Laura Dahlmeier, a 31-year-old double biathlon champion from Germany, experienced an athlete’s worse nightmare. She was severely injured after being hit by falling rocks while climbing Laila Peak in the Karakoram range of Pakistan. The mid-day accident happened at an altitude of approximately 18,700 feet. Dahlmeier, who has been living in the area since late June, is recognized for her lifetime of professional-grade mountaineering experience.
Dahlmeier is already a phenomenal sporting success, with seven world championship gold medals to her name. In 2018, she became a Winter Olympic pioneer by becoming the first woman biathlete to win both sprint and pursuit titles at the same Games. She officially withdrew from professional competition in 2019. After her retirement she worked as a biathlon commentator for the German broadcaster ZDF. She found an unexpected love for mountaineering.
In the days since the collision, severe weather and natural disaster conditions across the region have made for difficult and dangerous rescue efforts. Severe weather conditions — including continuous rain, high winds, and low cloud cover — have hindered aerial evacuation efforts. The team at Shipton Trek & Tours Pakistan, which organized the trekking journey, indicated that the experienced mountaineer is possibly critically injured. They made clear that they’d seen no evidence of life coming from her area.
Dahlmeier had led one of the first free ascents of the Great Trango Tower, demonstrating not just technical ability but mental fortitude as a veteran expeditionist. As news of her conditions continues to spread, the international community is coming together to support her. The International Biathlon Union issued a statement expressing their concern: “We are thinking of Dahlmeier and her family, hoping for good news to emerge soon.”
Local authorities are organizing ground rescue operations, but the very high altitude and inhospitable weather conditions severely complicate this rescue mission. Supporters and fellow athletes have been holding their breath as rescue teams have worked to traverse the difficult terrain to search and rescue.