This was the way that, in the last days of October 2016, four men from the Ritten were reunited with their Maker. Four passionate mountaineers; four mountain rescuers; three family men. Four men from the Ritten, who together took this last path that led via the mountains. They left behind families and relatives: three wives and seven children; parents, friends and colleagues. And, while consolation is scarcely possible at such a fateful moment, support can nevertheless be offered to the families.

Gottfried Fuchsberger, head of the Ritten-Barbian mountain rescue team, has thus launched the “Tragedy on the Hochferner” fund-raising campaign for the families of his colleagues. Read more about the background events and how you too can help.

Mr Fuchsberger, I first want to express my respect for what you have initiated for the bereaved families. Can you tell us briefly how the fund-raising campaign came about?
Well, on 22 October there was a tragic accident on the Hochferner peak in the Zillertaler Alps: four men set off in the morning to climb the north face of the mountain, which is over 3,400 metres high: sadly, they were struck by an avalanche. After a search lasting several days, only the bodies of the mountaineers – all friends from the Ritten area – could be found. Three of the dead were colleagues of mine from the Ritten-Barbian mountain rescue team, as was the fourth up until a few years ago. Peter Vigl, Thomas Lun and Andreas Zöggeler all left behind families with children who now have to live with their loss and who will not find matters easy in financial terms: Peter Vigl’s carpentry business will close; the cattle on Thomas Lun’s farm can no longer be kept; while some years ago Andreas Zöggeler built a house that his family now has to maintain.
In the days after the tragedy, along with the mayor of the Ritten municipality, I visited the families of the victims as head of the Ritten-Barbian mountain rescue team. The community demonstrated a tremendous solidarity that further encouraged us to set up an account for donations. In this way we launched the “Tragedy on the Hochferner” fundraiser and immediately met with widespread support. While nothing can bring back these husbands, friends and fathers, we can at least together help lessen the financial worries of their families.

A fantastic idea. How will the donations benefit those affected?
100% of the monies collected will go to the victims’ families. The parents of Uli Seebacher have said that their share of the donations should go instead to the wives and children of Peter Vigl, Thomas Lun and Andreas Zöggeler. There are no overheads involved in this campaign, meaning that all the proceeds will simply be divided by three. The aim is for the fundraiser to run until to the end of January: all donations will be welcome until then!

How can you donate?
We have set up an account for donations at the Raiffeisenkasse Ritten – anyone can contribute, giving “Tragedy on the Hochferner” as a reference. Companies can also obtain a receipt for donations – if desired please contact me directly (contact details at the end of the article – Ed.), as the donation procedure is somewhat different in such cases. Everyone else can transfer money directly to the account and, in the name of the victims’ families, we wish to thank you very much for your help!

Thank you too for this short interview, Mr Fuchsberger, and we wish you every success with the fundraiser!

Do you too wish to make a donation? You can – with just one click! You simply need to like our Fan Page on Facebook: for every new “Like”, südtirol privat will donate 50 cents to the “Tragedy on the Hochferner” fund to help support the families of the climbers from the Ritten.
südtirol privat Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/suedtirolprivat

If you need a receipt for your donation please contact Gottfried Fuchsberger, head of the fundraiser, directly:
Tel.: 0471 356371
Mobile: 335 7302233
E-mail: info@unterhorn.it

Full bank details:
Raiffeisenkasse Ritten:
IBAN: IT24T0818758740000001032897
Reference: Unglück Hochferner / Hochferner Tragedy