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On Sunday, a man has an accident on the Grosser Mythen. Is this the most dangerous mountain in Switzerland?
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Another hiker has had a fatal accident on the Grosser Mythen - a tragic but unfortunately not uncommon incident. Experts warn that many people underestimate the dangers of the descent. Is the mountain even safe?
Summer has really arrived in Switzerland. Those who don't jump into the water flee to the mountains. Hiking is in vogue and all the more beautiful in this weather. But it also harbors dangers.
On Sunday afternoon, a fatal accident occurred on the Grosser Mythen. A man fell to his death on the Mythenweg. The police were only able to recover the man's body at an altitude of 1290 meters.
This is not the first accident on the mountain. The Gross Mythen (1898 m) is one of the most popular, but also one of the most dangerous mountains in the canton of Schwyz - around 40,000 people climb it every year. Despite its moderate difficulty (T3), serious falls occur regularly.
Since 1998, there has been around one fatal accident per year on the Grossen Mythen, making the mountain a real "hotspot region". The most recent accidents occurred in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Some of the climbers fell up to 450 meters.
One woman fell 450 meters in 2023 while descending from the Grosser Mythen.
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The Schwyz cantonal police assess the situation as follows: "You have to be aware that you are in steep terrain on the ascent and descent. The Mythenweg is rated T3 in terms of difficulty. T3 means that the path is steep and may have exposed sections. There is therefore a certain risk of falling." However, the Mythenweg is well secured with chains at exposed points.
The Mythen Trail is maintained by the Mythen Friends Association. The president of the association, Hans Reichmuth, told blue News: "Unfortunately, there are fatalities on the Mythen every year. It's a tragedy every year." The association is responsible for the Mythen Trail. "The majority of deaths are natural causes. For example, heart problems or circulatory problems. These happen on the way up - in other words, during the ascent," says Reichmuth.
Hans Reichmuth is President of the Mythen Friends Association.
grossermythen.ch
However, unnatural deaths, i.e. cases where people have accidents, usually have nothing to do with heart problems or the wrong footwear, as one might assume. Reichmuth says: "Most accidents happen on the descent. This has to do with various things. My assessment is that hikers overestimate themselves and don't take enough time on the descent."
Added to this is the large number of people on the Mythen. "Where there are a lot of people, missteps sometimes happen," explains Reichmuth. Nevertheless, the president does not speak of a dangerous path. The path is well secured, but very steep in some places.
"If a misstep happens on the ascent, you usually end up on the path in front of you. On the descent, however, gravity comes into play. A misstep can lead to you falling off the path," says Reichmuth.
The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) sees the situation on the Gross Mythen in a similar way to Hans Reichmuth. When asked by blue News, Rolf Sägesser, Head of Summer Training and certified mountain guide at the SAC, says: "Many people lack an objective self-assessment of what is required for this - and comparable - T3 hikes."
The website states that it is "a well-developed trail secured with chains that is easy to walk". Sägesser criticizes: "Too little attention is paid to the danger of falling, which is omnipresent in this steep terrain of mostly over 40 degrees." A misstep could therefore have fatal consequences. In addition, the descent in this terrain requires more mental effort than the ascent.
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But shouldn't the route be even better secured? Sägesser says no: "Even more installations bring even more people to the mountain, mostly those who are then overwhelmed. And that's not at all helpful."
Sägesser sees other challenges: "Ultimately, social media plays its part in attracting many people. Regardless of their abilities, the likelihood of an accident is much greater than on less frequented hikes."
