In 2021, the corona pandemic had an impact on the deployment statistics of the Salzburg mountain rescue service. Especially during the first lockdown in March, fewer recreational athletes were out in the mountains than usual. This also reduced the number of missions. In the summer there was a short-term increase. The number of fatal mountain accidents fell slightly.
Around 1,400 mountain rescuers from a total of 43 local offices in Salzburg were deployed on a total of 624 missions in 2021. This corresponds to a decrease of around two percent compared to 2020 with 639 missions. “The main cause of mountain accidents in 2021 is likely to be the ongoing hiking boom,” explains Balthasar Laireiter, who on Saturday in his capacity as regional manager of the Salzburg mountain rescue service was re-elected. 42 percent of the total deployments related to hiking and mountain accidents. In spring 2021, the ongoing ski touring trend (plus 15 percent) was also responsible for deployments. A tragic part of the statistics: the number of fatalities recovered last year was roughly the same. With 32 dead mountaineers, there were three fewer deaths than in 2020 (35). Most operations in Pongau, mountain rescue dogs often in demand. Most operations by district took place – as in previous years – in Pongau (74 operations for 16 local offices). . It is followed by the Pinzgau (56 missions for 14 local offices) and the Flachgau (29 missions for five local offices). In the districts of Tennengau (13 missions for four local offices) and Lungau (nine missions for four local offices), the number of missions increased compared to 2020. The sharp increase in the number of missions for the special group of mountain rescue dogs (plus 59%). “This shows once again how important our dog teams are in the entire province of Salzburg,” says Laireiter. In the first three months of the current year 2022, there were already 195 missions, and four ski tourers or skiers were killed. Compared to the previous year, there were twice as many missions in March than in 2021. There have also been numerous missions for hikers and mountaineers who had had an accident. The mountain rescue appeals to all hikers and mountaineers to be particularly careful when planning tours and also when choosing equipment.
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