British man, 29, survives falling more than 300ft while trying to climb German mountain in shorts and trainers
- Four Englishmen set out to conquer 6,171ft Kehlstein in the German Alps Monday
- Despite snow and thick fog they attempted the climb in just trainers and shorts
- One of them, 29, plunged down a 300ft rocky gully when he slipped on the trail
- Despite injuries across his body he survived and was airlifted to hospital
A 29-year-old British man has survived after plunging 300ft down a mountainside in the snowy German Alps after going for a hike in a pair of shorts and trainers.
He and three other Englishmen set out for Kehlstein’s 6,171ft peak on Monday, a subpeak of the colossal Göll massif in the Berchtesgaden Alps.
They were having difficulty navigating due to poor visibility and it being slippery underfoot when the 29-year-old fell down the rocky gully.
He suffered serious injuries to his legs, head and feet, but it would be more than hour until the rescue helicopter was able to find them in the dense fog.
Mountain rescuers on Monday flying down to the rocky slope down which the 29-year-old Englishman fell
The helicopter flew the man off the mountain despite heavy fog
Rescue teams had to triangulate the group’s position using their call data before scouring the mountainside with binoculars.
After they were spotted, about 45 minutes after their call, mountain rescuers were able to reach them at their location, around 5,000ft up.
The helicopter arrived 20 minutes later, at around 5.30pm and the injured man was winched up and whisked off to hospital.
The others were rappelled off the steep slope by the ground crew who had hiked up to their position.
Despite the onset of wintry conditions, the four Britons had set out that day in shorts and trainers from their camper can in Hintereck.
The helicopter rushing the casualty to hospital, he had injuries across his head, legs and feet