Ramsau Mountain Rescue: Takeaways from Two High‑Risk Incidents

The mountains around Ramsau, Germany, are a place of profound beauty but also significant danger. Franz Vogl, a member of the Ramsau Mountain Rescue Service since 2018, emphasizes that the mountain is not a toy or a gym, and it demands respect. Mistakes are not forgiven, and tragedies can occur, with people sometimes not making it home. The mountain rescue service operates 24/7, 365 days a year, ready to respond when the pager goes off, especially when helicopters cannot fly due to adverse weather.

A Close Call in Schönfeldgraben Gully

One incident involved a call at 12:20 p.m. about a person who had fallen over 50 meters in the Schönfeldgraben gully. The path there is difficult, steep, and unsecured. Franz attempted to call the fallen individual but received no answer, making it difficult to assess the situation. Upon arrival, the helicopter had already received coordinates and was able to land near the scene.

The fallen person, Benjamin, was found in a dry riverbed, among rocks, approximately 30 to 40 meters down. Despite the severe fall and being found in a pool of blood, Benjamin was responsive and able to move slightly, which immediately eased the rescuers' concerns. He reported feeling bruised but not broken, and remarkably, had no serious injuries. He had slipped and was not wearing a helmet. His luck was further highlighted when hikers above inadvertently triggered a rockfall, narrowly missing him. The rescuers considered his survival a "lottery win," given that some people die from much shorter falls.

The Blaueis Glacier Incident

Another challenging mission involved Josef, a nine-year veteran of the Ramsau Mountain Rescue Service and a passionate mountaineer. He received a call about a missing person on the Hochkalter, a mountain nearly 2,600 meters high with an elevation gain of almost 2,000 meters from the valley. The initial report was vague, with a friend contacting the service via WhatsApp, stating she was in contact with the patient but he wasn't answering his phone.

Josef's phone call with the girlfriend proved crucial. She confirmed the patient, who had crampons, was sending WhatsApp messages and needed help. This allowed Josef to narrow down the location to the Blaueis Glacier, a known difficult area. Raphael Hang, the owner of the Blaueishütte and a mountain rescue team member, was also alerted. Knowing the mountain intimately, Raphael was a valuable asset, especially as a trained mountain guide. The Blaueishütte effectively serves as a branch office for the rescue service, critical for rapid response.

The plan was for Raphael to use the helicopter to locate and extract the patient. However, the weather quickly deteriorated, with fog descending and making helicopter operations impossible. This meant a ground rescue would be necessary, which would take longer.

A Perilous Descent

Eyewitnesses at the Hochkalter reported seeing a person at the edge crevasse of the glacier about an hour and a half prior. Raphael, descending from the summit of the Hochkalter, faced extremely poor visibility (5 meters) and rain. The section he was traversing was unsecured, and a slip could lead to a fall of hundreds of meters.

Two air rescuers were deployed to meet Raphael. They were dropped off below the break in the Blaueis Glacier and climbed towards him. The glacier's upper section can be as steep as 50 degrees. Raphael eventually made voice contact with the stranded individual, who was at the edge crevasse – a small gap between the glacier and the rock face.

The stranded climber was hypothermic, with a blue face and cold hands, huddled in a small space. He had been there for three and a half hours, too cold and scared to even remove his backpack to put on more clothes. He was wearing a sweat-soaked T-shirt. Raphael secured him with a rope. The climber, who was experienced, admitted he had gone too far and realized the danger of attempting to descend alone.

The rescue team, including Lukas Wurm, an air rescuer and canyoning specialist, emphasized that the mountain does not care about human will or ambition. External circumstances, like weather, can override any determination. The crevasse where the climber was stuck was particularly dangerous, being 5-6 meters wide in some places, making it impossible to jump across. A few meters to the left, the ice surface would have been thinner, posing a risk of breaking through.

The descent was challenging, especially the upper section of the Blaueis Glacier, which carries a high risk of slipping. The team rappelled down, with the climber, despite his experience, feeling shaky. The rescuers advised him to sit on his backpack to protect against the cold ground and to move his arms to warm up.

The mission, which would typically take 10 minutes by helicopter, took about two and a half hours for the most difficult part due to the inability to fly. As they descended to rockier terrain, the climber warmed up and was able to move more normally.

Lessons Learned

The mission was a challenging but successful one. The rescuers highlighted the importance of calling emergency services when in a dangerous situation on the mountain, rather than attempting to self-rescue and potentially worsening the situation. The incident served as a reminder that even experienced mountaineers can find themselves in peril, and the mountain rescue service is there to help, risking their own lives to save others.