Operation in the high mountains

Heroic rescue in the most adverse conditions

The helicopter from the Swiss air rescue service Rega also had to turn back.

(Bild: Christian D. Keller (c) Airbus H)

In the Silvretta mountains on the border between Vorarlberg and Switzerland, a 58-year-old ski tourer from Germany fell heavily on a descent on Saturday. Her rescue in bad weather was a bravura performance by the Ländle mountain rescuers! 

The woman and her 68-year-old companion had been on a multi-day ski tour through the mighty Silvretta region since last Thursday. On Saturday morning, the trip was supposed to end with an absolute highlight - namely the descent from the Verstancal gate back to Switzerland, from where the two had started their tour. But the pleasure quickly turned into a nightmare: after just a few meters, the 58-year-old fell and injured her leg so badly that it was no longer possible to continue. 

The woman was given first aid by a ski touring group that happened to be passing by, while her companion made an emergency call at the same time. The emergency helicopter arrived within a few minutes, but had to turn back due to the bad weather. Instead, a helicopter from Switzerland arrived. Although an emergency doctor could be roped down from this helicopter to the scene of the accident, it would have been too dangerous to land. So an even more powerful helicopter was requested, also from Switzerland - but even this had to turn back due to the poor visibility.

The Silvretta is a popular destination for ski tourers - but also a dangerous one.

(Bild: APA/ANGELIKA KREINER)

Ascent under difficult conditions
So there was only one option left: the arduous ascent on foot. To this end, eleven mountain rescuers from Partenen were flown by the air police to the Wiesbadener Hütte in extreme conditions. From there, they climbed up to the injured woman with all the rescue equipment for almost three hours. The woman was then transported down to the valley on the rescue sled. 

Meanwhile, other members of the mountain rescue team cleared the shore path at the Silvretta reservoir so that it could be used again. Thanks to this great team effort, it was possible to bring the woman to the Bielerhöhe, first with a quad bike and then with an off-road snow vehicle. Shortly after midnight, the 58-year-old woman was handed over to the Red Cross in Partenen. She was immediately taken to the regional hospital in Bludenz, where she was diagnosed with a lower leg fracture. We can only take our hats off to the mountain rescuers' performance!