Seven Climbers Rescued from Distress in the Venediger Group

On Friday, two groups of mountaineers found themselves in distress while attempting to navigate the challenging terrain of the Großvenediger, which stands at 3,657 meters. These climbers set out independently in the early hours of the day with the intention of reaching the Neue Prager Hütte (2,796 meters) for an overnight stay. However, by the afternoon, they encountered severe weather conditions that caused significant delays.

In response to their precarious situation, both groups initiated emergency calls for assistance. As night fell, they took refuge in a makeshift bivouac located near an old material cableway. Fortunately, by Saturday morning, the climbers were successfully rescued.

The police reported that the groups comprised four climbers from the Czech Republic (three women and one man) and three climbers from China (two women and one man). The Czech group managed to reach the old material cableway around 6:00 PM. Although they were fatigued, they were unharmed. Arrangements were made via telephone with mountain rescue services for their overnight stay in the bivouac, and they planned to be evacuated the following day.

Meanwhile, the Chinese group arrived at the Alte Prager Hütte (2,489 meters) around 7:45 PM, completely exhausted and enveloped in dense fog. As a stay at the bivouac was not feasible, they too made an emergency call. Due to the adverse weather conditions, a rescue was not immediately possible. Consequently, the two women and the man were guided to the nearest bivouac, roughly 300 meters away, where they reunited with the Czech group at approximately 11:00 PM.

Throughout the night, both groups maintained constant communication with the alpine police, ensuring they were informed and safe. The following morning, three mountain rescuers and an alpine police officer were airlifted by helicopter above the fog line. From that vantage point, they descended to assist both groups in their safe evacuation.

To further ensure the safe descent of the climbers, additional mountain rescue personnel and emergency equipment were flown into the area. As the weather improved in the afternoon, both the climbers and the rescuers were transported back to the valley by helicopter.