21-year-old woman dies after 120-metre fall on Karwendelsteig in Bavaria

The fall

A 21-year-old woman from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern died on Sunday, 8 November, after falling about 120 metres over steep rock on the Karwendelsteig near Mittenwald in Bavaria, close to the Austrian border. Police in Rosenheim said she was hiking with her 25-year-old husband toward the Westliche Karwendelspitze when she slipped at a point secured with wire cables, at about 2,000 metres. The accident happened around 15:30, according to police. Conditions above 1,900 metres had already turned wintry when it happened.

Her husband and the rescue

Accounts differ on what the husband saw. One report says he watched the fall, while another says that, according to police, he lost sight of her during it. In both versions he could not reach her on the difficult terrain and made the emergency call himself. The rescue helicopter Christoph Murnau and two flight rescuers from the Bergwacht reached the site, but could only confirm that she had died. Her husband was flown down to the valley, where a crisis intervention service looked after him.

Recovery and investigation

Darkness set in before the body could be recovered, so she remained on the mountain overnight. On Monday, 9 November, police brought the body down to the valley by helicopter, and the accident site was documented that day. The Alpine Einsatzgruppe West of the border police in Murnau am Staffelsee is investigating how the fall happened. The investigation was still under way.

Winter conditions and earlier incidents

In the days before 9 November, the cold snap had kept mountain rescue teams busy. Climbers were brought out of snow and icy ground near the Hoher Göll, the Hochstaufen and the Hochkönig, and some of those operations lasted many hours. Earlier in the Karwendel, in June, a 22-year-old climber fell about 130 metres after a rock that had served as his hold broke away, police said. He had climbed a summit with a companion of the same age that day.

A case in the Zugspitze area

A separate case in the Zugspitze area has prompted discussion about what to do in an emergency. A 21-year-old climber left his 17-year-old companion alone at about 2,500 metres in winter conditions, and she had to be flown out by helicopter suffering from hypothermia. Police are investigating the man. The case has led to the question of when a companion may be left behind to fetch help.