Stefan Neuhauser is a mountain guide and photographer. He happened to be near the scene of the Germanwings plane crash at the time. Although he and his tour group did not see the accident, but only heard it, this "ear-witness" status was enough for many media outlets thirsting for news about the plane crash to shower Stefan with interview requests, some of them dubious. For this reason, Stefan Neuhauser has decided to publish a statement on PowderGuide instead of further interviews.
Stefan Neuhauser:
My interview with the Augsburger Allgemeine has triggered an avalanche of media interest. Unfortunately, I can't answer all the questions. I would like to briefly summarize the facts again. Here's the link to the ski tour we undertook yesterday in the wider area around the accident site. We (a ski tour group of seven people) drove from Valle Stura in the Piedmontese Southern Alps over to Col de Vars to take advantage of the better weather on the French side of the Southern Alps. The weather there was sunny with cloudy spells. The recently fallen powder snow was still dry and easy to ski. Changing the "playground" had paid off. During the ascent, myself and a participant heard very loud engine noises. This lasted for about 30 seconds. After that it was quiet again. We didn't hear any impact or explosion. When we arrived back at our accommodation in Valle Stura in Piedmont in the evening, we heard about the plane crash, which had happened about 10 kilometers away from our tour. Only now did we understand the connection between the loud engine noises and the accident, which naturally made us very sad. In the meantime, I had to deal with a huge number of interview requests. The information I gave to the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung has been blown up into very different stories in other media. The lack of real news about this tragic accident is apparently making many media outlets nervous - and at the same time very creative. Out of respect for the victims of this accident, we should avoid senselessly inflated articles on this topic and instead focus on modesty and restraint. This may be difficult when the public seems to be demanding even more contributions. I have doubts as to whether our modern oversized media world, whose news is often based on only a few authentic sources, is handling this issue correctly. I would like to thank the journalist from Bayerischer Rundfunk, with whom I was able to have a very trusting and respectful conversation about the plane crash and our "30-second experience" in the French Alps. Another journalist from another Bavarian broadcaster recorded my telephone conversation without my consent. I am curious to see whether he will have the audacity to broadcast parts of the conversation or whether he will limit himself to quoting my statements, as I suggested. I think it would only be fair if the media, who use my pictures on a large scale without my consent (in such cases, copyright law does not seem to be very important), would donate the due picture fees to a relief fund for those affected or make this fee available to me for forwarding to such a fund. Best regards from the Italian Southern Alps. Stefan Neuhauser