Горные лыжи
Горные лыжи

20-year-old freerider caught in avalanche in Tyrol: victim successfully resuscitated

On Wednesday (February 18, 2026), a young man was buried under snow during an avalanche in Kirchberg, Tyrol. After approximately 20 minutes, he was located and extricated.

Kirchberg in Tyrol — an avalanche occurred in the free-riding zone of the KitzSki ski resort within the municipality of Kirchberg in Tyrol during the first half of the day on Wednesday. As reported by the Tyrol State Police Directorate in a press release, around 10:45 AM, two 20-year-old Austrians were heading from the Brunn-D3 mountain station toward Penglstein1-D1.

When one of the young men entered a steep slope, the snow masses suddenly shifted. He was swept down a narrow gully for approximately 250 meters. Once the avalanche stopped, the second Austrian began searching for his companion using an avalanche transceiver (LVS-Gerät).

Victim transported to the clinic by helicopter

According to police, six other freeriders noticed the incident and came to help. After about 20 minutes, the person buried under the snow was dug out. He was extricated from a depth of approximately 2.10 meters. The arriving crew of the Heli3 rescue helicopter found no signs of life in the young Austrian.

After resuscitation efforts lasting about three minutes, cardiovascular activity was restored. The young man, with injuries of an undetermined level of severity, was transported by helicopter to a clinic in Innsbruck. Participating in the operation were 15 members of the Kirchberg Mountain Rescue Service and a dog handler, as well as the crew of the Heli3 rescue helicopter. Additionally, the KitzSki piste rescue service, the Libelle Tirol helicopter, and four officers from the Alpine Police were involved in the efforts.Source: LPD Tirol

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Daniel Tat

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