Val Gardena, Italy – On Wednesday, January 24, 2018 a 22-year-old German ice climber was caught, buried and killed in an avalanche while climbing at 1800 meters in the Val di Ciavei area in Vallunga in Val Gardena in the Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy. The body was located on Friday AM.
The ice climber was descending a frozen waterfall with a German companion at the time of the incident. According to several sources, both climbers were Alpine guides from Baden Wurttemberg in Germany. The companion saw the avalanche and tried to warn the victim. Unfortunately the victim was overwhelmed and buried by the slide. The slightly injured companion notified authorities who initiated a rescue.
Rescuers began searching for the man on Wednesday. The buried individual was not wearing an avalanche transceiver. Searches include probe lines, using, Recco equipped helicopters, and avalanche dogs.
According to QuotiDiano.net, the avalanche ran approximately 600 meters through steep terrain and the debris exceeds five meters in depth in some places. Rescuers are using electronics and search dogs. The body was finally located on January 26.
We will try to update this post when more information is available.
UPDATE 1/26
- On Friday, January 26, 2018, rescuers located the body of 22-year-old Franz Xaver Mayr. RIP (EuroNews.com).
See Also: Global Avalanche Accidents 2017/2018
Read more about the avalanche in Val Gardena in Italy from the following sources:
- Ansa.it
- ANSA.it
- Schwaebische.de
- TagBlatt.de
- Larena.it
- Ilfattoquotidiano.it
- MeteoWeb.eu
- Stol.it
- QuotiDiano.net
- Montagna.tv
- LavoceDelNordest.eu
- SWR.de
Information in this post was found using Google Translate. There may be errors in this information. Please use the sources listed above to verify all facts.
