Mountaineers leave exhausted friend behind at 2600 meters

A 20-year-old German got into a life-threatening situation while hiking in the Hochkönig mountain in Austria. His two companions left him on the Königsjodler via ferrata at an altitude of around 2,600 meters after he lost his strength in the driving snow.

Due to difficult weather conditions, his rescue took almost 14 hours. This was announced by the Salzburg mountain rescue service.

The three Germans set off for the summit of the 2,941 meter high Hochkönig on Saturday afternoon. At around 2,600 meters, the 20-year-old could no longer go any further. His two companions climbed on to the already closed matras house at the summit. The mountaineer who stayed behind made an emergency call.

The mountain rescue team then made its way to the hypothermic and exhausted man. “The climb was already demanding for our emergency services due to the prevailing weather conditions,” said operations manager Wolfgang Haggenmüller. He kept in touch with the 20-year-old by phone and asked him to keep moving.

A helicopter could not take off because of the snow. According to the mountain rescue service, the steep and rocky climb was “only accessible with crampons as it is icy and slippery”. Around midnight, eleven rescuers reached the German. But the descent was also difficult. “He was roped up for the descent in deep snow,” said Haggenmüller. Around 20 centimeters of new snow had fallen.

"The path was no longer visible, there was a risk of falling, finding the way was very difficult. There were also snow slides in the steep terrain. It was life-threatening for everyone," said Haggenmüller. The descent took more than eight hours. Almost 14 hours had passed since the emergency call when the German was finally safe.

“He probably wouldn’t have survived another night up there, in snowfall and under these conditions,” said Pongau district manager Gerhard Kremser. At the same time, he criticized the behavior of the mountaineers: "An operation that shows once again how quickly a life-threatening situation can arise from overestimation of one's self, ignoring warnings and incorrect tour planning. Mountaineering also means turning back in time. The mountains don't run away."

The two companions reached the Matrashaus at the summit. Haggenmüller “vehemently advised them against descending the Birgkar”. They descended on Sunday morning via the normal hiking trail. It is not clear from the press release whether they also informed the rescue team. The Alpine police are investigating.