Latest news with #AlpineRescue
New York Post
5 days ago
- General
- New York Post
Hiker stranded at ‘center of landslide' in Italian Dolomites rescued by helicopter — and hit with $16K bill after ignoring warnings
A hiker who wound up stranded at the 'center of a landslide' in the Italian Dolomites after ignoring warning signs was rescued by a helicopter crew who saved his life, but cost him more than $16,000. The 60-year-old hiker from England, who was not identified, was rescued via helicopter last week after he notified emergency services that he was 'on the Berti via ferrata and that rocks were falling from above,' Veneto Alpine and Speleological Rescue, or CNSAS, wrote on Facebook. 4 A 60-year-old English hiker was charged more than $16,000 for his helicopter rescue from a closed trail in Italy. CNSAS Facebook The man had brushed aside signs that the treacherous trails were closed due to falling rocks and was trekking through without proper equipment. Without an emergency GPS or similar device, he was unable to give the search crew proper coordinates, which only prolonged his rescue, according to CNSAS. 'Once he had reconstructed his theoretical position, he was told not to move from his sheltered spot and to wait for help to arrive, as the mountain was currently hidden by clouds. To decide on the recovery strategy, the hiker's exact position was needed, so they had to wait for the clouds to clear. 4 The hiker ignored at least four signs telling him to turn around. CNSAS Facebook 'When the clouds cleared, the San Vito di Cadore Alpine Rescue team unfortunately discovered that the hiker was right in the center of the landslide, at an altitude of 2,400 meters (nearly 7,900 feet),' CNSAS wrote. The adventurer had ignored four signs, at minimum, posted in Italian and English telling hikers to turn back. As if those weren't enough, he also had to leg it over a steep barrier, CNSAS officials added. 4 The hiker also apparently scaled a barrier that would've otherwise prevented him from trekking onward. CNSAS Facebook Additional trails were forced to close along the range after the man's painstaking rescue which involved two helicopters, according to CNSAS. After the neglectful Englishman was safely removed from the mountainside last Thursday, he was asked to pony up €14,225 — or roughly $16,400 — to compensate the two rescue helicopters and more than a dozen other support personnel who helped retrieve him. If the hiker had been from the European Union, he would've been fined just a couple hundred euros — but he lost that privilege after the United Kingdom's rocky withdrawal in 2020. 4 Officials said 80 people died along the Italian Alps and Dolomites mountain range in the last month. CNSAS Facebook This summer has been Italy's most deadly hiking season of the last century, with casualties cropping up left and right and rescue calls spiking by up to 20% compared to last year. Between June 21 and July 23 alone, 80 people died along the Italian Alps and the Dolomites mountain ranges, according to CNSAS. Five others are still missing.
Daily Mail
04-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Rescue team hits British hiker with huge £12,200 bill after saving him from Italian avalanche 'because of Brexit'
A British hiker was hit with a huge £12,200 bill after Italian emergency rescue services saved him from an avalanche on a rocky mountain, blaming Brexit for the lofty fine. The 60-year-old found himself in danger as he came across an avalanche on a mountain path near the San Vito di Cadore in the Belluno area of the Dolomites. The hiker was lucky to survive, according to emergency services, who blamed the British national for failing to heed mountain warning signs urging climbers to turn back on the steep mountain. He would have also footed a smaller bill had the ordeal happened before Britain exited the European Union, rescue services said. The British man was hiking on the Ferrata Berti path at a height of 8,200ft (2,500m), even though there were signs in English and Italian urging hikers to turn back. He is understood to have set off alone for the trek from Passo Tre Croci, near Cortina d'Ampezzo, on Thursday morning. 'He said he didn't see the signs warning of the danger,' Nicola Cherubin, head of alpine rescue in San Vito di Cadore, told The Telegraph. She added: 'Rocks have been falling continually in that area for the past two months. With these landslides it is not secure. He was really afraid.' Rockfalls are commonplace in the Dolomites, but experts this year have sounded the alarm about a drastic increase in the number of collapses due to extreme heat. A collapse on the Marmolada mountain, the highest mountain of the Dolomites, in 2022 sent an avalanche of snow, rock and ice downslope, killing 11 people. At least 83 people have died on the Italian Alps between June 21 and July 23 this year, with five more going missing. Soaring temperatures are attracting inexperienced hikers to the mountain range, causing people to get into danger as they turn up ill-equipped in unsuitable clothing and footwear. Overcrowding of the trails has led to calls for better management and protection for the rocky environment. After becoming panicked by falling rocks, the British hiker sounded the alarm at 3.30 pm. A helicopter was sent to save him by the volunteer rescue service but it was initially delayed by low clouds, forcing it to make a second trip to confirm the hiker's location. He was brought to safety and suffered no injuries, but is now being asked to pay a bill of £12,200 to the regional health service for the rescue operation because he is British. 'If someone calls because they are tired or stuck because they find themselves in a place where they shouldn't be, or if they are unharmed with no health issue, they have to pay,' a national rescue service spokesman told The Telegraph. 'If you are from outside the EU without insurance, you have to pay more.' While non-EU nationals must pay a substantial fee if they get themselves into trouble while climbing, Italian or French hikers will only have to pay a few hundred euros. The Ferrata Berti hike trail is officially closed from both approaches, at Cortina and San Vito di Cadore, due to ongoing rockfalls caused by a landslide on Croda Marcora. Despite warning signs, hikers were still accessing the route. Rescuers from San Vito and Cortina have been transported by regional helicopters to place more signs on the mountain range to block the hiking passage, making it impossible for climbers not to notice the closure. In July, a British hiker who went missing in the Italian Alps was found dead near where he sent his final texts to friends. Search teams spotted the body of 33-year-old Matthew Hall who disappeared on July 9 after he sent a text message to friends saying he was lost in the mountains.
Telegraph
03-08-2025
- Telegraph
Rescued British hiker billed £12k for failing to heed Dolomites warning signs
A British hiker is being billed €14,000 (£12,200) by Italian emergency rescue services for failing to heed mountain warning signs. The 60-year-old, who has not been named, found himself in the midst of an avalanche on a rocky mountain path near San Vito di Cadore in the Belluno area of the Dolomites. He was lucky to survive, emergency services said, but not lucky enough to get off with a smaller fine, which he would have done if this had happened before Britain's exit from the European Union. The British man is understood to have set off alone from Passo Tre Croci, near Cortina d'Ampezzo, on Thursday morning. He was hiking on the Ferrata Berti path at an altitude of 8,200ft (2,500m) despite signs in English and Italian urging hikers to turn back. 'He said he didn't see the signs warning of the danger,' Nicola Cherubin, head of alpine rescue in San Vito di Cadore, told The Telegraph. 'Rocks have been falling continually in that area for the past two months. With these landslides it is not secure. He was really afraid.' Photos of the signage posted on the alpine service's Facebook page read: 'Warning. Trail no. 242 (Via Ferrata Berti) and trail no. 241 (Dogana Vecchia-Cengia del Banco) closed due to risk of collapse.' One said in English: 'Stay safe, do not go beyond this warning.' Italy has been warning tourists of the risks of trekking in the alps amid a record number of deaths – nearly 90 this year. The biggest causes have been inexperience and poor preparation while overcrowding has prompted calls for better management of the trails and protection for the environment. The British hiker sounded the alarm at around 3.30pm after becoming distressed by falling rocks. The volunteer rescue service sent a helicopter to rescue him but were initially thwarted by low clouds, forcing it to make a second trip to confirm his location. He was eventually brought to safety with no injuries but is now being asked to pay €14,000 (12,000 pounds) to the regional health service for the helicopter rescue because he is British. The rescue bill for an Italian or French climber might be a few hundred euros. But for non-EU nationals, the fee is considerably higher. 'If someone calls because they are tired or stuck because they find themselves in a place where they shouldn't be, or if they are unharmed with no health issue, they have to pay,' a national rescue service spokesman said. 'If you are from outside the EU without insurance, you have to pay more.' On Sunday rescue service volunteers completely closed the three access points to the Ferrata Berti trail and erected new signage in Italian, English and German warning of continuous rockfalls. On July 19, two Belgians ignored or failed to read the warning signs and were rescued in the same area. Alpine Rescue Service said half of the hikers or climbers billed for their rescues never pay up.
Local Italy
15-07-2025
- Local Italy
Search underway after British hiker goes missing in Italian Alps
Matthew Hall, from Hull, was reported missing after he failed to check out of his accommodation, the B&B Ploncher hotel in Chiavenna, Lombardy, on Friday. He was due to fly from Milan to Manchester the following day, according to Italian media reports. A keen hiker and mountaineer, Hall was last heard from at around 1.20pm last Wednesday, when he sent a photo to a friend from the mountain village of Daloo, north of Chiavenna. A text message sent shortly after the photo said he was having a rest after taking a wrong turn while scaling down the side of the mountain he was hiking on. Hall was believed to have gone on an eight-hour trek on the day of his disappearance, according to reports. Search and rescue operations began on Saturday, shortly after hotel management informed police authorities that Hall had failed to check out of his room. Alpine Rescue teams were searching the area above the village of Borgonuovo di Piuro on Tuesday, as that was believed to be the starting point of Hall's trek. Several of Hall's friends and colleagues, and his partner, Reece, have arrived in Italy in recent days to join the search, according to British media. One of Hall's close friends, Ben Lee, said he was last spotted by a girl at a local church on the day he went missing. This 'kind of confirmed which route he was going on,' Lee added. Hall's mother, Sara Foster, told the BBC that his son was an avid hiker 'who loves his trails and walking'. "I'm very wobbly at the moment, obviously, but I'm really trying to stay positive," she said. "If you're walking around Chiavenna just keep an eye out. We just want him to come home." Hall was described as being approximately 1.78 metres tall and having brown hair. He was believed to be wearing a beige top and a black backpack on the day of his disappearance. Italian authorities urged anyone who may have seen Hall or has relevant information to contact the search and rescue team at +39 331 361 9285. A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said they were supporting Hall's family and were 'in contact with the local authorities'.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Miracle after man, woman lost in blizzard
A pair of hikers have been rescued from a dangerous blizzard in the shadow of Australia's tallest mountain, with shocking footage showing the treacherous conditions they faced. The 31-year-old man and 28-year-old woman became stranded in a blizzard below Mount Carruthers, about 3km from Mount Kosciuszko, on Saturday, with rescue efforts hampered by a 'white out' blizzard and strong winds. Alpine rescue staff from the SES and police had gone out to help the pair, along with paramedics and the police rescue squad. About midday on Saturday, the rescue party got within 1.2km of the stranded bushwalkers, but the extreme conditions forced them to turn back. Specialist emergency services were then forced to take over the search, and were finally able to reach the pair, who were unharmed, in the early hours of Sunday. About 10.30pm the specialist alpine police and SES crews hiked to the stranded pair. Footage released by police shows at least nine people trudging through darkness, as wind drives snow sideways. Just after midnight Sunday, the pair were escorted to a makeshift camp set up by rescuers, but the group had to wait there again as the Snowy River rose, and more strong winds and heavy snowfall inhibited their descent. Everybody got off the mountain about 4am Sunday, police said. The incident comes as the ski season officially kicks off in Australia's alpine regions. Monaro police Acting Inspector Andrew Woods said bushwalkers need to be prepared and should consult checklists such as the Think Before Trek guide. 'As we move into the snow season, it's vital that Kosciusko National Park users are properly prepared before venturing into alpine regions. 'It's highly recommended that park users monitor weather forecasts closely and continually as conditions change quickly. 'The use of the online National parks and Wildlife Services Trip Intention Forms and personal locator beacon is strongly encouraged.' The ski resorts at Mount Kosciuszko have received up to 30cm of snow since Saturday - the official start of ski season in Australia. In Victoria, more than 20 people became stranded in their cars about 10.50pm on Saturday near Mount Hotham. The convoy was snowed-in overnight into Sunday, remaining stuck for about 19 hours as more than 50cm of snow fell. A man in his 40s had minor injuries after his vehicle rolled, and a fire truck became stuck after being deployed to help. Rescue crews rode snowmobiles into the Blue Rag Range Track, near Dargo High Plains Road, with People in the stranded vehicles had food, water and protection from the elements, emergency services said.
