Two seasoned mountaineers from Villach, Austria, also serving as Alpine rescuers, were tragically found dead during their climb to the summit of Cima di Riofreddo in the Julian Alps of Italy. The climbers were reported missing on July 31, 2024, when they didn’t return as expected. The emergency rescue service Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico Friuli Venezia Giulia reported through a Facebook post that they were discovered the next morning, dangling from their climbing ropes at an altitude of around 6,600 feet.
After receiving the missing report, emergency services promptly started a search and rescue operation. The mountaineers’ car was found in a nearby parking area, validating their intended summit attempt. During the first helicopter mission, the bodies were spotted but couldn’t be retrieved due to the hazardous landscape and severe weather conditions. Early Thursday morning, a second mission involving a helicopter technician and more rescuers succeeded in recovering the bodies.
Authorities are still probing the accident’s cause, considering several factors such as human error or a possible rockslide. The conditions on a mountain can shift abruptly, making climbing perilous even for seasoned mountaineers. Cima di Riofreddo, with an elevation of 8,225 feet, features high walls and sharp ridges, and there is no designated path to the summit.
The untimely deaths of these climbers are a grim addition to a string of recent fatalities in the Alps, underlining the inherent perils of mountaineering in this region. In June, a skier and his partner lost their lives while climbing in the Italian Alps. In January, two Italian hikers perished in an avalanche near the Italy-Switzerland border. In 2022, a substantial piece of an Alpine glacier broke off and slid down an Italian mountainside, causing at least nine hiker fatalities.
The same day the bodies were recovered, the rescue service responded to several other emergencies in the vicinity. Incidents included a hiker stranded on the Tenente Ferrante di Ruffano climbing route and another who needed help due to equipment issues on a rocky wall at the shoulder of the Bila Pec mountain.
As the investigation into the accident continues, authorities aim to bolster safety measures to prevent similar future incidents. The mountaineering community remains committed to respecting the unpredictable nature of the Alps while underlining the importance of caution and thorough planning.
