British tourist falls 300 feet to his death from Austrian mountain guide
A 42-year-old Briton fell 90 meters to his death in Austria after slipping from a ladder bridge in the Dachstein Mountains, a popular spot where tourists flock to get a good Instagram photo.
The unidentified victim was alone on the famous 130-foot ladder when he ran into difficulty and fell into the valley. according to Mirror.
The ladder connects the lower part of the Donnerkogel with the Großer Donnerkogel or “larger” part of the mountain, which includes the 6,740-foot peak.
Investigators called the man’s fall an accident and ruled out any third-party fault, the outlet reported.
The ladder is advertised by the Dachstein region’s tourism website as a “new TOP attraction on the Zwieselalm for climbing enthusiasts”. The climb takes place in four stages and the ladder is “the ultimate adrenaline rush”.
The climb is listed as a Via Ferrata or “Iron Path,” a climb that uses steel cables, rungs, pegs and ladders to which climbers are attached with a harness for their safety.
Two helicopters and several officers from two nearby police departments recovered the man’s body from the ravine.
On Instagram, thousands of adventure-seekers have shared their experiences climbing this hair-raising tourist attraction, some using the nickname “Stairway to Heaven.”
The climb is rated as moderate/difficult and is “not ideal for beginners”.
Several Austrian cities are fed up with tourists invading their hometowns because of social media content, and some are even going so far as to beg to be left alone.
In May, the small village of Hallstatt closed its famous lake view after tourists invaded the hamlet to view what is believed to have inspired several scenes in the Disney film “Frozen.”
Mayor Alexander Scheutz said his city of 750 permanent residents had attracted over 7,000 visitors a day who were there to see the views that inspired “Arendelle” in the 2013 film.
Earlier this month, a 55-year-old Virginia man died while attempting to complete the grueling 24-mile rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon.
First responders received a call around 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 9th about a hiker in distress near a campsite on the North Kaibab Trail, where Ranjith Varma became unconscious and had to be flown out of the gorge, but life-saving measures were taken attempts by park rangers were unsuccessful.
