Storm, hail, snow

Mountain rescuers rescue Germans from icy “prison”

Just below the Schmalzgrubenscharte, five German hikers were unable to continue on the steep, snow-covered terrain. Mountain rescuers from Pettneu am Arlberg and Kappl brought them to safety in the most adverse weather conditions.

(Bild: Bergrettung Kappl/Pettneu, Krone KREATIV)

Last weekend, Tyrolean mountain rescuers spent hours on the Arlberg and in the Wilder Kaiser bringing stranded people safely and unharmed back down to the valley in stormy weather. Five Germans were stuck in the snow, Czech climbers were trapped in a wall.

Heavy rain, hail, thunderstorms, storms and snowfall: the mountain rescue teams in Pettneu am Arlberg, Kappl and Scheffau/Söllandl had to respond to such weather conditions at the weekend. In the Verwall, five German alpinists who no longer dared to continue due to the snow conditions were brought to safety. And in the Wilder Kaiser, two lost Czech climbers were rescued during the night.

Germans no longer dared to go any further in the Verwall
Scene 1, Schmalzgrubenscharte in the Verwall between Kappl and Pettneu: At around 3.30 pm on Saturday, five young German hikers made an emergency call. "The group wanted to go from Kappl via the ridge to the Edmund Graf Hut," says Bernd Schönherr, head of the Pettneu am Arlberg mountain rescue team. But because there was still a lot of snow in the very steep terrain, they had to follow trudging tracks and then didn't dare to go any further, explains Schönherr. A thunderstorm was approaching, so they sought shelter near a boulder and raised the alarm.

The group wanted to get from Kappl via the Schmalzgrubenscharte to the Edmund-Graf-Hütte.

Bernd Schönherr, Ortsstellenleiter Bergrettung Pettneu am Arlberg

The Libelle Tirol police helicopter managed to bring two mountain rescuers just below the saddle (2697 m) on the Pettneu side in the incipient storm. The two climbed further up and descended on the other side to the Germans, who were 50 meters below the saddle. Schönherr: "They waited out the thunderstorm and then abseiled down two rope lengths to the Germans."

Rope railings erected
Rope railings were then set up and the hikers were accompanied further down by the emergency services. Together with the Kappl mountain rescue team, who had been alerted by their colleagues in Pettneu, the Germans were brought to the Diasalpe and driven down into the valley from there.

"Unfortunately, it started to snow during the mission, and everyone involved arrived in Kappl completely soaked but unharmed," explains Bernd Schönherr. After a total of six hours, the demanding operation was finally completed in the dark.

The mountain rescuers climbed up to the Czechs in heavy rain during the night.

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

The weather changed: Duo lost their way while abseiling
Scene 2, Kopftörlgrat in the Wilder Kaiser: A Czech couple had already set off at 4.30 a.m. on Saturday to climb over the Kopftörlgrat to the Ellmauer Halt. "At 5 p.m., they were only on a pre-summit," says Hannes Höflinger, head of operations for the Scheffau/Söllandl mountain rescue team. There the weather changed. In rain, wind and fog, the man (41) and the woman (31) began to abseil down, but got lost in the process. "In the end, they were trapped in the south face of the Leutturm", explains Höflinger. The emergency call came at 10 pm.

In the end, the two Czechs were trapped in the south face of the lighthouse.

Hannes Höflinger, Einsatzleiter Bergrettung Scheffau/Söllandl

"We couldn't locate them for a long time," says Höflinger. It was only when the landlord of the Gruttenhütte saw light on the ridge in a brief window of fog that the location became clear. Höflinger: "Four of us climbed up from the Gruttenhütte in heavy rain and then climbed up to the duo. The two were completely soaked and exhausted. We provided them with tea and food and then abseiled the duo down around 40 meters." The emergency services, who were also "soaking wet", then brought the Czechs to the Gruttenhütte, where they spent the night.

Mission lasted seven hours
It wasn't until 5 a.m., after seven (!) hours, that the mountain rescuers called it a day. The Czechs descended into the valley on their own on Sunday morning.