At night, at 5 degrees

Lost Hiker in Shorts Rescued

The Almtal near Grünau(Bild: Matthias Lauber/laumat.at)

A difficult nighttime search operation by the Grünau im Almtal (Upper Austria) Mountain Rescue Service for an 18-year-old Hungarian man on the north face of the Schermberg in the Totes Gebirge. The hiker had lost his bearings due to negligent preparation for the hike. His gear was also completely inadequate for the low temperatures at an altitude of 1,700 meters.

The 18-year-old Hungarian had traveled by public transportation to Almsee near Grünau im Almtal on Thursday and then set out alone via the Sepp-Huber Trail. He intended to cross the high plateau of the Totes Gebirge to the Welser Hut and return to the valley from there.

It is still unclear exactly when the young man set out. However, he likely started his hike much too late and grossly underestimated the distance. “His clothing was also anything but suitable for a mountain hike,” emphasizes Martin Trautwein, head of operations for the Grünau Mountain Rescue Service.

The young man had apparently prepared extremely inadequately for his mountain hike. The nighttime rescue operation will also cost him a pretty penny.

Einsatzleiter Martin Trautwein

Completely misjudged
When the Hungarian realized that he wouldn’t be able to complete the route he had planned within the allotted time, he wanted to take a shortcut west of the Schermberg through the Schneetal valley to the Büchsenkar. “But there’s no trail in that area—at most, a rarely used path with a key section over rock faces or through a gorge with sinkholes. Plus, you’d first have to find the entrance,” Trautwein emphasizes.

The 18-year-old was then unable to find the descent and dialed the emergency number 140 at around 9:50 p.m. at an elevation of 1,760 meters. “The phone connection was very poor, however, and the automatic coordinate transmission (AML) didn’t work either,” confirms the incident commander. 

Language Barriers
There were also language barriers, as the Hungarian spoke only a little English. However, he was able to say that he was uninjured and provide his coordinates. 

“Seventeen of our people then began the ascent because the peaks were shrouded in clouds at the time, and the owner of the Welser Hut informed us that at an altitude of 1,800 meters, the wind was blowing at 40 km/h and the temperature was only 5 degrees Celsius,” said Trautwein.

Localized with a thermal imaging camera
After contact with the Hungarian man was completely lost, a police helicopter from Salzburg was called in. Its mission was to check whether the provided coordinates were correct and to verify his location. “Shortly before 11:30 p.m., the man was located with the help of a thermal imaging camera. The C-14 emergency medical helicopter had also been notified, but in the meantime had to respond to another emergency call.

(Bild: Fotokerschi)

At 1:19 a.m., the mountain rescue team finally reached the lost man, who was already severely hypothermic. “We provided him with thermal jackets, heat pads, and food,” explains Trautwein.

Helicopter Could Not Land
The pilot of the arriving rescue helicopter reported that a rope rescue was not possible due to strong winds. An attempt to land on one skid to try for a direct boarding also failed.

“At 2:26 a.m., we began the descent. We secured the young man with a rope as we made our way through the rocky terrain.” After a rest break at 3:36 a.m. at 1,550 meters, the descent continued. By around 7:15 a.m., everyone was finally back in the valley unharmed. The Hungarian man, who apparently did not have mountain insurance, is now likely to face significant financial costs.