Drama on Zugspitze

Completely wrong shoes: German falls 50 m

The climber came to a standstill in the area of the red circle.(Bild: zVg)

There is still a lot of snow on the north side of the ascent to Germany's highest mountain. Nevertheless, an alpinist from Bavaria left his crampons at home and almost fell to his death in a 50 degree steep snowfield in Tyrol. The RK-2 emergency helicopter rescued the man.

A German mountaineer recently found out just how tricky snow-filled gullies and snowfields can be. "The man had set off from Eibsee near Garmisch via the so-called Bayernsteig towards the Zugspitz summit," explains Riccardo Mizio, flight rescuer on the RK-2 emergency helicopter and mountain rescuer in Ehrwald.

No crampons with them
There is still snow in places on this north-facing route, and the alpinist had to overcome two snow fields. "Unfortunately, he didn't have any crampons with him, he was just wearing sturdy shoes," Mizio shakes his head in disbelief.

The climber came to a standstill in the area of the red circle.(Bild: zVg)

Slip in 50 degree steep terrain
Despite the completely unsuitable footwear, the German, who apparently wanted to spend the night on the summit, managed to climb through the lower snow field without an accident. In the second snowfield, however, things almost went wrong. "Shortly before the exit, the man slipped and fell about 50 meters in the terrain, which was up to 50 degrees steep," explains Riccardo Mizio. As if by a miracle, he finally came to a halt between the rock face and the snow.

However, the alpinist was in a dangerous position and was in danger of falling further. The man raised the alarm and the RK-2 emergency helicopter stationed in nearby Reutte was sent to the scene of the accident due to imminent danger.

If he had gotten out over the snowfield below, the fall would have been fatal. We rescued him with the cable winch and flew him to Lake Eibsee.

Riccardo Mizio, Flug- und Bergretter RK-2 bzw. BR Ehrwald

"We rescued the casualty with the cable winch and flew him down to Lake Eibsee," says flight rescuer Mizio, "luckily the German had only suffered abrasions. If he had gotten out over the snowfield below, the crash would probably have ended fatally."

Crampons and ice axe "mandatory" in the high mountains
The experienced Ehrwald mountain rescuer strongly advises mountain enthusiasts to take crampons and ice axes with them into the high mountains. "The snowfields in this exposure are generally very dangerous at the moment. Under a soft layer just a few centimetres thick, the snow is brutally hard." It's impossible to step in it with your toes. "Bad footwear can quickly cost you your life," warns Riccardo Mizio.