Bavaria: Video of Watzmann crossing triggers heated debates – Bavaria

Richard Utzmeier loves the mountains. He has been climbing the heights of the Berchtesgadener Land for more than 20 years – now two to three times a week. He films many of his spectacular climbs with an action cam, which is usually worn on the head or in front of the small chest. His films have an average of between 1,000 and 4,000 views. But this time his 32-second video was viewed more than a million times.

The clip shows the 27-year-old on the Watzmann ridge early in the morning – there are steep descents to the left and right. The wide-angle perspective of the camera does the rest. “My hands get sweaty when I watch,” writes one person in the comments. Another commented: “The main thing is that it looks like a ride on a razor’s edge.” Yet another person is upset about the mountain rescue team, “who have to risk their lives to pick such neurotransmitter junkies out of the mountain.” A video, “So that everyone says you’re the hero?” asks one person.

The 27-year-old has already crossed the Watzmann a long time ago. As a so-called trail runner, he also conquers the Watzmann at a running pace: Utzmeier manages the almost 23 kilometers from the valley to the Watzmannhaus, up to the Hocheck, over the middle and southern peaks and back down again and back through the Wimbachgries in just over five hours. He has then covered 2350 meters in altitude. “Twelve hours is normal,” says Utzmeier.

It would also be fatal to use him as a guide. The Watzmann crossing is considered a day trip for experienced mountaineers. The young man was worried by how often he had come across people up there who could no longer do it, who were overwhelmed, mentally blocked and did not know what to do. Some were out with completely inadequate equipment, had been “up the mountain three times (…) and thought they could attempt the crossing.” That’s quite incredible,” Utzmeier marvels.

The Watzmann, at 2,713 meters, is not only the landmark of the Berchtesgaden region, but also one of the highest mountains in Germany. Climbing it is a long, demanding tour that often requires the intervention of rescue services. In April, for example, a young man died after his group of three fell several hundred meters on a snowfield. And in August, two friends wanted to cross the Watzmann together. The duo split up because of bad weather. One of them continued the hike – and was found dead the next day.

That’s why Utzmeier warns against simply trying to repeat the tour: “The Watzmann crossing is an alpine tour and is only recommended for really experienced people who have already done something similar,” he says. Once you’ve started the crossing, you should be able to take every step and still have enough strength. Because that’s the biggest problem: when you run out of energy at the end.

3,000 meters of altitude per week is not Utzmeier’s goal. This year he has already climbed more than 100,000 meters. The videos are his way of reporting on his tours. He says he is often bothered by unqualified negative comments. But the positive comments are in the majority – from people who are simply watching and supporting him. “Keep taking me with you, I’ll stay on the sofa,” writes one person.

At the Berchtesgaden National Park, in whose territory the Watzmann is located, you watch the clip with mixed feelings. “The Watzmann has always been a hotspot for mountain sports enthusiasts and always will be,” says Daniel Müller, deputy head of the national park and responsible for visitor management. “And on social media, there are clips of ridge crossings like Utzmeier’s, like sand on the beach.”

Commercial use of images in the national park is prohibited

On the other hand, they know very well in the national park that such images encourage imitators, including many who “actually have no business being on the Watzmann,” as Müller’s colleague Ulrich Brendel puts it. This is because you are in high alpine, exposed rocky terrain where only experienced mountaineers should be. But that is not enough to deal with clips like Utzmeier’s. Taking photos or filming yourself on the mountain and putting the images online is not forbidden, but rather common practice, on harmless hikes as well as on extreme ridge crossings, in the national park as well as on the mountains outside.

The only thing that would be different would be if one of his film recordings of the Watzmann were to be used commercially, “for example to advertise mountain boots,” as Müller says. “That is prohibited, and we would take action against it.” Just as the national park took action against an extreme sportsman who jumped from the Watzmann in a wingsuit five years ago and glided over the east face of the national park. The clip of this can still be viewed online today.

The National Park and the Berchtesgaden District Office immediately initiated fine proceedings against the man, partly to deter copycats. The way they did this was that the National Park regulations expressly prohibit taking off or landing aircraft there. Müller and Brendel are therefore left with no choice but to appeal to the personal responsibility of hikers and mountaineers. “And apart from that,” says Müller, “the most important thing is that Mr. Utzmeier came back down from the Watzmann in good health.”