An alpinist has reconnected with his long-lost backpack and gear after the items emerged from a melting glacier in Austria more than six decades after he left them.
The 86-year-old man lost the equipment in 1963 when he fell into a crevasse while crossing the Sulzstalferner glacier in Tyrol with a group of friends.
In July, one of the tourists discovered the backpack and several pieces of gear, including an ice axe, camera, and tube, on the glacier. It is presumed that these items date back to the 1950s or 1960s.
According to The Guardian, Austrian police were able to identify the owner thanks to documents found inside the heavily time-worn backpack. They subsequently located him and returned the items to his family.
The alpinist was traversing the glacier with friends when he fell into a crevasse. The group was roped together, which allowed his companions to pull him to a safe place.
To lighten his load, he took off his backpack and tossed it into the crevasse. He did not see it again for over 60 years.
It is reported that the man was too ill to reach the glacier and retrieve his belongings, so his son received the gear on his behalf.
This discovery offers a fascinating glimpse into the past but also highlights how rapidly alpine glaciers are changing.
Glacier retreat across Europe has revealed everything: from abandoned military sites and archaeological finds to human bodies lost in the mountains.
During World War I, soldiers fought in the highest and most inhospitable parts of the Alps. In 2015, former barracks used by Italian troops during the so-called White War were discovered on Mount Schorluzzo, along with soldier remains emerging from the receding ice.
Perhaps the most famous find was the discovery in 1991 when German tourists found the surprisingly well-preserved body of a man who died in the Ötztal Alps about 5,300 years ago.
This hunter, known as the Ötzi the Iceman, was found near the modern border between Austria and Italy. His body, along with clothing and possessions, provided scientists with an exceptional window into prehistoric Alpine life.
The return of the alpinist's backpack may be a much more recent story, but it is yet another reminder that retreating glaciers can reveal objects and stories that have remained hidden for generations.