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Austria Now News – Salzburg
Mountain rescue teams in the province of Salzburg rescued a 20-year-old German man overnight from Saturday to Sunday after he became stranded, exhausted and hypothermic, at an altitude of around 2,600 metres in the icy Birgkar area of the Hochkönig massif. The operation lasted 14 hours in extremely harsh conditions, Austrian broadcaster ORF reported.
Ascent despite warnings
Three young German climbers had set out on Saturday afternoon on the Königsjodler via ferrata in Mühlbach am Hochkönig in the Pongau region – according to the rescuers, despite urgent warnings from another climber and a poor weather forecast. At the emergency exit at around 2,600 metres, one of them could no longer continue and called for help at around 19:00.
His two companions continued climbing and reached the closed Matrashaus hut at 2,941 metres during the night.
Helicopter unable to fly
The rescue helicopter was unable to reach the scene due to the weather, so 11 mountain rescuers set off on foot. The route through the Birgkar was very steep and icy and could only be negotiated with crampons, while heavy snowfall set in during the operation. The rescuers reached the young man shortly before midnight, then secured him with ropes for the descent through deep snow, only reaching the Erichhütte at 8:18 in the morning.
Warning against underestimating the mountains
The head of mountain rescue in the Pongau region, Gerhard Kremser, said the young man might not have survived another night in those conditions. He called for realistic tour planning and for warnings to be taken seriously, stressing that mountaineering also means turning back in time. The Alpine police are investigating the incident.
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Sources
- ORF Salzburg, Klettersteiggeher bei Schneesturm gerettet, 01.11.2026, https://salzburg.orf.at/stories/3377642/
