. “The 42-year-old was visibly hypothermic,” the police said in a broadcast. She and her husband were only equipped with a via ferrata set and climbing harness. They had neither crampons nor bivouac gear with them.
Source: Nachrichten
