A winter outing turned tragic in Austria after a husband and wife plunged more than 200 feet off a cliff while sledding, killing the man and leaving his wife in critical condition.
The 63-year-old man and his 58-year-old wife were sledding down Rabantalm mountain in East Tyrol when they lost control, veered off the marked path, and fell down a steep, rocky slope on Thursday, Jan. 1, according to local reports from Die Presse, Kronen Zeitung, and Kleine Zeitung.
Police said the area drops sharply before turning into an almost vertical rock face roughly 82 feet high. The couple fell down the rock face and then continued another 164 feet down a wooded slope angled at about 55 degrees and lightly covered in snow.
Authorities confirmed the husband suffered fatal injuries in the fall, while his wife was critically injured. Other sledders noticed fresh tracks extending beyond the edge of the trail, heard screams from below, and immediately alerted emergency services.
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The couple’s daughter and son-in-law, both 23 and also on the trip, provided first aid until rescue crews arrived. An emergency physician later pronounced the man dead at the scene.
Members of the Lienz mountain rescue team recovered the man’s body following an accident investigation. Police said 22 rescuers assisted in the operation.
The injured woman was airlifted to Lienz District Hospital and later transferred to Klagenfurt Regional Hospital due to the severity of her condition. A crisis intervention team is supporting the family.
The incident comes just weeks after another fatal alpine tragedy in Austria, where a man was charged in connection with the death of his girlfriend on Grossglockner, the country’s highest peak.
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In that case, the 33-year-old woman and her boyfriend began climbing the mountain on Jan. 18, 2025, but became stranded roughly 160 feet below the summit. Prosecutors allege the man left her exposed to freezing temperatures without proper protection while he went to seek help. The woman later died from hypothermia, and the man was charged with grossly negligent manslaughter in December.
