‘What kind of people…’: High-altitude heist on climbing route shocks Switzerland

Thieves in Switzerland have managed to not only conquer one of the country’s most challenging protected climbing routes but also robbed a collection used to fund the maintenance of said route, while they were at it.

The incident has since sparked outrage from the local climbing group which took to social media to say what kind of people would do this along with an image of the smashed donation box.

About the high-altitude heist

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It is worth noting that the heist was conducted by robbers who ascended to an altitude of 2,350 metres passing the traversed gorges on narrow steel cables, reported BBC.

The donation box from where the money was stolen belonged to the local climbing club and what shocked them was that the box was only accessible to the most experienced climbers.

The club maintains Switzerland’s longest protected climbing route known as via ferrata, on the Gemmi pass above Leukerbad village and does not receive any salary for the work.

The route is classed as level 5 (most difficult) and as per BBC involves serious climbing, ascending ladders bolted into the vertical rock face and crossing steep gorges on narrow steel cables.

In a post on Facebook, the group expressed their shock and outrage and said, “What kind of people are these??? The members of the IG climbing platform maintain the climbing platform without pay and different compensation.”

Given the difficulty of the route and the requirement to be equipped with necessary mountaineering gear for the climb, the theft is believed to have been carefully planned well in advance, as per the people who discovered the smashed donation box.

The thieves were also seemingly equipped with the tools that allowed them to break open the donation box “with brute force,” said the climbing club, as per the British media report. It also appears that they continued their ascent, with the money, to the top of the Dauberhorn, at 2941 metres.

How much money did they steal?

While the climbing club is not sure exactly how much money the thieves took, club member and mountain guide Richard Werlen told the BBC it was likely to be at least 400-500 Swiss francs ($450-560)

The club also said that it might be difficult to find the perpetrator considering the last few days have been perfect climbing weather and they have received a large number of mountaineers at via ferrata.

The club has since received some 500 francs to replace the stolen donations by a local benefactor, reported BBC.

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