British man plummets 300 ft to his death from 'the stairway to heaven' in Austrian mountains

A British climber died after falling over 90 metres (300 feet) from a ladder bridge, popularly known as 'the stairway to heaven', in the Austrian mountains last week. The 42-year-old was climbing the ladder alone when he slipped and plunged into a gorge, according to media reports.

The famous ladder connects the lower part of the Donnerkogel Mountain to the Grosser Donnerkogel or greater part. The route, which also includes a 6,740-foot peak, is famous among thrill-seekers with thousands of photos of it shared on Instagram, reported the New York Post.

The man fell to his death last Tuesday. The Salzburg State Police told the Daily Mail that two helicopter crews and several officers from Hallein Alpine and Abtenau police tried to rescue the person but to no avail.

The climber’s body was retrieved from the deep gorge beneath the famous bridge. The police have declared that the man’s death was an accident, ruling out any third-party negligence, the Daily Mail report added.

On the Dachstein region tourist website, the ladder has been referred to as via ferrata, which means ‘iron path’ in Italian. Many call it the ‘stairway to heaven’ or ‘sky ladder’. The website describes it as “the new TOP attraction on the Zwieselalm for climbing enthusiasts” which is 40 metres in length and “free-floating”.

The whole hike, of which the ladder is a part, is completed in a total of four stages offering “a fantastic view of the Dachstein Glacier, the surrounding mountains and the entire Gosau Valley”.

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