This development represents "records that we as mountain rescue do not wish for, because they present new challenges to the alpine volunteer service," said the co-regional leader of the Mountain Rescue Lower Austria Vienna, Karl Weber: "Never before have we had to rescue so many uninjured people."

Mountain Rescue Lower Austria Vienna: Better Preparation Could Prevent Operations

257 or one-third of the alerts were due to a lack of equipment, fitness, or skills, as well as poor preparation. In 2015, only about 20 percent of a total of 684 operations were triggered by uninjured people. These could have been prevented with better preparation and tour planning. For example, last year a group of young men climbed the Schneeberg in winter wearing jogging pants and sneakers before they had to be brought to safety at night by the mountain rescue and alpine police. A German and a Hungarian got caught in a storm on the Stadelwandgrat on the Schneeberg. The operation was completed in the early morning hours. In the summer, a father and his son, both wearing sneakers and relying on a mobile app, were rescued together with the air police. "This shows that the mountains of Lower Austria not only exert a great fascination on people but are also probably the most underestimated danger," said Weber.

Over the years, not only has the number of operations increased, but also the type and distribution. "Bad weather and snow conditions, as well as the time of year and day, no longer pose obstacles for people to start tours of all difficulty levels or not. This explains why nearly 90 operations ended at night. About the same number of operations had to be carried out in bad weather," said Weber. Many also rely on mobile apps and "YouTube tutorial half-knowledge," it was stated in a release. The ski resort stations Semmering (144 operations) and Göstling (130) are the most frequently deployed, followed by Reichenau (89), Mitterbach (71), and Puchberg (62). During the flood in September 2024, the canyoning group was also in demand.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.