Mountain rescue calls rise in Lower Austria and Vienna

Mountain rescue teams in Lower Austria and Vienna recorded about 150 operations during the summer, up from around 125 in the same 60-day period last year, ORF reported. The increase of roughly one fifth was accompanied by a notable rise in people rescued from alpine terrain despite being uninjured.

Hiking and mountaineering remained the main areas of operation. Six people have died in Lower Austria since the start of the year, including two during the summer, according to the mountain rescue service.

This year, rescuers brought 50 uninjured people to safety during the period under review, compared with 40 last year. Typical reasons included getting lost, unsuitable equipment, insufficient food or water, physical exhaustion and starting too late. The service was called out 60 times in July alone.

“In most cases, the problem is inadequate tour planning,” Karl Weber, head of the Lower Austria and Vienna mountain rescue service, told ORF. Hikers should establish in advance who is taking part, how long the tour will take, where they can turn back and which maps they need.

Weber cited a case on the Rax mountain in the Neunkirchen district, where a young couple left a marked trail and could not find their way back. Rescuers brought both of them down safely. In the Ötschergräben gorge area in the Lilienfeld and Scheibbs districts, two hikers using digital navigation entered steep, rocky terrain. One fell and suffered serious injuries.

Smartphones can improve safety through digital maps, weather information and location sharing, the mountain rescue service said. Problems arise when route suggestions from social media or navigation systems are followed in alpine terrain without checking them first.

More operations do not automatically mean greater risk

The figures do not show that hiking has generally become more dangerous. Weber said more people were spending time in the mountains, which could lead to more rescue operations purely for statistical reasons.

The Austrian Alpine Safety Board reached a similarly differentiated conclusion in its analysis for Lower Austria. Between May and August, it recorded 141 alpine accidents involving hiking, high-altitude tours and climbing, compared with 149 the previous year. The number of people affected rose from 172 to 185, while the number of uninjured people rescued increased from 56 to 77.

The board’s analysis and the mountain rescue service’s figures cover different periods and use different reference points. The board said it could not confirm an increase in individual accident risk because there was no baseline data showing how many people were in alpine terrain and how often they went there. Other indicators suggested that more people were spending their leisure time in the mountains.

Rescuers urge hikers to turn back early

September does not mark an off-season for mountain rescue teams. It gets dark earlier in autumn, temperatures can be considerably lower at higher elevations than in the valleys, and weather conditions can change quickly.

The service recommends warm, weatherproof clothing, enough fluids, a headlamp and sufficient time and physical reserves. Hikers should not stick to a planned route for too long, Weber said. “Turn back in good time, do not wait until the end.” Enough strength must remain for the descent.

In an emergency, the exact location is particularly important. Calls to the Alpine emergency number can transmit the mobile phone’s position. It can cause problems when those involved first contact relatives and the relatives then call emergency services from another location.

“One of the most important things is to call directly in an emergency, to call 140 directly, so that we can get the location immediately,” said Stefan Spielbichler, a spokesperson for Lower Austria’s emergency call service.

The service also offers an app with a dedicated Alpine module. Users can enter details including the starting point and destination of a tour, planned times and a contact person.