Latest news with #mountainclimbing
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
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.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- BBC News
US man travels miles for help after 400-ft fall in Washington
A Seattle man travelled more than 60 miles to find help after falling 400ft off a mountain in an accident that killed his three say the group's equipment failed on Saturday in the northern Cascade mountain range, in an area called the Early Winter Spires. Officials say the group of four mountain climbers were abseiling down a steep gully after deciding to turn back due to an incoming to each other by ropes, the group fell about 200ft (60m) through the air, before tumbling another 200ft over rocks, dirt and sole surviving climber is currently in hospital, where he is being treated for internal bleeding and a traumatic brain injury. The three men who died were identified by the Okanagan County Sheriff's Department on Irigireddy, 48, Tim Nguyen, 63, and Oleksander Martynenko, 36, were all from the Seattle area, according to the sheriff. The survivor, who was identified as a 38-year-old man from Seattle, hiked out and drove west across the mountains about 60 miles until he found a payphone to call for help. Undersheriff Dave Yarnell told Climbing magazine that the man may have been unfamiliar with the area. The town of Mazama is only about 15 miles to the east of the mountain. "He took the long route," Yarnell said on Monday. "He spent at least an hour or more driving over the Cascade mountain range.""He didn't realize he had as significant of internal injuries as he did," he said, adding that the man initially refused medical attention for three bodies of his fellow climbers had to be recovered by helicopter, due to the rough terrain.A preliminary investigation found that a piece of protective gear called a piton was still attached to their rope, indicating that it probably ripped out of the rock wall, causing the fall. "The presumed cause of the accident is an anchor failure while rappelling [abseiling]," the sheriff's office said.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Mum was looking out for me...Alison Hargreaves' girl in dramatic avalanche escape
The daughter of mountain climber Alison Hargreaves has narrowly escaped an avalanche just months before the 30th anniversary of her mother's death. Kate Ballard shared terrifying first-person footage of the rapid fall of snow in Charmonix, France, and as it rumbles towards her she says to herself: 'You need to get out of here right now. Ohh my gosh.' Hurriedly turning around on her skis, the video then shows her begin to ski down the hill and then turn around and see the snow getting closer. Mercifully she had been with her speed wing, a paragliding-like device which is attached to the user with a harness, a decision which potentially helped save her life because it meant she could fly away to safety. Sharing the shocking footage online, she said: 'No doubt in my mind that my mum and brother were looking out for me.' Both her mother Alison Hargreaves and brother Tom Ballard died while climbing. Ms Hargreaves, who had been based in Spean Bridge, lost her life less than a year after she became the first woman to reach the summit of Everest without the aid of Sherpas or bottled oxygen. When she summited on May 13, 1995, she immediately radioed her based camp and told them to send a fax to her two children at home in Scotland which read: 'I am on the highest point of the world, and I love you dearly.' Three months after her successful climb of Everest, which made her internationally famous, the then 33-year-old died while descending K2, which sits on the border between Pakistan and China. Her son Tom lost his life while climbing 24 years later. In March 2019 his body was found with fellow climber Daniele Nardi on Nanga Parbat in Pakistan. Mr Ballard was aged 30. Ms Ballard continues to spend time in the mountains. On the incident last month, she said: 'I felt something deep inside that it was not the day to sit around and take my time. 'I had just finished getting ready. I heard a loud boom and roar. 'I looked up to see the avalanche heading straight down towards me. Instinct kicked in and I flew away to safety.'
The Sun
10-05-2025
- The Sun
Watch shock moment couple cheat death as they fall off 5,000ft mountain while taking risky shortcut to avoid queue
THIS is the heart-stopping moment a couple cheats death when they come inches from tumbling down a huge mountain face. The pair almost paid the ultimate price for seeking a shortcut to skip a long queue at Mount Tai in Shandong, China. 5 5 Shocking footage that went viral in China shows the woman clambering down a wall at the top of a cliff face, helped by her partner. He stands at the bottom to help the woman lower herself onto the level below. But the descent goes wrong and the woman falls back - landing awkwardly on the man's shoulder. The collision sends the two of them staggering backwards over the perilous cliff edge. The entangled couple tumbles down the rocks - and it looks to be all over. But fortunately, the man catches hold of a safety wire and is able to stop the fall. He wedges himself in a rock gap and grasps his wife by the leg to catch her from flying down the hill. The pair manage to right themselves and, miraculously, escape serious injury. The Mountain Tai in east China's Shandong Province is a dizzy 5,000ft above sea level. Millions of tourists flock to the spot each year to take in the staggering natural landscape and historic constructions. Terrifying moment Scotland's top ranked skier plunges down mountain & suffers horror injuries The site is particularly busy during public holidays, when certain spots become incredibly crowded. Many climb the mountain to watch the sunrise - which seems to have been the draw in this video. Other angles of the close calls show hoards of people lining the peak gazing out at the view. On the first day of the holiday this year, over 45,000 tourists visited the mountain. 5 5 Officials have now tightened security at the summit to stop people breaching the barriers. Another mountain adventurer was less fortunate when she tragically fell to her death from a cliff near Malaga, Spain. The Irish victim, 21, was killed after plunging around 500ft off a ravine. Her body was recovered by emergency services after the alarm was raised. A male friend she was with miraculously survived by grabbing onto a bush-covered rock that was jutting out as he fell.
Malay Mail
07-05-2025
- Malay Mail
Man found dead atop Gunung Keriang after solo climb, say Kedah police
ALOR SETAR, May 7 — A man died while scaling Gunung Keriang, near here, yesterday. Kota Setar police chief ACP Siti Nor Salawati Saad said police were notified by the public through the District Control Centre at the Kota Setar district police headquarters (IPD) about the incident at around 6.18pm. 'A 48-year-old local man was found unconscious at the summit of Gunung Keriang. Police, along with a team of firefighters, were dispatched to the location to conduct a rescue operation, successfully bringing the victim down to the foot of the mountain at 6.40pm. 'The medical officer who examined the victim confirmed that he had died at the scene. There were no signs of foul play on the victim's body, and it is believed that he had climbed the mountain alone,' she said in a statement today. She said the victim's body had been taken to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital Forensic Department, here for a post-mortem. 'So far, the cause of death has not been ascertained until the post-mortem report is obtained. The public is advised not to make any speculation regarding this case, which could cause disturbance to public order. 'Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to come forward to the Kota Setar IPD or contact the police at 04-774 7222,' she said. — Bernama
