VMI cadet, brothers help in rescue mission in Austrian avalanche
LEXINGTON — On Christmas Day, Erik Gottmann and his family arrived in Zürs, a village in the Austrian Alps known for its ski resorts. Little did they know what was in store for the village or them.
Gottmann, who is from Malta, New York, is a cadet at Virginia Military Institute, majoring in civil engineering and playing midfield on the school’s lacrosse team.
“We have been to that same ski slope twice before and know it fairly well,” Gottmann said in a press release from VMI. “My brothers, a family friend, and I spent most of the day skiing the trails, which are quite long and challenging, since the mountain is massive. My father was skiing in a less ambitious area, and my mom was in the lodge.”
Erik, along with his two brothers, Troy, a 17-year-old high school senior and Hans, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, have been skiing since they were toddlers.
The brothers and their friend stopped to rest and take some pictures when the 15-year-old saw an avalanche, pointing it out to the others.
“I thought he was joking at first, then I saw it too, and quickly got my phone out of my pocket and began to video,” Erik Gottmann said. “Even from the distance where we were standing, we could see the snow covering up people. As soon as the avalanche stopped, we decided to ski over to help the people trapped.”
The first person they found, according to the release, was a German man buried up to his neck in snow.
“We dropped down on our hands and knees, and used our hands to dig him out of the snow,” Gottmann said. “He was speaking German, and I know a little of the language, so I was able to understand that he injured his shoulder, but I didn’t understand much more than that.”
They four were able to uncover the man, then they raced up the hill to see if they could find others who were trapped. The release said that the ski patrol arrived soon after and used Gottmann’s video to see how many people were covered by snow. They determined it was 10.
“Small shovels were distributed, so we no longer had to dig with our hands,” Gottmann said. “They told us to look for skis and ski poles sticking up out of the snow, and to dig wherever we found them, since people were most likely nearby.”
Shortly after that, Gottmann said rescue helicopters arrived, but there were so many that he lost count. The VMI cadet said paramedics and rescue equipment were being lowered from the helicopters.
The four young men continued to dig for an additional 45 minutes, according to Gottmann. By then, enough police and other professionals arrived to complete the search effort. Long poles were used to probe the snow, but fortunately no bodies were found, the release said. The entire rescue lasted less than three hours.
“Clearly these people have been trained for avalanches and know exactly what to do,” said Gottmann.
The release said that Gottmann and his brothers were able to talk with several of the survivors after they were rescued. He said the majority had only minor injuries. The most seriously injured was the German man, who was flown to the hospital.
“Ironically on that very morning, the ski resort had used dynamite to try to loosen the snow in that particular section, since the temperature had risen slightly,” Gottmann said. “But the snow didn't slide at all, so they thought it was safe.”
Confirmation that all the victims had been successfully rescued came in the form of church bells in the town of Stuben, where the Gottmanns were staying, just south of ski resort in Zürs.
“The ritual of ringing the church bells three times signals to everyone in the village that all were safely found,” Gottmann said. “But to hear them on Christmas evening was extra special.”
Gottman plans to commission into the Army upon graduation.
Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, VMI’s superintendent, said in the release that he was amazed by this story but not surprised.
“VMI is no ordinary college experience,” Wins said in the release. “Each and every day at VMI, our cadets choose selfless service, courage, and honor in stark contrast to other school experiences, so it comes as no surprise that Cadet Gottmann chose to put the needs of others over his own. His actions in Austria perfectly exemplify the values of a Virginia Military Institute cadet.”
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— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: VMI cadet, brothers help in rescue mission in Austrian avalanche
