Nine missions in six days - it was a strenuous and time-consuming week for the Mittenwald standby.
Group leader Benni Wollesen, Florian Klotz and Enrico Schirmer stepped in as the head of operations for the boss, Heinz Pfeffer, who was on vacation.
Mittenwald
- A lot happens in the mountains in summer. This was once again confirmed in the past week. The Mittenwald mountain rescue service had to contest various missions. It all started on Monday, May 31st, at 7 p.m. in the Laintal. Below the “Madonna”, a woman from Mittenwald had to be treated with an ankle fracture. "Eight men and on-call doctor Jochen Jansen were on duty for one hour," says group leader Benni Wollesen. The injured was brought to the hospital.
Two days later, the police alerted the local mountain rescue service at noon because a person was missing in the Arnspitze area.
“We moved out with 17 men,” says Wollesen.
“A helicopter and our colleagues from Scharnitz and Leutasch took part in the search.” Due to heavy rain, the operation had to be stopped at around 6 p.m.
To this day there is no trace of the man from Bautzen.
Shortly afterwards, the third order was due.
The landlord of the Dammkarhütte had reported via the control center that a local below the accommodation had broken his shin and fibula in an accident.
The man was given first aid in the ADAC helicopter, recovered by winch and bag and flown to the Murnau Accident Clinic.
After the two-hour mission, the mountain watchmen were back home at 8 p.m.
Search for missing persons at the Arnspitze
The next day, the search for the missing person continued on the Arnspitze. But that's not all: the fifth mission followed a little later. This started at 11 a.m. In the Kranzberg area below St. Anton, an eleven-year-old boy sustained a lung injury in a serious accident. The three chiefs of operations moved out with five colleagues. “We don't know the cause of the accident,” says Wollesen. After the first aid, the boy was flown to the clinic in the RK II helicopter from Reutte.
It got strange on Thursday around 10 p.m. during the sixth mission of the past week.
An attentive tourist noticed light signals on the Arnspitze and informed the control center.
Six comrades climbed over the Porta Claudia through the Hasellaine gully.
At the top they found a tent that was illuminated in blue with UV light.
“There was a butterfly watcher in it, who was doing professional research,” explains Wollesen, and he can't help but smile.
“But after our admonition, he showed understanding.
He just forgot to report his action to the police. "
Sad certainty
On the other hand, the seventh mission, which began on Friday, June 5, and ended on Saturday in the area of the eastern Karwendelspitze, ended sadly.
As reported, the 65-year-old climber from Bonn could only be rescued dead.
“We took part in the search with 15 men on both days,” explains Florian Klotz.
He drove his colleagues to the Schlaghütte in a Pinzgau ambulance.
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Spectacular use in snow flurries: the mountain rescue service works on the Karwendel with a cable winch.
© Bergwacht
On Saturday, June 5th, there was a second and ninth mission waiting for the mountain guards. At 4 p.m. I received a message via the service phone that two hikers on the Karwendelsteig at the "Rote Gams" below the tunnel window of the Karwendelbahn had gotten off the ground. The rescue turned out to be complicated, however, as there was heavy fog. From the mountain station, Markus Heinrich and Wollesen had to abseil down to the two climbers using a pulley block with a rescue rope. Wollesen: "We hung them up with us using the rescue belt and then pulled us up into the tunnel window with the pulley system."
The dead man in the Karwendel was traveling alone and could not be located.
Enrico Schirmer emphasizes: "Tours with two people and then with a charged mobile phone are better, because even a device that is switched off can be located in an area without a network by the helicopter."
Praise from the on-call manager
After returning from vacation, mountain rescue boss Heinz Pfeffer is proud of his colleagues.
"A praise to the well-rehearsed team and to the employers for their understanding in assigning their employees to our assignments again and again during working hours."
But there is one more thing that Pfeffer wants to say in particular: “The two dead we recovered in April and May were also on their own. The search in large areas is made even more difficult if no companion can make an emergency call. ”Hence his advice: Always go into the mountains in pairs and thus maintain the chance of a faster rescue and increased chances of survival.
Wolfgang Kunz
