German Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier’s climbing partners have said that the decision to leave her body on a remote mountain in Pakistan was made in accordance with her own written wishes and due to dangerous conditions at the site.
Dahlmeier, a double Olympic gold medalist in biathlon, was struck by falling rock on July 28 while descending Laila Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range. She lost consciousness immediately and showed no signs of life, according to her climbing partner, Marina Eva Krauss.
Krauss, who was with Dahlmeier during the climb, said she couldn’t reach her without putting herself in extreme danger due to continued rockfall.
“It was clear the only way to help was by calling a helicopter,” Krauss told the international media in Skardu. “I called out to her, but there was no response. She wasn’t moving. I saw that she had been struck in the head and would only survive if help arrived immediately.”
Laila Peak, a striking 6,069-meter spire in the Hushe Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, is known for its steep and technical terrain. Dahlmeier was at around 5,700 meters when the accident occurred. Harsh weather prevented helicopter rescue, and her death was confirmed by expert teams from Germany and the United States on July 30.
German climber and rescue team member Thomas Huber, who spoke alongside Krauss, said rockfall continued after Dahlmeier was hit, making any recovery attempt extremely dangerous.
“She was in what could be considered a safe spot,” Huber explained. “But trying to reach her would have put lives at risk.”
Huber added that Dahlmeier, 31, had a clear understanding of the risks involved in mountaineering and had left explicit instructions not to endanger anyone’s life in an attempt to retrieve her body.
“We did discuss recovery, of course,” Huber said. “But we knew Laura and how she thought. If the effort was risky, she wouldn’t want it — she was a mountain girl through and through.”
Dahlmeier’s management had earlier confirmed her wishes, stating that she had asked to remain on the mountain if such circumstances arose — a request echoed by her fellow climbers.
“She’s now resting on a beautiful mountain, and we should honor that,” Huber said.
The rescue operation was officially called off on July 30, according to Kamal Khan, commissioner of Baltistan Division.
“They did everything they could,” Khan told reporters. “But Miss Laura was in an inaccessible spot, and rockfall continued to make the area too dangerous to reach.”
Krauss was unharmed in the incident and returned safely to base camp. Authorities confirmed she is in good health.
Dahlmeier was one of Germany’s most accomplished biathletes, winning two gold medals and a bronze at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. She retired from the sport in 2019 at age 25 and had since devoted herself to mountaineering.
Tributes have poured in from across the sporting world. Markus Söder, premier of Dahlmeier’s home state of Bavaria, remembered her as “ambitious and successful, yet always humble and closely connected to her roots.”
The International Biathlon Union also extended its condolences.