Four German men have been rescued after spending nearly three days in snowy conditions in the Austrian Alps. The men were on a snowshoe hike to the summit of the Grossvenediger mountain in Austria.

Among the missing hikers was the mayor of the south-western German town of Pforzheim, Alexander Uhlig. One of the other men came from a town near Pforzheim, while the other two were from Bavaria.

The group made the summit of the 3,662 meter (12,014 foot) mountain in the Tyrolean Alps early on Saturday afternoon, but bad weather moved in on their way back down the mountain. In an interview posted to the city of Pforzheim website, Uhlig said the change in conditions was very sudden.

"Around a third of the way back down the mountain we were completely surrounded by fog and snow," he said.

Staying cool in the cold

The men, who all had previous experience in climbing mountains, immediately started digging holes in the snow with avalanche shovels to take cover from the elements. Once the holes were dug, the men bunkered down in their bivouacs to conserve heat and wait for a break in the weather.

According to Uhlig, the temperature outside the hole was around minus-five degrees Celsius (23 Fahrenheit). Inside, it was around freezing.

"Our equipment was professional and very good," Uhlig said on the Pforzheim site. "The food had to be strictly rationed. It was only supposed to be enough for a one-day tour."

The poor weather on Saturday hindered efforts to find the men, but around 70 search and rescue patrols continued the search on Sunday. On Monday, fresh snow further delayed the search.

Textbook behavior

On Tuesday morning, a helicopter with a heat-sensitive camera discovered the four men, who were in good condition except for dehydration and minor frostbite.

The head of the Tyrol's Mountain Rescue service, Kurt Nairz, complemented the men on their exemplary behavior during the situation on the mountain.

In an interview with the German news agency dpa, Nairz said the hikers did everything correctly, which is why they came out of the situation unharmed.

mz/dpa/apn
Editor: Rob Turner