Man on trial after girlfriend froze to death on Austria’s highest mountain, her mother defends him

Man charged after girlfriend froze to death near summit of Austria’s highest mountain, her mother defends him

A 37-year-old man is on trial in Austria after his 33-year-old girlfriend froze to death near the summit of Grossglockner, the country’s highest mountain, during a winter ascent last year.

Prosecutors allege that Thomas Plamberger left Kerstin Gurtner about 50 metres below the summit cross in the early hours of 19 Jan 2025 while she was “helpless, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented”, before descending alone.

Rescue services were alerted later that night, but mountain rescuers only reached her shortly after 10am and found her dead.

Plamberger has been charged with grossly negligent homicide and faces up to three years in prison if convicted. He denies any wrongdoing.

As proceedings begin at the Innsbruck Regional Court, prosecutors have outlined nine alleged mistakes they say he made as the more experienced climber and the one who planned the expedition.

Prosecutors outline nine alleged errors

According to the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office, Plamberger should be regarded as the responsible leader of the tour because he had significantly more high-alpine experience and had organised the climb via the Stüdlgrat ridge.

In the indictment, prosecutors argue that the first critical error was undertaking a demanding winter ascent despite Ms Gurtner never having completed a high-alpine tour of comparable length, difficulty, and altitude.

They also contend that the pair began their climb roughly two hours later than recommended, placing them behind schedule from the outset.

In addition, he allegedly failed to carry sufficient emergency bivouac equipment and allowed Ms Gurtner to use a splitboard and snowboard soft boots, which prosecutors say are unsuitable for mixed high-alpine terrain.

Decisions during worsening mountain conditions

Beyond the alleged planning failures, prosecutors argue that further critical errors were made during the ascent itself.

They contend that the pair should have turned back as weather conditions deteriorated. Wind speeds reportedly reached up to 74km/h, with temperatures of minus 8°C that felt closer to minus 20°C due to wind chill.

Investigators say the couple had barely been making progress from around 8.50pm onward.

When an Alpine Police helicopter flew over the mountain at approximately 10.50pm, no distress signals were given.

Authorities also reported that calls, including a WhatsApp message explicitly asking whether help was needed, went unanswered.

At about 12.35am, Plamberger had what officials later described as an “unclear” phone conversation with Alpine Police.

Prosecutors say he did not respond to further calls, and rescue services were formally alerted only at around 3.30am.

They further allege that before leaving Ms Gurtner near the summit, he did not move her to a more sheltered location, nor did he use her bivouac sack or the available aluminium emergency blankets to protect her from further heat loss.

Girlfriend’s mother rejects ‘witch hunt’ narrative

Despite the charges, Ms Gurtner’s mother has publicly defended Plamberger, criticising what she described as unfair portrayals of her daughter and a “witch hunt” against her daughter’s boyfriend.

In an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit, she rejected suggestions that her daughter was inexperienced or naïve.

She said the couple always made decisions jointly, and if her daughter was not comfortable with a plan, they would not proceed.

Describing the tragedy as a chain of unfortunate circumstances, she said she did not wish to assign blame for her daughter’s death.