Just barely saved

Mountaineers wanted to climb the Matterhorn in half-shoes

After all, the two "alpinists" were wearing trekking boots, but far too little for the high alpine terrain.(Bild: Air Zermatt)

Two mountaineers had to be rescued on the Matterhorn due to an incredibly careless action. They were only equipped with light half-shoes and thin training pants.

The two "alpinists" from Vietnam were stuck for 14 hours before they were rescued from freezing to death, suffering from severe hypothermia. The rescue of the two athletes was particularly challenging due to the extreme weather conditions. Neither a rescue by air nor by land was possible.

Rescuers had to abseil down
The climbers in distress were blocked below the normal route in impassable terrain. In the end, three specialists decided to climb the Matterhorn on foot to the scene of the accident. They were exposed to snow, wind, ice, fog and cold. At more than 3,500 meters, they discovered the two climbers in distress.

The rescuers had to abseil down to them and bring the duo back to the normal route using a rope pull. This was followed by an extremely difficult descent to the winter camp of a hut.

Equipment "far removed from sturdy mountain boots"
"They were wearing elevated trekking shoes, but they were a far cry from sturdy mountain boots," the mountain rescuers' press spokesperson told the Blick newspaper, expressing his horror. Once they arrived at the winter camp at the Hörnlihütte (where only an emergency room is currently open), the rescuers and the climbers in distress were able to seek shelter.

Due to the volatile weather conditions, they stayed there until 2 a.m. before a helicopter was able to bring them safely down to the valley in two flights.