Airbag lifesaver

Avalanche sweeps alpinists away in the Stubai Alps

Symbol image(Bild: Hubert Rauth)

An avalanche caused unrest shortly after 12 noon on Saturday. In the area of the Gamskogel (2659 meters) in the municipality of Grinzens (district of Innsbruck-Land), a German was caught in the masses of snow. Thanks to the avalanche airbag, he escaped with a fright.

Two ski tourers were probably extremely lucky on their descent from the Gamskogel. As confirmed by the Tyrol control center at the request of the "Krone", an avalanche occurred in the area of the Seejöchl on the north side of the Stubai Alps at around 12.13 pm.

The two alpinists were surprised by the avalanche. "One person was swept away", according to the control center. According to the police, the German (32) triggered the avalanche airbag in time and was therefore not buried. The man remained uninjured. The Christophorus 1 emergency helicopter was deployed.

Negative avalanche on Hoher Burgstall
There had already been an avalanche on the Hoher Burgstall in the Schlick at around 11 am. An Italian, who was skiing with two other winter sports enthusiasts, triggered part of a steep slope, but was able to stop in time at a rocky outcrop and was not caught. There were no spills and no injuries. The crew of the Libelle Tirol police helicopter verified the event as a so-called negative avalanche.

One person was swept away.

Leitstelle Tirol

Low to moderate danger level
In the area of the Stubai Alps above 2400 meters, there is moderate avalanche danger (level 2 of 5). This is according to the forecast of the Tyrolean avalanche service. Below that, the danger is low. In all other parts of Tyrol, the danger at higher altitudes is also classified as "moderate".