On the Brauneck, Alfred Siegert is in demand as a coordinator on a wintry Friday afternoon in February. The 78-year-old from Übersee am Chiemsee is standing in the shade below the first steep section of the Garland descent with his two helpers Georg Hurm and Reinhard Buchner on the northeast slope. This makes working at minus five degrees a little uncomfortable, but the view is not blinded by sunlight. When one of Siegert’s helpers aimed his radar gun uphill, Lorenz Rasp, who was waiting 150 meters above at the edge of the ledge, was clearly visible. He just waits for the signal to start driving and then pulls down into the valley with wide carving turns. Only the fresh snow cover slows down the brisk pace on the unrolled slopes today.
Assessor Alfred Siegert (right) gives demonstrator Lorenz Rasp the signal to set off further up the slope. Helper Reinhard Buchner (left) pulls out the radar gun. Georg Hurm (centre) assists with the camera.
(Photo: Harry Wolfsbauer)
That is the biggest difference to December 29, 2018, when a Munich alpine skier fell at the point where Siegert stands a little more than three years later, with serious consequences. The mid-thirties broke four thoracic vertebrae. He sued the Brauneck-Bergbahn before the district court of Munich II for damages. The reason: A wooden post protruded from the snow at the site of the accident on the edge of the slope. Expert Siegert should help clarify whether the Munich driver had such a bad accident or fell independently of it.
The retired police officer and state-certified ski instructor Rasp is available for this. As a so-called demonstrator, the former chief inspector of the Traunstein Alpine task force is supposed to represent the accident victim – after his serious injuries he is still too afraid to stand on skis again – recreate the course of the accident and drive off. He reportedly took the mountain railway up with the victim and his lawyer Sarina Brix. “I asked him about his skiing style, which radii he uses, what kind of ski equipment he uses.” He tries to orientate himself on this as precisely as possible in order to guarantee an objective result.
The state-certified ski instructor as well as mountain and ski guide Alfred Siegert has been an expert for decades.
(Photo: Harry Wolfsbauer)
This makes it clear how complex and responsible the task of an appraiser like Siegert is. His assessment can be decisive for the outcome of a process. Does Siegert ever sleep badly when he prepares an accident report? The 78-year-old reacts to this in a calm manner, which probably also has something to do with his life experience. “Here, all emotions have to be completely left out,” he explains. “I am committed to absolute objectivity and neutrality.”
Especially when someone has been seriously injured or even died, it is his job to hide it. He couldn’t do his job otherwise. And if, in his opinion, the descriptions of those involved do not match the facts of the accident, he rejects an expert opinion. For example, last year, a winter athlete claimed to have been only ten kilometers an hour when he collided with another skier.
Collisions among winter sports enthusiasts are the classic examples of why experts work on the ski slopes. Your line of work is relatively new and only became professional about three to four decades ago. At that time, Siegert also began to prepare the first reports. In this respect he is one of the pioneers, which he does not want to emphasize too much. He immediately refers to others, first and foremost Pit Schubert.
The work of the 86-year-old founder and long-time head of the safety group of the German Alpine Association (DAV) in material and equipment is trend-setting. Siegert mentions Walter Kellermann, Peter Geyer and Peter Wiesent, who are certainly better contacts than he is. So he claims.
They all belong to a small circle. If you search the nationwide directory of the chambers of industry and commerce, you will only find eleven publicly appointed and sworn experts for mountain, skiing and avalanche accidents. A manageable number in view of around 17,000 other specialized experts throughout Germany. Bodies such as the chambers of architects, crafts, industry and commerce, engineers or agriculture approved the experts for their above-average qualifications and seriousness with the public appointment and swearing-in, according to Katharina Toparkus, spokeswoman for the IHK for Munich and Upper Bavaria. Prerequisites are therefore special expertise, practical experience and personal suitability. The appointment is limited to five years and can then be renewed.
In the meantime, Siegert has restricted its range of activities. He no longer prepares reports for mountain and avalanche accidents. “I feel fit enough when I have a skiing accident,” he says. Outwardly, at best, the white hairline on the temples peeking out from under the ski helmet and the weather-beaten face betray his age and thus his life experience. But he masters the swing technique perfectly, as the descent shows. Siegert did not count exactly how many expert opinions came together over the years. It must have been something between 50 and 100, he says. In the meantime, he still processes around three reports per year. He is attracted by the intellectual challenge.
He brings with him many years of competence and experience. Siegert initially studied sports to teach at high schools, but decided to work at the Alpine Club. As a state-certified ski instructor and mountain and ski guide, he was involved in training. Later he was DAV general manager until 2002.
In view of the recent accumulation of fatal avalanche accidents in Tyrol, Siegert speaks of difficult questions for experts. In such cases, it is important to clarify whether mountain guides have observed the necessary due diligence, should have recognized a possible avalanche or checked the snow cover structure using a snow profile. Answering that afterwards is one of the most complex tasks.
As an expert, Siegert can still remember an avalanche accident involving trainers decades ago in a Tyrolean ski area. Several perished when they drove into a ravine and an avalanche several hundred meters wide broke off from the opposite slope. The cable car had tried in vain to blow up avalanches that day, according to Siegert. He does not want to comment any further.
Today, Siegert only focuses on accidents on the ski slopes like the one at Brauneck. On the steep slope, a winter sports enthusiast can quickly reach 50 kilometers per hour and more. The victim no longer remembers the time of the accident. The crack in his helmet speaks only for the severity of the impact. Siegert’s report is intended to clarify the matter. “Every situation is different,” he says. “That’s what makes it so interesting.”