Pupils in distress

Stranded in the snow on the way to the Lido in Jesolo

Tyrol instead of Jesolo: The students had to be flown off the mountain by police helicopter.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

They were supposed to cycle from Bavaria across the Alps in Tyrol to the Lido in Jesolo, Italy. However, a group of German schoolchildren and their teachers ended up stranded not in the bathing paradise on the Upper Adriatic, but on a mountain - at around 2000 meters above sea level. In the snow! 

While the summer vacations have already begun in Austria and school reports will be distributed in the last federal states on Friday, the Bavarians will have to wait a little longer. But even our neighbors still have project weeks and excursions on the agenda for the end of the school year.

This is also the case for a school class from Furth in Lower Bavaria: the group of pupils set off on Tuesday to cross the Alps by bike. The eleven high school students were accompanied by two teachers and five other adults.

Tyrol instead of Jesolo: The students had to be flown off the mountain by police helicopter.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Final destination at more than 2000 meters above sea level
Of course, their route also took them through Tyrol - specifically through the Zillertal valley. "On Thursday, the group wanted to reach their destination for the day in Prettau in South Tyrol from Zell am Ziller via the Zillergrund and the 2662-metre-high Heilig-Geist-Jöchl," said the police. But nothing came of it!

Due to the snow conditions at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level - in some places there is still half a meter of frozen snow - they had to carry their bikes.

Die Polizei

Half a meter of frozen snow
In contrast to the destination of Jesolo, the conditions on Tyrol's mountains are still partly wintry. "Due to the snow conditions from an altitude of 2000 meters - in some places there is still half a meter of frozen snow - they had to carry their bikes. And because the conditions at the highest point and also on the south side of the mountain were no better, the group leader aborted the tour and made an emergency call." 

Rescue by police helicopter
According to the investigators, the exhausted group members could no longer be expected to descend independently and safely due to the advanced time of day.

The 18 people were finally rescued unharmed by the crew of the police helicopter and set down at the Sulzenalm, where they were taken over by the Mayrhofen mountain rescue team and escorted safely down into the valley.