Mead graduate injured in Bavarian Alps climbing accident

A Mead High School and Whitworth University graduate was seriously injured in a New Year’s Day climbing accident in the Bavarian Alps that claimed the life of his climbing partner.

Derek Kiehn, 28, remains in a medically induced coma at a trauma center in Murnau, Germany, while he recovers from his injuries, said his sister, Lindsey Thomson. He had frostbite and hypothermia, and part of his left leg was amputated as a result of the injuries, she said. Surgery on his right leg is scheduled for Monday.

Kiehn’s parents, Marc and Nancy Kiehn, have traveled from Spokane to Germany to be with him.

Kiehn lives in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, where he works as an instructor for Outward Bound. He was climbing with his friend, James Howell of England, whom he met while he was working on a master’s degree in outdoor recreation in Scotland. Howell was killed instantly and Kiehn was knocked unconscious. As a result of poor weather conditions, it took the search-and-rescue team 24 hours to reach Kiehn, Thomson said.

“This was just a terrible accident,” Marc and Nancy Kiehn said in a statement issued through their daughter. “It was a classic climb … and it was well within their ability level.”

Both Kiehn and Howell were careful, experienced climbers, who had ascended more challenging routes in the Alps, Kiehn’s parents said. The police official in charge of mountain rescues told them that the climbers were well-prepared with good equipment, extra food and well-thought-out climbing routes, and that they were rested when they started the descent, which was when the accident occurred.

The men were climbing a popular ridge called Blassengrat on the backside of Alpspitze in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. They started their climb on the night of Dec. 30 and got to see the sunrise on the Alps the next morning, which was followed by blue skies.

“The pictures retrieved from Derek’s camera showed how much fun they were having,” his parents said.

But by early afternoon on Dec. 31, the weather took a sudden turn, leaving the men in whiteout conditions. It was an abrupt change from the weather forecast, which had predicted a 12-hour window of clear conditions for their descent, Kiehn’s parents said.

The men decided to stay overnight in a protected area. Kiehn contacted his girlfriend, Fabienne Woiton, to let her know about the change of plans. They started their descent when the skies cleared the next morning. During a descent down a gully, “somehow they slipped and fell,” Kiehn’s parents said.

Kiehn’s girlfriend contacted mountain officials when the men didn’t return as planned. Foggy weather prevented a search-and-rescue helicopter from finding the men that day. They were located on Jan. 2.

Kiehn is a 2009 graduate of Whitworth who started climbing in college. He moved to Germany five years ago, where his girlfriend lives.

Kiehn enjoys climbing for the “beauty and ruggedness” of the alpine experience, his parents said through their daughter. He is a wilderness-certified EMT.

Family members are waiting to learn more about what Kiehn’s long-term recovery will entail, said Thomson, his sister.

A fund has been set up to help with Kiehn’s medical expenses. For more information, visit www.gofundme.com/derekkiehn.