Via ferrata not found: 3 men rescued from steep wall at Mahdlgupf

Rescue operations are often required on the Mahdlgupf via ferrata – usually because mountaineers overestimate themselves and are unable to continue. Mountain rescue, alpine police and a police helicopter were called out on Sunday for another reason: three men aged 21, 28 and 31 had already lost their way on the approach and had not even found the entrance to the iron path, which was rated “very difficult” by D/E.

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The trio had started at around 10:30 a.m. in the Weißenbach district and had strayed too far to the right on the well-trodden path to the via ferrata. In the area of ​​the old entrance – the start of the climb had been moved a few years ago – the men continued to climb and eventually found themselves in terrain so steep and rocky that they did not dare to go forward or back. At around 11:15 a.m. they were forced to make an emergency call.

Mountain rescuers from Steinbach/Weyregg climbed the via ferrata, abseiled down to the lost people and secured them. The 28-year-old and his 31-year-old friend were rescued from the wall by police helicopter in two descents. The 21-year-old was abseiled down by the rescue team and taken to the intermediate landing site. The trio survived the incident without injuries, police announced late Sunday afternoon.

Many rescue missions

Accidents and rescue operations are a constant occurrence on the extremely popular Mahdlgupf via ferrata. Often the reasons for this are overconfidence or poor preparation. Just at the end of June, two Czechs – a 27-year-old and a 32-year-old – had to be rescued after they had been out in the blazing sun for hours with far too little water.

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The difficult part at the start – climbers have to overcome a small overhang as a kind of test – has only been there for a few years. The start of the climb was made more difficult after numerous rescue operations “in order to prepare the climbers for the difficulties that follow later and thus also to curb their overestimation to some extent”, as Werner Schnetzer, chairman of the “Klettersteig Mahdlgupf” construction and maintenance association, said at the time.