Mountain rescue service has to get family with baby out of the snow – in shorts and leggings on the way
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April 08, 2022 – 20:54 Clock
It was supposed to be a romantic tour along meadows, hunting lodges and farms up to the Carinthian Storschitz in Austria. But then a German vacationer couple got into mountain trouble on the way to the summit due to exhaustion. Also present: a nine-month-old baby and three dogs. The family finally got stuck in the storm and wind – and had to make an emergency call. This is reported by the Kleine Zeitung.
The descent becomes a disaster
Enjoy the magnificent all-round view over the imposing mountain landscape of southern Carinthia and the border area to Slovenia at the summit cross of the Carinthian Storschitz: That was the plan of a German couple aged 27 and 30, with a baby in the back carrier and their three dogs.
Reading tip: In almost the same place – three hikers fall to their deaths in the foothills of the Alps
On April 7th they set out – from the south side. But then the disaster: In the Karawanken, a mountain range in the southern Limestone Alps, the descent on the north side comes to a standstill. The group, including the baby in the carrier, gets stuck in the waist-deep snow – and has to turn back. Then they lose their strength. Last resort: call the mountain rescue service!
Sometimes in shorts
“They completely underestimated the situation,” says Gernot Koboltschnig, local manager of the Bad Eisenkappel mountain rescue service in the Kleine Zeitung. He therefore kept in touch with the constant German telephone contacts while the other rescuers were on their way to them. “We don’t want to die here,” the Germans tell him on the phone. “She was really scared,” says Koboltschnig.
Reading tip: Sled dog warms injured mountain hiker and saves him from freezing
According to the report, the father had the baby on the mountain tour in a back carrier. “I told him on the phone to take the baby out of the carrier immediately and hold it very close to his body, preferably under his jacket. Because a child like that cools down quickly,” explains Koboltschnig.
The mountaineering family was partly in short pants on the mountain where there was snow. “You just didn’t expect that there would still be so much snow up there, because it’s snow-free down there,” says the mountain rescuer.
Hypothermia – but everyone is fine
However, due to the stormy wind, the rescue helicopter cannot land in the area of the mountain peak. The German climbers had to descend lower until they reached a wind-protected landing site. Then came salvation: everyone was saved, some with slight hypothermia. The three dogs were also brought back safely to the valley – but not by helicopter, as they are not muzzled. (yeah)
