They turned back short of the summit because of safety concerns, but their timing was unlucky. Dahlmeier was rappelling when a big rock fatally struck her.

German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain peak in northern Pakistan following a climbing accident, and efforts are underway to retrieve her body, a local government spokesman said Wednesday.

German Olympic gold medalist and world champion biathlete Laura Dahlmeier has died following a tragic climbing accident in the Karakoram mountain range of northern Pakistan, her management team and local officials confirmed. Dahlmeier, 31, was ascending Laila Peak on Monday when she was struck by falling rocks.