In terrible weather, they set off for Śnieżka wearing... tracksuits. One suffered hypothermia; GOPR intervened

The incident occurred on February 3. Rescuers from GOPR Karkonosze:

(…) at 7:00 p.m., the Central Station received information about two tourists who had lost their way near the red trail above Mały Staw Cirque.

As RMF FM reporter RMF FM established, the men, “wearing tracksuit trousers and ordinary jackets,” were trying to climb Śnieżka.

The duty rescuer tried to guide the tourists to a safe place remotely. Karkonosze GOPR: – However, after approximately 20 minutes, the tourists reported that one of them had become exhausted and was unable to continue walking.

A team of rescuers from Karpacz therefore set out for the scene. In the meantime, another tourist, Mr Artur, equipped with snowshoes, reached the chilled men. He helped the two men return to the trail junction near Spalona Strażnica and stayed with them until GOPR arrived.

When the GOPR rescuers arrived, one of the tourists was showing signs of second-degree hypothermia. The rescuers said: – After thermal protection was provided, the tourists were evacuated to the Strzecha Akademicka shelter. There, the most severely chilled man was initially warmed and the evacuation to Karpacz continued. The other tourist remained at the shelter until morning.

They added:

The tourist suffering from hypothermia was handed over to a PRM team at the Karpacz Rescue Station. After being warmed, during handover to the emergency medical service, the man’s body temperature was 32⁰C. The operation ended at 1:00 a.m.

They also appealed:

When heading into the mountains, (...) you should prepare properly, plan accordingly and familiarize yourself with the route.

Detailed information can be found on the GOPR Karkonosze website.