The man lost consciousness and fell into a steep ravine. His two companions, a 30-year-old from Flachgau and a 31-year-old from Upper Austria, were able to prevent the injured man from falling any further. He was rescued by the C14 rescue helicopter team and flown to a hospital.
The three-man rope team climbed the southwest edge in the followingnoon (so-called “Peterkante”, which has a difficulty level of 5 on the UIAA – Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme – scale, note). According to the police, the experienced alpinists untied themselves from the ropes at the end of the route and walked the last 100 meters towards the summit (UIAA 1-2+) free. At around 5.15 p.m., for reasons unknown, a stone came loose above the three climbers and hit the 31-year-old’s helmet.
Crashed unconscious
The mountaineer was hit so hard on the head that he lost consciousness and fell several meters into the steep gully. His comrades were only able to prevent the injured man from falling any further by setting up a makeshift safety device. They made an emergency call.
After the rescue, the injured man was flown to the Adamek Hut by the rescue helicopter team and, following receiving initial treatment, taken to the University Hospital in Salzburg. The man’s two companions, who remained uninjured, were flown down into the valley by the Libelle police helicopter.
