Stefan Jungmann is the head of the Alpine Police, Landeck, as well as a mountain and ski guide. We wanted to know how to prevent accidents on and off the patrolled slopes.
Mogasi: Are there any thoughts as to how to reduce the speed of skiers?
Stefan Jungmann: You can only request that skiers ski a speed that matches their ability and the conditions. Winter sports should not be as regulated as road traffic. It has to be determined by then sense of the person.
Mogasi: Many collisions are now caught on camera. Does this make your job easier?
Stefan Jungmann: „A picture is worth a thousand words“ a photo or video helps us to reconstruct an accident. It is the best evidence that we can obtain.
In approximately 1 in every 3 accidents, the person responsible skis away.
Mogasi: How often do hit and run accidents occur on skis/snowboard?
Stefan Jungmann: In approximately 1 in every 3 accidents, the person responsible skis away. It can also happen that they assist the injured person but then leave the scene without providing any details. The investigation of such accidents is very difficult in large ski resorts.
Mogasi: Freeriding / off piste has become very popular. What can winter sportspeople do to minimize the associated risk?
Stefan Jungmann: Good preparation, appropriate equipment and equipment familiarisation, pay attention to warnings, seek information from local guides, read avalanche reports, attend courses and training that are lead by ski instructors or mountain / ski guides.
Mogasi: Accidents also happen on guided tours. You deal with many on a yearly basis. Do professionals also make mistakes?
Stefan Jungmann: A wrong decision is not immediately an error. No one consciously makes a mistake that leads to an accident. Accidents also occur that no one can predict or foresee. Residual risk is always present on the mountain.
Mogasi: You yourself are an extreme mountaineer and mountain guide who takes guests to the mountains. How much does this experience help you in your daily role?
Stefan Jungmann: Every single tour, whether private or professional, develops experience and helps in the decision making process. My many expeditions and guided tours have proven to be very useful and have helped to me overcome many situations in the mountains.
Every tour and every peak, regardless of how many times I have climbed it, is still impressive and beautiful to me.
Mogasi: Which mountain huts do you frequent the most?
Stefan Jungmann: I prefer to go to the huts in our home mountains, especially the Heidelbergerhütte.
Mogasi: Which mountain tour was the most impressive for you so far?
Stefan Jungmann: The first real tour as a small boy with my father on Piz Buin still impresses me today. And the ascent to the Seespitz into Madlein after my accident there on the summit has left its mark on me. Nevertheless, every tour and every peak, regardless of how many times I have climbed it, is still impressive and beautiful to me. The tours during my expeditions in the mountains around the world were also something special.
Stefan Jungmann, 52, from Ischgl is the head on the Alpine Police, Landeck, Mountain and Ski Guide and Extreme Mountaineer.
