15-05-2025
Brit, 21, somehow survives 130ft plunge off Austrian 'stairway to heaven' mountain ladder while taking a photo - two years after UK climber fell 300ft to his death at the same spot
A British man has miraculously survived after plummeting 130 ft off a picturesque Austrian mountain while trying to take a photo on a notorious rope ladder dubbed 'the stairway to heaven'.
The unnamed 21-year-old Brit was seriously injured after he slipped while attempting to take pictures of his friends on the so-called 'Himmelsleiter' - a notorious attraction on the Donnerkogel Mountain near the town of Annaberg im Lammertal, Salzburg province.
The man had somehow removed his safety harness to take the photograph of his companions when he slipped and fell, reportedly plunging 131 ft to the ground, police said.
Local district mayor Werner Quehenberger said: 'He was incredibly lucky that he actually stopped after [131 feet] and didn't carry on falling.'
He said that the British man had suffered severe back injuries.
Three helicopters were needed to get the climber to safety.
Rescue teams had to perform a risky manoeuvre because the ladder was too close to the helicopter being used to pull the man into the aircraft.
The Brit was stabilised by a team of alpine rescuers who used ropes and a helicopter to extract him from the steep climbing route.
The rescue involved a large-scale operation with several mountain rescue specialists and emergency services working together under challenging conditions.
A video and images show the man being secured by ropes as medics and alpine police work to lift him to safety.
A spokesperson for the Salzburg Mountain Rescue Service said the area is popular with hikers and climbers, but also dangerous for those who underestimate the terrain.
He said: 'People are often drawn to these ladders for the thrill and for social media pictures, but the risk of falling is extremely high.'
This latest incident has renewed calls for clearer signage and stricter access regulations to prevent further accidents.
The climber's terrifying fall off the Austrian mountain comes two year's after a 42-year-old British tourist plunged to his death after dropping nearly 300ft while climbing the same ladder.
Investigators ruled out any third-party negligence in his fall.
Two helicopters were deployed to retrieve the man's body from under the ladder.
The accident also comes after a month after a British tourist died in a horrific paragliding crash along with his pilot in Turkey.
The Briton, 22, and his pilot, 29, leaped from a 6,500ft mountain at the Babadag paragliding spot in Fethiye in a tandem jump.
But shortly after take-off their parachute broke and they plunged onto the rocks at the steep mountainside, according to Turkish media reports.
Other paragliders in the area alerted emergency services about the crash, with rescuers rushing to the scene only to discover that the British holidaymaker and the experienced pilot had died.
Their bodies were taken to a nearby hospital morgue for autopsy.
Local authorities have launched an investigation into the accident, with officials examining the crash scene and the paragliding equipment.
