Lousy tour planning

Zugspitze: rescue missions at night almost every day

The stranded people were brought down safely from the "Stopselzieherroute".

(Bild: Bergrettung Ehrwald)

Many alpinists misjudge the current conditions on Germany's highest mountain on the border with Tyrol and get stuck. The Ehrwald mountain rescue team (Reutte district) then has to rescue them in long night missions. An expert gives tips on what to pay particular attention to in the mountains at the moment.

Over the past two weeks, Ehrwald Mountain Rescue has had almost daily missions in the area of the "Stopselzieherroute" to the Zugspitze. "With the support of our colleagues from Lermoos and the Bavarian mountain rescue team from Grainau, we had to rescue around ten people in the evening or at night," explains Head of Operations Robin Lutnig from Ehrwald Mountain Rescue.

They were very slow to get to the top in the snow and then usually had to raise the alarm at around 5 p.m. uninjured due to the onset of darkness.

Robin Lutnig, Einatzleiter Bergrettung Ehrwald

Snow surprises many alpinists
The alpinists had not expected that there would still be a lot of snow on the "Stopselzieherroute". "They were very slow to get to the top in the snow and then usually had to raise the alarm unharmed at around 5 p.m. because it was getting dark," says Lutnig. At around 2500 meters, they were sometimes stuck waist-deep in snow.

The snow has recently been a "spoilsport" for alpinists who had planned their tour badly.

(Bild: Bergrettung Ehrwald)

"Thanks to the support of the Zugspitzbahn, we were able to drive to the summit and descend from there to the alpinists," explains Lutnig, "we roped them down safely and brought them back down."

Test of courage at support 2 
Then there was a test of courage for the thwarted Zugspitze climbers: they had to climb - secured - around 40 meters up support 2 with the mountain rescuers and then take the gondola down to the valley. Each mission took four hours.

Time change: make sure you start early in the morning
An early start in the morning is essential at the moment due to the now very short days. "When dusk sets in, you should at least be close to the valley," emphasizes Christian Eder, Head of Training at the Tyrolean Mountain Rescue Service. The winter time makes the situation even worse from the weekend onwards.

Many bridges have been dismantled. You need to find out about the situation in advance.

Christian Eder, Ausbildungsleiter Alpin, Bergrettung Tirol

Caution - icing!
"You also have to watch out for icing - especially on the north side," warns the expert. And because the huts in the high alpine area have closed, bridges have been dismantled. Eder: "You have to find out about the situation in advance." It is also important to only set off into the mountains with warm clothing, a hat and gloves.

Don't trigger a false alarm
And anyone descending at dusk or at night with a headlamp should inform the Tyrol control center beforehand. Otherwise an emergency will be suspected and an unnecessary mountain rescue operation will be launched.