Two Hungarian climbers rescued after night on Großglockner

Two Hungarian climbers were brought safely down from the Großglockner on Monday morning after getting into trouble during their descent, ORF reported. The 19- and 20-year-olds were suffering from hypothermia but were otherwise uninjured.

The pair had planned to climb the mountain by the normal route from the Stüdlhütte, a mountain hut. Their ascent was slow, and they reached the summit at about 4 p.m. on Sunday. As their health deteriorated, they sought advice from other climbers about the quickest way down and were directed to the difficult route over the Stüdlgrat ridge.

As darkness fell, strong winds and cold made it difficult for them to rappel. They called for help at about 7.20 p.m. A helicopter rescue was no longer possible, so six mountain rescuers from Kals am Großglockner were flown to the fog line at around 2,800 metres in a helicopter equipped for night flights.

The rescuers climbed to the pair and reached them at about 12.50 a.m. After giving them medical attention, the group descended to Adlersruhe, arriving at 3 a.m. They waited for dawn before continuing towards the Ködnitzkees glacier.

At 7.30 a.m., a police helicopter picked up the climbers and rescuers and flew them down to the valley. Mountain rescue teams from Kals am Großglockner, a rescue helicopter, the police helicopter and police from Matrei in East Tyrol took part in the operation.