19-year-old dies during night-time ascent to the Zugspitze

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• A 19-year-old slipped and died during a night-time ascent of the Zugspitze.
• Halfway up, the man fell around 250 meters over extremely steep and rocky terrain while crossing a snowfield.
• The young man wanted to watch the sunrise with a friend.

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A 19-year-old died during a night-time ascent of the Zugspitze. The young man from the Paderborn district in East Westphalia had set off from the valley station in Ehrwald with a friend of the same age on Thursday evening, according to the Tyrolean state police headquarters. Halfway to the summit, he slipped while crossing a snowfield at around 3.00 a.m. and fell around 250 meters over extremely steep and rocky terrain. Bild" first reported on the incident.

Not adequately prepared

"The two intended to watch the sunset during the ascent and the sunrise after reaching the summit," explained the regional police headquarters. However, they were apparently not adequately prepared for the winter conditions in the high mountains: "They were only equipped with hiking boots, headlamps and snowshoes," it continued.

View of the Zugspitze.

Bil: Angelika Warmuth/dpa

Grödel are pulled over the shoes and work with small pins or hooks under the soles similar to snow chains on a car tire. However, they provide much less grip on snow and ice in alpine terrain than the crampons usually used by mountaineers. Mountaineers usually also carry an ice axe with them on such tours to cushion a possible fall on a snowfield. An ice axe is a kind of "walking stick" with a pointed pick.

Rescued by helicopter

At almost 3,000 meters, the Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany. The tour chosen by the two young men via the Stopselzieher via ferrata is considered the shortest and comparatively easy climb and starts on the Austrian side. However, like the other climbs, it is currently only recommended for very experienced alpinists with appropriate winter equipment.

The 19-year-old suffered fatal injuries during his fall. His companion immediately made an emergency call and was picked up unharmed by a helicopter using a winch. The man who crashed was rescued by another helicopter.