There are arguments against the conclusion drawn by Haselwandter and Ebner that fungal spores have survived for some 5300 years on hay padding in the leather boots of a frozen body discovered in the Austrian Alps. According to cryobiological experience, long-term survival of fungal spores is very unlikely at temperatures fluctuating between zero and -40 degrees C. It is quite possible that living spores of these common species have recently reached this substratum.