The softening of the permafrost and the rockfalls associated with it are causing great concern to alpine experts. The state geologist does not see the accidents in June in the Koasa, where a German soldier died, and on the Wildspitze as the beginning of a series.
As reported, a stone avalanche buried a German soldier at the foot of the Totenkirchl in the Wilder Kaiser on June 9th. The man died, four German mountaineers were recently more “lucky” when descending from the Wildspitze. Three alpinists were “only” injured below the Mitterkarjoch by falling rocks. Permafrost is softening “This year there was extremely little snow in the Ötztaler Wildspitze area, the snowfall in the sunny side of the accident happened quickly,” says Franz-Josef Fiegl, local manager of the Sölden Mountain Rescue Service. These circumstances in combination with the softening of the permafrost have added to the area. The result: the rockfall on the four Germans. “Certain transitions will probably be very tricky in the future,” says the expert. “The glaciers are retreating downwards and are releasing areas of rock that the ice had previously stabilized.” The Mitterkar, for example, used to be an ice channel. Now there are rockfalls. Mountain rescue chief stunnedThe drama of Totenkirchl cannot believe Tyrol’s mountain rescue chief Hermann Spiegl. “I would not have thought it possible that such an accident would happen in Kaiser-Fels,” he says. “Rock falls are also normal in the Kaiser Mountains,” puts Christoph Silberberger, head of the Kufstein Alpine Police, into perspective. He sees no accumulation of such events. In addition, they would often go almost unnoticed – like the large rock fall below the Haidachstellwand in the Rofan a few years ago. “Only apparent accumulation” For state geologist Thomas Figl, too, it is currently only an apparent accumulation of events. It doesn’t happen any more than usual. He cites “material fatigue” as the cause of the rockfalls. Rocks would just break off from time to time.
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