A British hiker faces a fine of more than $16,000 (€14,000) after requiring a helicopter rescue from a closed trail in the Dolomites.
According to Veneto Mountain Rescue, on the morning of July 31, a 60-year-old man ventured onto the Ferrata Berti – a long and challenging Via Ferrata – despite signs warning it was closed from both access points due to “continuous” rockfall in the area. At around 3:30pm, the man, who has not been identified, called mountain rescue to say that rocks were falling from above him.
“He was told not to move from the repaired spot in which he was and to wait for the rescue, because at the moment the mountain was hidden by clouds,” states the CNSAS.
While crews were waiting for a weather window to approach the area by air, the helicopter was called to another mission. When the skies cleared, teams were able to pinpoint the subject’s location at around 7,800ft (2,400m) and learned he was in a perilous location.
“When the clouds moved, the San Vito di Cadore Alpine Rescue unfortunately realised that the hiker was right in the middle of the landslide.”
Another crew scrambled from Treviso with a second helicopter and by 5:30pm had evacuated the hiker in a “quick precision operation” that involved dropping a crew member around 65ft (20m) to hoist him to base camp. There were no injuries reported.
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According to the CNSAS, this marks the second rescue from the Ferrata Berti in just 10 days, with two Belgian hikers requiring assistance on July 19 despite an order from the mayor closing all access. The Guardian reports that those men paid “a fraction of the bill” the British hiker faces because Belgium is a member of the European Union, while the UK left the EU in 2020 following the results of the Brexit vote.
On August 3, the CNSAS took to social media again to report that they have increased signage and closures in the area as a result of the rescues.
“The operation was made necessary because of the negligence of the present signage, obviously not enough to stop people, either because of inattention or underestimating the risk.”
They add that the rockfall has continued in recent days, and the closures are in place to protect rescue crews as well as hikers. Read our article on trail closures to understand why you might not be able to access trails you planned to hike, and what to do instead.
