Police return glacier rucksack to owner after 63 years

Police have identified and returned a rucksack found on the Sulztalferner glacier in the Stubai Alps after 63 years, ORF reported. It belonged to an 86-year-old man from Bavaria who said he had thrown it into a crevasse after falling into one during a 1963 glacier crossing.

A mountain guide found the rucksack on July 16 at an altitude of 2,955 metres. Inside were an ice axe, a camera, a whistle and a heavily weathered document folder. The equipment appeared to date from the 1950s or 1960s.

Because police could not initially rule out a long-ago accident, officers carried out extensive inquiries. They eventually identified the owner from a barely legible name in the documents.

The man told police that he had been taking part in a high-altitude tour on the Sulztalferner with friends when he fell into a crevasse. He said he threw the rucksack deeper into the crevasse to reduce his weight during the rescue. His companions held him on the rope and eventually pulled him out using so-called Prusik loops.

Police handed the rucksack to his son on August 25 because the 86-year-old was unable to travel to Tyrol for health reasons.