Expert explains what happens to her light pick -up on the mountain

Expert explains process

What happens to Dahlmeier’s body at 5,700 meters?

Before her death, Laura Dahlmeier determines that no one should risk his life for her salvage. Her body remains at Laila Peak. But what does that mean?

On Monday Laura Dahlmeier in Pakistan accidentally accidentally accidentally crashed. The 31 -year -old Olympic champion was hit by a large stone on the head while climbing. Together with a rope partner, Dahlmeier wanted to climb the Laila Peak, a demanding mountain of more than 6,000 meters. The serious misfortune happened at the height of 5,700 meters.

Nobody could penetrate her because of the ongoing risk of stone. As the family announced, it was Dahlmeier’s “express and written will” to leave the body on the mountain in such a bad case. That was done, the rescue operation stopped.

And so her body is still at the Laila Peak almost a week later. What happens to your body if he should stay on the mountain forever? An expert to answer this question is criminal biologist Dr. Mark Benecke. He considers it likely that Dahlmeier’s body is not decomposed by insects and bacteria due to the circumstances or affected by larger animals.

“Insects and bacteria grow and live faster, the warmer it is and slower, the colder it is,” explains the expert at the request of T-online. “It is colder at great altitude, so that large animals can hardly be found there.” Benecke therefore says: “If the body freezes, it is simply preserved.”

However, he also notes: “Due to the floods, melting glaciers, landslides and the general warming, depending on the exact location of the body, their storage and ambient conditions can change faster than we experienced earlier.”

A ultimate identification is still possible without major difficulties, “because the genetic material in the teeth and bones is preserved for a long time. As long as they are found, a kinship test is not a problem.” Even more: “In the mountains, the clothing and equipment almost always preserved for a very long time. These are also well suited for recognition, because so many people do not disappear in the mountains.” Basically, “it shouldn’t be a problem to clearly assign the body to the family according to a possible find.”

Mountaineer legend Reinhold Messner had previously praised Dahlmeier’s wish to be left behind on the mountain. “I respect that and think this attitude is great,” emphasized Messner. “It is proof that she also saw through what she did.” Even more – this is a “grandeur without which belongs to the traditional mountaineering.” He emphasized: “The mountaineering loses a great alpineist.”