Hiking weather

Styrian mountain rescuers are being called out every day at the moment

The teamwork with other emergency services, such as here with the rescue helicopter crew, is excellent.(Bild: Bergrettung Steiermark)

The Styrian mountain rescuers are currently more in demand than ever: the beautiful weather means that it is now high season on the mountains. The consequence: rescue missions are increasing, in some cases dramatically.

A Viennese man (66) lost his way in Ausseerland on Saturday and wandered around for around two hours between Brunnwiesenalm and Stummenalm. At around 6 pm, he was finally rescued by helicopter from an altitude of 1600 meters with minor leg injuries and circulatory problems.

Operations like this are currently the order of the day for Styrian mountain rescuers. Thanks to the persistently beautiful weather, it is high season around the white-green peaks. "There's a lot to do everywhere at the moment," confirms Angelika Mohr, Deputy Provincial Director of Styrian Mountain Rescue. "This ranges from the classic hotspot regions such as Dachstein, Ramsau, Schladming and Hochschwab to Schöckl. We have recorded an increase in operations throughout Styria this summer."

Night-time search operations are particularly challenging for the mountain rescuers.(Bild: Bergrettung Steiermark)

The Schladming branch alone had to be called out twice by midday on Sunday - fortunately, both missions ended without serious consequences. "It's usually not that bad at the moment. One of the reasons for this is the stable weather," says head of operations Thomas Kaserer. "But when the weather turns, the missions will certainly become more demanding again. Unfortunately, many people are still struggling to plan their tours." The expert therefore advises checking the weather forecast before every tour.

The most important thing is to plan your tour properly. If the weather changes, our missions become more demanding again.

Thomas Kaserer, Bergrettung Schladming

Mountain rescue also helps in the big city
Werner Orac and his 33 male and seven female comrades from the Graz-Land local group also have their hands full. "We may not have the highest mountains, but we have a lot of people," says Orac, who monitors the region from Hitzendorf and Semriach to Riegersburg and Bad Radkersburg with his team. So far this year, 46 rescue missions have had to be carried out, compared to 30 to a maximum of 40 throughout the year.

Last week's search operation in the Gesäuse unfortunately did not end well - an Upper Austrian fell to his death here.(Bild: Bergrettung Steiermark)

The main area of operation is of course the Schöckl, Graz's local mountain. "Mainly due to the many trend sports such as paragliding and mountain biking." Last week, they also had to be deployed in the urban area: A woman fell in the Rettenbachklamm gorge and was unable to continue herself.

A total of 1900 mountain rescuers are spread across the 53 Styrian local stations - all on a voluntary basis, of course. With an average of up to six missions per week, plus regular exercises, this is a time-consuming leisure activity. "Being a mountain rescuer is a way of life," is how Enrico Radaelli from the Liezen branch sums it up.