Bergwacht finds bones during Zugspitze glacier clean-up

Clean-up and training on the Zugspitze

On Saturday, 10 October, volunteers from the Bergwacht Grainau mountain rescue service and the Bavarian Police helicopter squadron held a joint exercise in the Höllental valley and tied it to a clean-up of the Höllentalferner glacier on the Zugspitze. The helicopter crew practised landings and rescue winch operations in difficult terrain, setting rescuers down at several points on the glacier. From there the volunteers began collecting waste, an action the Bergwacht calls a Ramadama in Bavarian dialect. According to DIE WELT, the clean-up also doubled as training in alpine techniques on ice.

What the rescuers collected

Alongside everyday rubbish such as plastic bottles, the volunteers recovered old or damaged gear, including clothing, sleeping bags, backpacks, Grödel, crampons and poles. The Bergwacht also listed two GoPro cameras and several bones among the special finds. Münchner Merkur, as cited by Blick, reported that 14 mountain rescuers took part and that 700 kilograms were collected in total. The Bergwacht said three big bags with a combined weight of around 700 kilograms were flown down to the valley. Old wire rope and scrap iron left over from via ferrata construction were collected as well.

Bones and the police inquiry

A Bergwacht doctor came across the bones, Blick reports, and the finds were handed over to police. Blick says they could have belonged to a person, whereas Bayerischer Rundfunk notes that it is not yet clear how long they had been there or whether they are human. The Bergwacht Grainau said on social media what happens next:

The latter will now be further examined by the police and checked, among other things, in connection with possible missing-person cases.

Blick adds that the owners of the items are still being checked.

Why the glacier training matters

Bayerischer Rundfunk says the exercise's core aim was rescue manoeuvres with the winch and load flights in difficult terrain. The crew also scouted possible landing sites for future missions. The broadcaster adds that the Zugspitze ascent over the glacier is a regular focus of rescue operations. Blick reports that the rescuers examined a new access point above the Höllentalferner, set up because the glacier has retreated, and practised abseiling into crevasses and securing on bare ice. Plastic bottles break down very slowly at high altitude, Blick notes, and release micro- and nanoplastics.