Karl Gabl

Karl Gabl

Karl "Charly" Gabl (born December 21, 1946 in St. Anton am Arlberg ) is an Austrian meteorologist and mountaineer . The councilor and meteorology expert is known for his weather reports in the ORF -Landesstudio Tirol as well as his forecasts for high-altitude mountaineers all over the world.

Life

Karl Gabl grew up in Nasserein . He passed his Matura at the Jesuit College Stella Matutina in Feldkirch . He studied meteorology at the University of Innsbruck and received his doctorate in meteorology in 1976 as "Dr. phil". In 1978 Gabl became head of the Innsbruck regional office of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics ("ZAMG"). He stayed in charge until he retired in late 2011. In 1987, together with Robert Renzler from the OeAV and Fritz März from the DAV, he published the “Alpine Club Weather Report ” for the first time. This weather service for mountaineers still exists today.

Even in retirement, Gabl works as an expert on meteorological issues for courts and companies. In 2004 Gabl took over the presidency of the Austrian Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety , which he held until June 2020.

Gabl is married and has two children. He lives in Innsbruck. His uncle Franz Gabl was a silver medalist in the downhill run at the 1948 Winter Olympics . His cousin was the overall ski world cup winner Gertrud Gabl , she died in an avalanche in 1976 .

Alpinism

Karl Gabl began climbing at the age of 15 and finally completed his training as a mountain and ski guide in 1975 . In 1965 he committed the east ridge of the Patteriol . On the same mountain he and Helmut Rott achieved the first winter ascent of the northeast pillar (IV . Degree ) and the direct southeast pillar (IV +) within two days . He was also on the way to the important mountains of the Alps, including climbing the east face of Monte Rosa or the north face of Ortler , Königspitze and Großer Zinne .

On the Noshak (7485 m), the highest mountain in Afghanistan , Karl Gabl was a member of an expedition that managed to ski down from the summit on July 25, 1970. This was the height record for ski runs for ten years. Gabl was also involved in the first ascent of the southern spur on the Peruvian Nevado Huascarán (6768 m). Two times, on Cho Oyu and on Shishapangma , Karl Gabl tried to climb an eight-thousander . Both times he failed to reach the summit. In 1994 he led an expedition to the Baruntse , during which all ten expedition participants reached the 7125 meter high summit. In October 2012 he stood on the summit of the 7246 meter high Putha Hiunchuli .

Weather forecasts

Karl Gabl is of particular importance for expedition mountaineers on the high mountains of the world. In his capacity as a meteorologist at ZAMG, he provided 50–60 expeditions with free forecasts every year. Even after his retirement, he continues to support mountaineers in their ventures around the world. There is a special connection to Ralf Dujmovits and Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner . The latter prompted him to make the following statement: " I can only retire when Gerlinde has climbed all 14 eight-thousanders ". The Italian extreme mountaineer Simone Moro called him his "weather guru".

Awards

For the development of the Ö-Norm B 4013 "Snow Loads in Austria" Karl Gabl was awarded the Golden Employee Pin by the Austrian Standards Institute in Vienna. In 2009 he was awarded the “Mountain Spirit of the Year” by the Munich Alpine Club Berggeist (AKB). He has been an honorary member of the Academic Alpine Club Innsbruck since 2012. In 2012 he was given the professional title of Professor . Gabl is the holder of the medal of honor of the state of Tyrol. His home community St. Anton am Arlberg awarded him the Golden Decoration.

plant

• Avalanche manual . Together with Bernhard Lackinger. Tyrolia Verlag , Innsbruck 1985, ISBN 978-3-7022-1958-1 .
• Innsbruck alpine. Past, present, future . Together with Wolfgang Nairz . Tyrolia, Innsbruck 1994, ISBN 978-3-7022-1912-3 .
• Mountain weather. Safe in wind and weather. The book on weather forecasts, strategies in the event of thunderstorms, tour preparation and hazard detection from professionals to weather observation and tour planning . Bruckmann, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-7654-5875-0 .
• I've seen the clouds from above and below. The mountains, the weather, my life . Tyrolia, Innsbruck / Vienna 2016. ISBN 978-3-7022-3545-1

literature

• Ralf Dujmovits: Dr. Karl "Charly" Gabl - The weather phenomenon . In: DAV Panorama - magazine of the German Alpine Club . 64th volume, No. 1, 2012 ISSN  1437-5923 , pp. 64-68.

Web links

• Literature by and about Karl Gabl in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Stephanie Geiger: “Tomorrow is your day” Meteorologists are important confidants and often save mountaineers from wrong decisions . February 5, 2010. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, accessed on February 21, 2014
2. ↑ Stefan Nestler: Charly Gabl - Weather guru against his will . October 7, 2009. dw-world.de, accessed on February 3, 2012.
3. ↑ Weather doctor Karl Gabl: "A sky without clouds is boring!" ( Memento from January 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). br.de, accessed on February 3, 2012.
4. ↑ Ulrich Schwabe: Noshaq on skis
5. ↑ Ralph Stöhr: Climbing in the Information Age: The Weather Maker - Dr. Karl Gabl in an interview . kletter.de, accessed on February 3, 2012.
6. ↑ Interview with Dr. Karl "Charly" Gabl . January 31, 2011. uptothetop.de, accessed February 3, 2012.
7. ^ Ralf Dujmovits: Dr. Karl "Charly" Gabl - The weather phenomenon . In: DAV Panorama - magazine of the German Alpine Club . 64th volume, No. 1, 2012 (p. 68).
8. ↑ Stephanie Geiger: In the middle of winter for Nanga Parbat. The extreme mountaineer Simone Moro sets off on a dangerous expedition , in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of December 21, 2011
9. ↑ Mountain Spirit of the Year 2009 awarded to Karl "Charly" Gabl. climbing.de, December 23, 2009.
10. ↑ orf.at: the federal government honors twelve well-earned Tyroleans . Article dated June 11, 2012, accessed December 11, 2017.
11. ^ Mein District.at: Karl Gabl received decorations . Article dated March 3, 2012, accessed April 11, 2018.
12. ↑ Tiroler Tageszeitung: Two well-deserved Arlbergers in front of the curtain . Article dated March 22, 2018, accessed March 5, 2020.