Reichenau Mountain Rescue frees Polish couple in the dark from the Preintalersteig

The couple was positioned in front of the last chimney, the key passage of the tour with difficulty level II, and could neither go forward nor back. The two then placed an emergency call.

Wrong Route Instead of Hiking Trail

As it turned out, the duo had mistakenly chosen the rock climbing route for the descent instead of the Wachthüttelkamm. The couple was overwhelmed by this. The mountain rescue service speaks in such cases of overconfidence: „Auch dies ist ein Ergebnis schlechter Tourenplanung und Selbstüberschätzung, denn derlei Einsätze wären vermeidbar."

A team from the Reichenau mountain rescue climbed on foot to the uninjured climbers and lowered them to the base of the wall. The couple could be safely dropped off there.

Rescue in the Night

At around 11:00 PM, the two Poles could be safely dropped off at their vehicle near the Weichtalhaus. The operation was thus concluded after about two and a half hours.

The Reichenau mountain rescue service pointed out in its statement that rescues of uninjured persons now account for almost a quarter of all mountain rescue operations. „Dabei geht es um jene Einsätze, bei denen Personen zum Beispiel einfach erschöpft sind und nicht mehr weiterkönnen."

130 Years of Mountain Rescue

The incident occurred only a few hours after an anniversary of the mountain rescue service: At noon, the opening of the special exhibition (July 11 to September 6) on the 130-year history of mountain rescue was celebrated at Kulturschloss Reichenau.

A young couple from Poland (24 and 26 years old) got into a mountain emergency on the Rax late on Saturday evening. The Reichenau mountain rescue team had to deploy to the Rax for a nighttime operation on Saturday.

Background: Rescues of Uninjured Persons

The mountain rescue service recommends that day-trippers inform themselves thoroughly about the route before setting out and realistically assess their own abilities. In the current case, the two climbers remained uninjured.

The Rax is one of the most popular hiking mountains in Lower Austria. The Preintalersteig is considered a demanding trail whose key passages require climbing experience.