Young and completely clueless

“TikTok mountaineers” are driving mountain rescuers to fury

Three young amateur mountaineers—one of whom can be seen in the red circle on the left—got stuck in a snowfield on the trail to the Zugspitze last Sunday. They, too, had learned about the hike through videos on social media. The Ehrwald Mountain Rescue team had to rescue them.(Bild: Bergrettung Ehrwald, AFP/Saeed Khan, Krone KREATIV)

They found the route on social media, are under 20 years old, have no mountaineering experience, dramatically overestimate their abilities, and ultimately find themselves in acute danger: This group is currently keeping mountain rescuers in Ehrwald, Tyrol (Reutte district), on their toes. They are warning of this dangerous new trend.

They come from all over the world—from Germany, Italy, Tunisia, the U.S., and even India. One thing unites them, says Robin Lutnig, head of the Ehrwald Mountain Rescue Service: “They’ve come across these tours on social media and see the mountains as a playground.”

“Playground” Zugspitze, barriers are ignored
The young pseudo-mountaineers particularly like to “play” on the Zugspitze (2,962 m), Germany’s highest mountain, which is reached via a popular route from Ehrwald. Last Sunday alone, mountain rescuers had to bring three stranded climbers safely down to the valley. They had all even ignored a clearly visible climbing barrier. “The more extreme a tour seems to be, the more they like it,” Lutnig laments.

While the young people often have good equipment with them, they don’t know how to use it.

Robin Lutnig, Ortsstellenleiter Bergrettung Ehrwald

Bild: Bergrettung Ehrwald

Heading for disasterwithout a plan
Often, these are groups of friends who were essentially inspired by a “nice” video on social media. They set out without any route planning, convinced that “it’s no big deal anyway.”

Three young pseudo-mountaineers—one of whom can be seen on the left in the red circle—got stuck in a snowfield on the way to the Zugspitze last Sunday. They, too, had learned about the hike through videos on social media. The Ehrwald Mountain Rescue had to rescue them.(Bild: Bergrettung Ehrwald, AFP/Saeed Khan, Krone KREATIV)

A knack for TikTok, but not for the mountains
Impressive videos, perhaps even presented by a pretty young influencer, and the reality on the mountain are, of course, two completely different things. “These mostly under-20s are generally well-equipped and in good physical shape, but they lack any experience and any sense of the mountains,” Lutnig shakes his head in disbelief.

Every year, numerous overwhelmed mountaineers have to be rescued on the so-called “Stopselzieherroute” to the Zugspitze.(Bild: Bergrettung Ehrwald, Krone KREATIV)

There’s no turning back
Regina Poberschnigg, Lutnig’s deputy, speaks of an alarming new trend. “These young people often walk for hours in the snow without considering that they also have to make it back or catch the last descent of the Zugspitzbahn. There’s no turning back for them,” she says with frustration.

TikTok campaign for mountain rescue below the Tyrolean Zugspitzbahn.(Bild: Bergrettung Ehrwald)

Dramatic consequences
The result, according to the experienced mountain rescuer: “Eventually, they run out of strength for the return trip, find themselves in the dark, and panic. Then they cry their eyes out and raise the alarm.”

Eventually, they run out of strength for the return trip, find themselves in the dark, and panic. Then they cry their eyes out and raise the alarm.”

Regina Poberschnigg, Bergrettung Ehrwald

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

30 “stranded” hikers rescued
Around 30 such pseudo-mountaineers, who could no longer continue or no longer dared to continue, have already been rescued from their predicaments by the Ehrwald mountain rescuers in this still very early hiking season. Fortunately, all remained virtually unharmed.

Avalanche fatality in early December
In December of last year, however, a 19-year-old German man was swept off the via ferrata to the Zugspitze by an avalanche and buried. For the young man, any help came too late.