Mountain rescuers annoyed

Mountain rescuer sounds the alarm: “Common sense is often lacking”

In the area of the red circle, the German was unable to get any further. Libelle Tirol rescued the hiker in cooperation with the Mayrhofen mountain rescue team and flew the uninjured man down into the valley.

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol/Flugpolizei)

Andreas Eder, head of the Mayrhofen mountain rescue service in the Tyrolean Zillertal, criticizes the willingness of some hikers to take risks. The reason for this is the rescue operation for a 42-year-old German on Tuesday. The man was stuck in the snow at an altitude of 1850 meters above Mayrhofen and was unable to get back and forth.

The German had set off from Mayrhofen via a hiking trail towards the Ahornbahn mountain station at around 8.30 am on Tuesday. What he didn't realize was that there was still a lot of snow in the ascent area.

As a result, he was no longer able to see the hiking trail due to the snow conditions and swerved into the pathless terrain.

"He then went straight up the very steep slope," explains mountain rescuer Eder. The man fell into the snow again and sank waist-deep in places. As a result, he was unable to continue and made an emergency call at around 2.20 pm.

Many people don't turn back in time. They simply want to go through with their tour, the willingness to take risks has increased significantly.

Andreas Eder, Ortsstellenleiter Bergrettung Mayrhofen

Rescued on a rope by Libelle Tirol
The alerted Mayrhofen mountain rescue team and the Libelle Tirol police helicopter launched a joint mission. The Libelle finally rescued the man with the rope and flew the uninjured man down into the valley.

"Someone will come in an emergency anyway"
"Many people don't turn around in time these days," regrets Eder. "They just go ahead with their tour. The prevailing opinion is that someone will come in an emergency anyway." In the past, there was noticeably more common sense. "The willingness of hikers and mountaineers to take risks has increased significantly," he emphasizes.

Warning about snow residue
And Eder urgently advises people to only go into the mountains if they are in good physical condition. This is particularly important for "flatlanders" who are not used to the altitude.

At the moment - as the example of the German shows - it is also important to be aware of residual snow. Eder: "In the Zillertal, they still reach down to 1800 meters."