A Blog Shouldn't Start Like This... - Zettenkaiser (1968 m)

22.09.2013

Zettenkaiser via north face

SAC Hiking lvl: T5

UIAA Climbing lvl: II

We started at 6am from Munich and arrived at our start point, Hintersteiner See, at 7:15.
Weather was a bit cloudy but still good. We were a group of 6 experienced hikers and, although the tour was not easy, we didn´t expect any trouble. 

Hintersteiner See

After hiking for two hours, we arrived at the Kaindlhütte. Fortunately, the clouds cleared up, it was getting warmer, and after a short break we continued our tour. The trail got steeper and after passing a "stonefield",  we started climbing to the peak. The most difficult places should have been at the beginning and we passed them without any problems. After a while, we had trouble determining the right path. Little did we know, it was just the beginning of our troubles. It was bit confusing because the path looked like it went right, but after 10 meters it disappeared, we found the right way and we continued climbing for the next half hour.

Climbing up to the Zettenkaiser

None of us could've predicted what was to follow. It happened around 100 meter below the peak, the area was not very difficult (maximum UIAA I). My friend, Robert, was the last one in our group and opted to follow a route approximately 2m beside ours. I could still see him from the corner of my eye. Suddenly, within a split second, Robert was gone. Initially, I didn't know how to react, my mind just blanked out. Then, an immeasurable sense of dread and panic surged within me when I realised Robert had slipped and fell down the side of the slope. 

At first, I thought he would be able to grab onto a boulder or an edge to stop his fall. In the most unfortunate of circumstances, the slope was too steep and he wasn't able to stop. 
He had lost consciousness after the first 3-5 meters while we helplessly looked onto his unresponsive body roll through the air before hitting the the jagged edges of the slope again and again. After falling approximately 40-50m down the slope, his body disappeared behind an edge. I couldn't believe what has just happened. There was a moment of dead silence before any of us could properly register the horrible reality of the situation. 

Immediately afterwards, Matthias tried to contact the rescue team while Nico and I carefully climbed down to look for Robert. When we first saw his leg, I held my breath, fearing the worst had happened to our friend. While we made our way towards him, I breathed a sigh of relief when we heard some noises coming from him. His body was caught in a bush just half a meter away from a ledge with a 300 meter drop. He was upside down and his legs were stuck in some branches. The area was quite steep and it was too dangerous for us to stand up vertically. There was a big pool of blood surrounding his body, with even more blood gushing from his head. Nico and I had attempted to get free his legs after we were able to grab his hands and pull him out of the bush slightly. It wasn't until our third attempt did we finally get his legs free from the tangled branches.

He was conscious again and I told him everything would be fine. When the helicopter was getting closer, Nico decided to head up a bit higher and I was left alone with Robert in my arms. I felt the wind from the rotor blowing pieces of the gravel and small stones around me. I tried my best to shield Robert with my body and my backback. 

The helicopter brought down two rescue workers but unfortunately, they weren't able to reach us due to the area being too steep for them to go without using rope and safety equipment. It took almost half an hour for them to get some rope and build the safety apparatus. I kept talking to Robert during this time, reassuring him while I tried my best to hide my panic. I told him repeatedly that it was just a laceration and he'd recover in no time, despite not believing myself at the time. However, I knew I had to keep positive during that situation. He felt cold and I asked the rescuers hovering above us for a rescue blanket. I tried to wrap the blanket around him while he was still bleeding. My hands covered with warm blood and I became numb for some time. After what felt eternity, the rescuers finally came down to get us. They handed me a rope and I hoisted myself up first. They were able to place a stretcher on the ground and together we moved Robert onto it. When he was secured in the stretcher, they pulled him up flew  him straight to the hospital in Kufstein.

rescue helicopter with Robert and rescue-team

We weren't in the best condition to climb down either, so we asked for a helicopter to bring us down as well. 5 minutes later, a police helicopter arrived to bring us down. We got a kind of harness- diaper contraption to wear to be clipped under the helicopter before the rest of us were safely carried to the base of the mountain.

Police helicopter with Nico and me

It's been a few days since the incident, and in hindsight, Robert was incredibly lucky. Despite cracking his head in eleven places, due to him not wearing a helmet, and suffering other injuries, there's a good chance that he will be able recover completely. It may take some months for this to happen but for now, we are all very happy about the news. 

Finally, a warning to fellow hikers: Never compromise your safety in the mountains! Always wear a helmet and always be careful. The mountain doesn't make any mistakes, it's always the human!

Get well soon, Robert!