The incident took place near the village of Lech (pictured). Photo: Wikimedia Commons
A British skier recently found himself stranded deep in the backcountry of the Austrian alps. Though he emerged from the ordeal physically unscathed, it turns out that he’s taking a financial hit instead.
As The Sun reports, the incident took place around noon on April 1, at the ski resort of Lech, located in Vorarlberg, western Austria. Police reported that the 20-year-old skier wandered far into the backcountry, where he found himself in dangerous, rocky terrain – unable to progress forward or go back the way he came. Even worse, he had no emergency equipment and there was an avalanche warning level three in place at the time.
The man called for help and a rescue team promptly responded. The rescuers finally managed to retrieve him via helicopter, by lowering a rope and airlifting him out.
That wasn’t the end of it, though. According to Austria’s Security Police Act, authorities can bill people if they are deemed to have acted with gross negligence – such as wandering far off-piste in the middle of a level three avalanche warning. The cost of such a bill could range anywhere from 4-6,000 dollars, proving that ignoring safety warnings can not only cost your life, but a pretty penny as well.
