Overview
- During an All Saints' Day visit for minor repairs, Bergwacht Ramsau and police alpine guides arriving by helicopter found extensive, deliberate damage at the Watzmann‑Hocheck shelter.
- Inspectors reported an open first‑aid room soaked with about 15 centimeters of snow, a smashed window that waterlogged a wooden wall, and a depot padlock so damaged it had to be cut off.
- Bergwacht leadership said the damage could have prevented entry to the depot and use of the hut as a base during an emergency.
- Police documented the scene and the Grenzpolizeiinspektion Piding has opened an investigation, asking for witness information as the timeframe remains unclear.
- Volunteers have secured the site temporarily and face four‑figure costs for materials, repairs and flights, with leaders suspecting repeat offenders after multiple incidents this year.