Rescued glacier climber thanks mountain rescuers

German teacher Andreas Seetge has thanked the mountain rescuers who freed him from a glacier crevasse after he fell while climbing the Großvenediger mountain in Salzburg’s Pinzgau region on July 29. ORF Salzburg reported that the 63-year-old was seriously injured and taken to hospital after the hours-long rescue.

Seetge said the carabiner that held his life was now at home on his breakfast table so he could see it every day and remember what happened. He spent more than two hours hanging eight to 10 metres down in the crevasse after the snow softened and became slippery during the descent. No crevasse had been visible before he suddenly fell.

With about 50 metres of depth below him, Seetge said panic and fear of death set in. He thought about his wife, whom he feared he would never see again, as well as his son and his son’s companion. At times, he said, he considered unclipping his harness so the two above him might somehow be able to get out.

His son managed to make an emergency call. After a long wait, Seetge heard a helicopter and then saw Stefan, a mountain guide who happened to be passing by. Stefan called down to ask whether he was injured and said the rescue would begin.

Rescuers eventually pulled Seetge out and took him, suffering from hypothermia, to Schwarzach Hospital in Pongau, where doctors treated his broken leg. He said he had clearly underestimated the dangers. In future, he said, he would cross a snowfield only in a larger rope team.

Seetge also thanked another group of mountaineers and rescue crews from Tyrol who helped on the day. He said there had been too little time for a proper thank-you at the scene.

He intends to continue mountaineering, but with greater caution and preparation. The accident showed him that life and the time available to people are limited, he said, adding that people should not complain about minor things but instead appreciate that everything is generally fine.