Tragedy in Tyrol: German alpinist dies on Bergtour on Köllenspitze

Tragedy in Tyrol: German alpinist dies on Bergtour on Köllenspitze

Musau, Österreich - A tragic alpine accident occurred on April 19, 2025 in Musau, Tyrol, where a 40-year-old man from the Main-Kinzig district lost life. The German had planned a mountain tour to the Köllenspitze alone and agreed with a friend to send his location every three to four hours to ensure that everything was fine. At around 4:30 a.m. he reached the Lechaschauer Alm and sent a summit photo and its location about five hours later.

Shortly after the summit photo, contact with his acquaintance broke off. On the night of April 20, this informed the police about the man's disappearance. Thereupon a search was initiated in the area of its last known location.

search action and sad find

On April 20, 2025 around 2:30 p.m., the man was finally found by a helicopter crew of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. It was lifeless in the area about 450 meters below the summit. How this fatal incident came about is still unclear. The authorities have not yet clarified the exact circumstances of his death.

The Köllenspitze, which is located west of Reutte and is also known as a headlight, is a popular destination for mountaineers. The sad events surrounding the death of the alpinist are reminiscent of the dangers that mountaineering brings with it. According to the Austrian Board of Trustees for Alpine Security (ÖKAS) and the alpine police, over 8,000 alpine accidents are recorded in a common database annually, which serves to research accident research and prevention work in mountain sports. These statistics impressively show how important security in the mountains is and what risks the mountaineering carries.

The current tragedy is part of the large number of alpine accidents that have been registered in recent years, with accidents in the organized ski room only covered if there is suspicion of external negligence or they are fatal. The annual overview of alpine accidents enables important knowledge of alpine security and underlines the need to always act carefully in the mountains.

Further information on the recorded accidents and their background can be found on the pages of Tyrolean daily newspaper and alpine security are read.