Avalanche accident in Lech: "Best equipment is often deceptive"

It is one of the worst avalanche
accidents this winter: at the Rüfikopf in Austria three upper Swabians have
died, although they were well equipped. Or because of that? Lech's
mayor warns of too much confidence in the technology.




The three
skiers from the Biberach place and their fourth missing abettor were, according
to the authorities, every one skillfully prepared for their tour at the 2,362
meter Rfikopf - at least from a obscure reduction of view.




Wohl
Volksbank board along as well as the victims




According
to insinuation from the "Schwbische Zeitung" should be in the middle
of the victims of a board campaign of the People's Bank Allgu-Oberschwaben
based in Leutkirch. This has stated the board merge of the newspaper. The
organization along with included members of the gymnastics community Biberach.
All have been dexterous skiers.




Each of the
men (Ages: 28, 32, 36, 57) had buy emergency equipment along in the company of
them. This includes: a tracking transmitter for victims; a explore to search in
deep snow; a shovel; and above all: a backpack as soon as avalanche airbag. The
airbag should ensure that skiers are not buried too deep after an avalanche,
that they can "swim along" following the snow masses on the subject
of the surface.




Fast mobile
phone tracking without play




As the snow
masses overwhelmed the action concerning Saturday, the airbags afterward opened
as hoped. But behind to the force of the avalanche they were powerless, they
just could not save the skiers anew the snow. And as well as that the rescuers
could let the missing persons by means of mobile phone relatively immediate,
did not minister to occurring.




In general,
those who can be freed from an avalanche within 15 minutes have comparatively
tall chances of survival. With all passing minute, these opportunities slip
rapidly. In the real proceedings of crash occurring passed surrounded by the
missing person advertisement (19.50 o'clock) and the discovery of the
skitourengeher regarding the mountain (23 o'clock) a very long, ultimately
far-off-off and wide-off too long time.




Deceptive security feeling




For the
mayor of Lech, Ludwig Muxel, but in addition to for many alpine experts and ski
tourers, it is the depressed official assertion: Even the best equipment can
sometimes reach nothing contiguously the hard worker of nature, can not
eliminate the risk - but entre if choking. Again, a large equipment package at
the forefront ever-improving technology probably weighs many skiers in untrue
safety.




Muxel was
utterly concerned roughly the avalanche performing; at the same period he
addressed an attraction to every to stay concerning secured pistes. His
distress moreover showed his wonder anew the carelessness of those variant
riders who aspiration off the secured pistes below these conditions. "They
have the best equipment, but that is often deceptive."




Perhaps the
comparatively fine weather had influenced the ski tourers in their decision to
venture the tour despite the threatening snow conditions. BR reporter Wolfgang
Vichtl, who is currently in the region, was on the subject of his own not far
off from the (secured) slopes of Lech on the subject of Saturday, later spoke
of no scrutinize fine weather conditions; From the afternoon, the sun has shown
itself olden again and behind anew.




Maybe it as
well as played a role, that upon the hours of daylight of the mishap at the
peak of the Rfikopf "by yourself" avalanche deterrent level 3 out of
5; that still means "considerable amalgamation up". Nevertheless,
this level is often underestimated by experience of mountain rescuers.




Departure despite lock and warnings




Nevertheless,
why the group took the risk at every single one one - this ask, according to BR
reporter Wolfgang Vichtl are currently each and every one single one Lech .
Finally, in every hotel and the weather encourage past ski tours off the slopes
warned, you hear in the hours of daylight, the controlled avalanche blasting by
emergency personnel from the helicopter out: "Who wants to pay for on the
warnings, which gets them," says Vichtl.




Perhaps for
the society from Upper Swabia as well as the lure was too big to be practiced
to insert one of the most spectacular descents of the Alps. The skiers were
currently upon the route "Langer train" upon the pretentiousness.
With a gradient of occurring to 80 percent, the turn is considered one of the
ten steepest in the world. On social networks and video portals, there are
several clips that visually distant skiers have recorded following GoPro
cameras.




The
admittance is at a summit of just far along than 2,000 meters, the difference
in altitude is at a departure length of 852 meters in fable to 380 meters (!).
Normally, the route is prepared when a snow groomer, but the direction of view
can by yourself cope once a safety rope. The ski resort Lech Zrs am Arlberg
itself advertises upon YouTube considering a "special challenge" that
"does not pardon any mistakes". And in this dogfight, tragically,
there was no error in the assessment of security risks: The "Lange
Zug" was officially closed upon the unlucky Saturday.




Avalanche
practiced Hller: No trend to unreasonableness




The deadly
incident joins in a depressed list of associated misfortunes of the codicil
days and weeks . Is there a general trend towards carelessness? No, says Peter
Hller. He is a adroitly-known avalanche educational from the Institute for
Natural Hazards at the Austrian Federal Research Center for Forests in
Innsbruck,




Hller sees
in relationship in imitation of avalanche accidents in the as a
consequences-called easily reached ski room "no trend to
unreasonableness". In terms of the number of those who are traveling there
today, Hller says relatively few accidents happen, compared to 20 years ago.
The statistics insist that there are significantly fewer deadly avalanche
catastrophes in the Austrian Alps than deadly alpine accidents of a alternating
nice, and in summer more deaths than in winter.




Regardless,
the chances of survival for the fourth skier of the Upper Swabian ski society
are probably unaided little. The helpers had to decline the search for the
28-year-antique missing person for the time beast. The excuse: too dangerous.
The weather is too bad, auxiliary close snowfalls have started. The avalanche
hardship continues to rise.