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.

Gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier of Germany celebrates during the victory ceremony for the Women's Biathlon 7.5km Sprint on day one of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Alpensia Biathlon Centre on February 10, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea (Photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Laura Dahlmeier, a retired Olympic biathlete from Germany, is presumed dead as a rescue operation to find her was called off after she had a high-elevation mountaineering accident in Pakistan on Monday. She was 31 years old.