After the tragedy

“The via ferrata is certainly not child’s play”

The son was rescued by emergency helicopter.

(Bild: Bergrettung Gosau)

Stunned after the thunderstorm drama on the Donnerkogel! A father (61) and his son (25) were surprised by a wild storm on the Himmelsleiter via ferrata. The older man fell 150 meters to his death. Mountain rescuers warn against underestimating the weather and the via ferrata. 

"There was a thunderstorm warning for the early afternoon," Stefan Reiter marvels. The experienced mountain rescue worker from Gosau still can't get the tragedy that took place on Friday afternoon on the Donnerkogel via ferrata Himmelsleiter (as reported) out of his head.

Set off despite a thunderstorm warning
A 25-year-old Hungarian and his father set off on the via ferrata at midday despite the thunderstorm warning. They wanted to complete the climb before the forecast thunderstorm - but things turned out quite differently than planned. The thunderstorm cell moved in at around 1.30 pm. The father, who had never been on a via ferrata before, then made a fatal mistake: fearing a lightning strike, he released his belay from the steel cable on the rock face. His son remained secured and followed the 61-year-old in front at a distance of a few meters.

A climb like this is difficult and dangerous. Unfortunately, people always overestimate their abilities and try to master the ladder to heaven.

Josef Reiter, Ortsstellenleiter der Bergrettung Gosau

A short time later, lightning really did strike above the two climbers on the via ferrata - with dramatic consequences. While the son said he immediately felt an electrical impulse, his unsecured father fell directly in front of him at the same moment. The 25-year-old immediately made an emergency call, hung in the via ferrata until he was rescued and looked down at his dead father, who had fallen 150 meters into the depths ...

Rescued by helicopter
During the search flight with an emergency helicopter, the Gosau mountain rescue team found the 25-year-old at around 3.15 pm on the via ferrata below the so-called Himmelsleiter. He was first treated for lightning injuries by the emergency medical crew and taken to hospital. The father's body was recovered by the air police.

Not for beginners
"The rescue of the son and the body was very complicated because clouds of fog kept appearing. But we were able to rescue them at the last moment," says Reiter. "A climb like this is difficult and dangerous. Unfortunately, people always overestimate themselves and try to tackle the sky ladder, even though they've never done anything like it before. It's not child's play," he warns.