German teenagers nearly froze outside a closed hut in the Dolomites
In the night of 18 October, two German brothers, aged 13 and 16, were rescued near the Bonnerhütte above Dobbiaco in South Tyrol. Südtirol News reports that they continued after a family hike, expecting to spend the night at the hut, only to find it closed.
The hut stands at 2,340 metres. The brothers had climbed more than 1,000 vertical metres and called for help at about 1 a.m. Puster Valley mountain rescuers found them hypothermic, brought them down and handed them to medics.
The Bonnerhütte website says its 2026 season ended on 11 October, around a week before the incident. Local media report that both teenagers were released from hospital after being examined.
Sources: Südtirol News — Unterkühlung: Zwei Minderjährige alleine auf BergtourBonnerhütte — opening and closing dates for 2026
Context
Some mountain huts have separate “winter rooms” where hikers can stay independently even after the season ends. Often, though, this requires arranging it with the hut warden in advance and collecting a key down in the village.