In 1963, a young hiker threw his backpack into a deep crevasse in Austria’s Tyrol region to save himself during a terrifying mountaineering accident. More than six decades later, melting glacial ice has returned the lost backpack, camera, ice axe and pipe to the now 86-year-old man’s family.
On August 4, 1963, the man was taking part in a high-altitude hike with friends around the Sulztalferner glacier in Tyrol. During the crossing, he suddenly fell into a crevasse.
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Because the group was roped together, his friends were able to keep him from falling further and eventually pull him out using prusik loops. But there was one thing making the rescue more difficult, his backpack. To make himself lighter, he removed it and threw it into the crevasse. He likely never expected to see it again.
Glacier preserved the backpack for 63 years The backpack remained buried in glacial ice for more than 60 years. That changed last month when another hiker discovered a collection of objects on the Sulztalferner glacier, roughly 9,700 feet above sea level.
Among the items were the old backpack, an ice axe, a camera and a pipe, all believed to date from the 1950s or 1960s. The discovery led Austrian authorities to launch an investigation to identify their owner.
Among the items were the old backpack, an ice axe, a camera and a pipe, all believed to date from the 1950s or 1960s
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“A barely legible name was eventually found in the badly weathered document folder. Further research led to the identification of the former owner. The now 86-year-old confirmed that the equipment was indeed his,” Tyrol state police said.
86-year-old reunites with belongings The man was unable to travel to collect the i
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