Zugspitze rescue: boy leaves 17-year-old girlfriend in blizzard

On Sunday, 1 November, a young couple got into trouble on the Austrian side of the Zugspitze: a 17-year-old girl ran out of strength at an altitude of around 2,500 metres, and her companion left her where she was and descended into the valley alone. Rescuers airlifted the hypothermic girl off the mountain by helicopter, police said, according to Focus.

A night ascent that ended in a blizzard

The pair set off from the Austrian village of Ehrwald at around 1:30 a.m. The plan was to climb to the summit of the Zugspitze via the Stopselzieher via ferrata and watch the sunrise from the top. At 2,962 metres, the mountain is the highest in Germany.

At around 2,500 metres above sea level, the hikers ran into wintry conditions. The temperature fell to −12 °C and it began to snow, and both of them were soon sinking knee-deep into fresh snow. They never reached the summit.

The girl called for help herself

The girl had no strength left and could no longer descend on her own. Her boyfriend left her where she was and went down alone. The girl then phoned for help herself.

Austrian rescuers lifted the hypothermic girl out with the help of a police helicopter. She was taken to a clinic in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but later left the hospital.

What the young man faces

Police have not said why the young man abandoned his girlfriend, whether it was a joint decision, or how each of them explains it, citing the ongoing investigation. The young man faces up to three months in prison: that is the penalty in Austria for anyone who endangers another person’s physical safety.

The story recalls the tragedy on the Grossglockner in January 2025. A completely exhausted 33-year-old woman froze to death just below the summit of Austria’s highest mountain. Her friend had left her where she was, saying he would descend and organise help. The regional court in Innsbruck found the man guilty of negligent homicide.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz