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An above-average number of female mountaineers had accidents in Valais this year. Poor equipment is just one reason.
Hikers all over the country underestimate the risk in the mountains. And sometimes they pay for their carelessness with their lives.
The most recent example: A 26-year-old woman hiked from Grächen (VS) towards Europahütte Randa on Saturday afternoon. An object fell down the slope near Breitmatten near Herbriggen.
She then left the hiking trail and descended. On the way back to the hiking trail, the woman fell for unknown reasons and was seriously injured. A day later, the Zurich woman died in the Bern Island Hospital.
With 32 mountain deaths, Valais is well above average
It is just one of many tragedies that have occurred in the Valais mountains this year. This year alone there have been 32 mountain deaths in the canton of Valais.
Legend:
Mountain rescue legend Bruno Jelk is worried about the many sneaker hikers.
SRF
This is further above the long-term average of 24 mountain deaths. And it’s only the end of September.
Again and again I see hikers walking in bad terrain wearing sneakers.
The beautiful weather has attracted a particularly large number of people to the mountains this summer. While mountaineers are well equipped these days, hikers are particularly worried about the well-known Valais mountain rescuer Bruno Jelk.
«I keep seeing hikers walking in difficult terrain wearing sneakers. They overestimate their physical abilities and at the same time underestimate the distances. All of this inevitably leads to more accidents, says Jelk.
On the glacier with sneakers
Around a third of the mountaineers who had fatal accidents were hikers. The mountain rescuer is annoyed that he even encounters sneaker tourists on the glacier. The problem is that these people are not informed about the dangers.
Legend:
Mountain guide Jelk has already met people wearing sneakers on the glacier.
Keystone/Christian Beutler
He recently even met a jogger on the glacier. “I warned him about crevasses, but he didn’t listen to me,” said Jelk. Shortly afterwards he slipped into a crevice.
But he was able to free himself. Many people don’t listen to advice and think they know better. “You won’t let yourself be taught either. It’s difficult for us mountain guides to get to them,” says Jelk.
Hot summer caused more rockfalls
Because of the extreme heat, there was increased danger in the mountains this summer. Rock and ice falls occurred more frequently. It was and is therefore particularly important to find out about the conditions on site.
Legend:
Anyone traveling in the mountains should plan their tour well.
Keystone/Anthony Annex
Jelk says: “When you are traveling in the mountains, you should plan and study the route carefully.” Then you have to consider whether you are even capable of running this route. “Everyone has a limit somewhere,” says Jelk. And then before you start you should find out about the weather conditions and other dangers that you may encounter on the route.
Every person has a limit somewhere.
Such dangers can arise immediately, for example if a thunderstorm occurs unexpectedly. These days they are much more extreme and often arise at very short notice. Then things can get really dangerous in the mountains.
“If in doubt, it is always better to cancel a tour or even forego it altogether,” says Jelk.