Tragic mountain accident on the Rimpfischhorn

Air Zermatt was called out to a tragic mission on the Rimpfischhorn on Saturday afternoon. Five mountaineers lost their lives during a tour in the Valais Alps. A group of mountaineers were on their way from the Britannia hut towards the Rimpfischhorn on Saturday. At an altitude of around 4,000 meters above the saddle, where a ski depot is usually set up, they discovered four pairs of skis, but no other people. Even after the ascent to the summit, the skis were still in place. The group immediately reported this observation to the cantonal Valais rescue organization KWRO (emergency number 144).

An Air Zermatt helicopter with a pilot, emergency doctor, paramedic and a KWRO rescue specialist on board was then dispatched on a search flight in the direction of the Rimpfischhorn. Around 500 meters below the saddle, the crew discovered three alpinists on an avalanche cone. However, the emergency doctor was only able to determine their deaths.

While the crew continued to search the rock face above, they discovered two more people on a small area of snow around 200 meters above. Here too, the emergency doctor could only determine that they had died.

The fifth pair of skis was later found in the terrain. An Air Zermatt rescue helicopter with pilot, paramedic, emergency doctor and two KWRO rescue specialists were deployed.

Challenging night mission on the Fiescherhörner

On Friday evening, shortly after 6 p.m., Air Zermatt was called out on a challenging mission. Two two-man rope teams had been surprised by wind and fog on the Fiescherhörner and were blocked on the mountain. An Air Zermatt crew, which took off immediately with two KWRO rescue specialists on board, initially had to abort the evacuation attempt due to the adverse weather conditions.

During the night, shortly after midnight, the crew made another attempt. Despite the deep black night and wind, the rescue team managed to reach the four blocked alpinists. In a precise hovering maneuver, all four people were picked up unharmed and flown safely to the Konkordia hut.

The extremely difficult conditions at night made this mission a major flying challenge for the entire crew.