Christmas chaos in Kitzbühel: Munich hiker strands in mountain hut!

A group of seven friends from Munich between the ages of 21 and 39 had decided to spend Christmas in a mountain hut in Austria. On December 23, the group opened from the Wegscheid (1160 meters) car park to reach the Rosswildalpe (1790 meters), a mountain hut that can be booked online for up to eight people and described as a remote holiday paradise. The route to the hut is 4.4 kilometers with 700 meters of altitude.

Unfortunately, the hiking group underestimated the winter conditions as well as its own condition and equipment. Due to physical exhaustion and inadequate equipment, they could not achieve the planned goal and penetrated the Kuhwildalm. After an overnight stay in the Kuhwildalm, they put an emergency call on satellite at around 11 a.m. on Christmas Eve.

use of mountain rescue

The mountain rescue was quickly on hand and brought the group to the Bamberg hut (1756 meters) with a caterpillar quad and on foot, where they were first looked after. A total of 24 emergency services from the Hopfgarten, Westendorf and Kitzbühel mountain rescues as well as two emergency services from the Kitzbühel volunteer fire brigade and a police patrol. Fortunately, the group was brought into the valley.

In addition, a German hiker was killed by an avalanche in South Tyrol, and in Switzerland a professional athlete died at an avalanche on December 23. In the Abruzzo, central Italy, there was a rescue operation for hikers who were surprised by the snow. The mountain rescue guard also had to move out at the Bavarian Spitzingsee because two hikers had got lost in the snow with sneakers, like Merkur reported.

In emergencies, it is important to be well prepared and take the right measures. If you call your mobile phone in the mountains, you should make sure that the device has a full battery and wear it near the body to ensure reception. During the winter, the mobile phone in the backpack should be worn on the back to keep it warm. First aid should be a priority, and in the event of an emergency, communication with the emergency call center should be clearly and quiet, as recommended by Alpine club .