The 67-year-old German crashed in the area of the devil’s holes. He was initially unable to make an emergency call because he had no cell phone reception. Finally he managed to inform an acquaintance via SMS about his mountain distress. The mountain rescuers from Dienten and Saalfelden were therefore only alerted shortly before midnight, as the spokeswoman for the Salzburg mountain rescue service, Maria Riedler, informed in a broadcast on Friday.
The German climbed the demanding “Königsjodler” via ferrata in the Hochkönig massif the day before. “He then fell a good ten meters over rocks on Thursday afternoon in the area of the devil’s holes at an altitude of around 2,700 meters,” said Stefan Aigner, head of the Dienten mountain rescue service. “The crew of the C17 rescue helicopter from Styria was able to bring us to the immediate vicinity of the accident site during the night.”
Two mountain rescuers from Dienten and mountain rescue doctor Wolfgang Farkas from Kaprun climbed up to the injured person. Together they treated a dislocated knee, lacerations and a laceration on the man’s head. The volunteers managed to stabilize his physical condition. “We set up an emergency bivouac for him and spent the night with him on the Hochkönig.” In the early morning, the seriously injured man was flown to the Schwarzach Clinic (Pongau) by the Martin 1 rescue helicopter team.
Family rescued from Upper Austria
The rescue operation near the Donnerkogel was also challenging. The family, two adults and two teenagers, climbed the Großer Donnerkogel (2,054 meters above sea level) from Gosau (Upper Austria). Two people went via the “Himmelsleiter” via ferrata, two via the normal route. On the descent in the direction of Stuhlalm (Tennengau), they chose an exposed, high-Alpine trail, some of which is secured with ropes.
“They had been walking along the ridge in the direction of Strichkogel (2,034 meters above sea level) for about an hour when, exhausted, they called the mountain rescue service as a thunderstorm approached,” said Daniel Oberauer, the mountain rescue operations manager. Because of the bad weather, it was not possible for a police helicopter to rescue dew from the exposed spot. Two mountain rescuers were flown up the mountain using a rope. “We continued to join the family. After the woman was exhausted and already severely hypothermic, we called for a rescue helicopter.” The family was flown to the Stuhlalm by the Martin 1 rescue helicopter and brought back to Gosau by car by the mountain rescue service. The operation ended at 9 p.m.
Many operations in the area of the Great Donnerkogel
For the mountain rescue centers Annaberg and Gosau there are currently many operations in the area of the Großer Donnerkogel. “This is mainly the case because many climb the Donnerkogel via ferrata ‘Himmelsleiter’,” explained Tennengau district manager Werner Quehenberger. “We see a lot of via ferrata users coming from the Gosau side, who take the not very difficult but spectacular ascent. Unfortunately, there is usually no tour planning, and these via ferrata hikers are often on the move in the worst weather conditions.”
Some of the emergency exits are not marked. “The normal descent from the Donnerkogel is demanding, because there are some exposed areas and you also need good surefootedness. But then many people lose their strength, they are unconcentrated and accidents happen on the descent,” Quehenberger pointed out the dangers. Hikers often get lost in the rocky terrain.
The police informed on Friday about a serious alpine accident that happened on Wednesday on the Hochkönigstock in Pinzgau. A 37-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman from Germany slipped while climbing between the so-called devil’s holes and the high rope when crossing a glacier and fell about 50 meters. The woman had passed out. The two injured were taken to the Schwarzach (Pongau) clinic in a rescue helicopter.
The two had attached Grödel to their mountain boots when crossing the glacier, which is the lightest form of crampons. The alpine police expressly warned against going into alpine terrain with insufficient equipment. The respective mountain tours should be carefully planned and exposed danger spots should be avoided. “For glacier areas, good crampons and an ice ax are recommended in addition to suitable alpine equipment.”
Source: Nachrichten
