Climbing
Two hikers fell during a hike on the Lagginhorn near Saas Grund, Switzerland on Monday, July 8. A group of eight hikers was descending on the west ridge of the Lagginhorn shortly after 9:30 a.m., when two of the hikers slipped one after the other and fell several hundred meters down the western flank of the mountain. All help came too late for one of the hikers while the other was taken to a hospital in Bern with serious injuries.
The Lagginhorn is located in the Saas Valley and reaches a peak elevation of 4,010 meters (13,156 feet). The hike offers stunning views to the ski resort Saas-Fee. The last few hundred meters of the ascent and descent require crampons, and a fall in this area can be fatal. While the climb is technically not that difficult, the Swiss Alpine Club emphasizes that “the Lagginhorn is not a simple mountain. Every year fatal accidents happen on the normal descent.” After late-season snow in the Alps this year, there is still considerable snow at the top section and are dangerous cornices on the ridge line to the peak.
The decased has been identified as a 45-year-old German woman, while the injured person was identified as a 61-year-old German woman. Neither of the two women were secured by ropes at the time of the accident.
The incident is being investigated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in cooperation with the Cantonal Police of Wallis/Valais. Air Zermatt, which deployed two helicopters to the site, carried out the rescue.
