DEATH AT THE TOP: Climber Charged With Manslaughter After Allegedly Leaving His Girlfriend To Freeze to Death in Austria’s Highest Peak
A tragic accident, or reckless disregard for security measures?
An experienced mountaineer has been charged with manslaughter after leaving his struggling girlfriend to freeze to death on Austria’s highest peak of Grossglockner.
The fatal trek of Thomas Plamberger and Kerstin Gurtner was caught on a webcam.
Gurtner was found dead 160 feet from the summit of the mountain back in January.
Prosecutors claim experienced Plamberger made several errors: started the ascent late, and carried insufficient emergency equipment.
He allegedly left Kerstin unprotected & took too long to make an emergency call.
His defense lawyer insists it was a ‘tragic, fateful accident’.
New York Post reported:
“The couple […] were nearing the peak on Jan. 19 at about 2 a.m. when the girlfriend apparently started struggling and couldn’t go any further.”
An experienced mountaineer has been charged with grossly neglect manslaughter after leaving his girlfriend 160 foot from a mountain summit, exposed to the elements, and she froze to death while he went to get help. It was all documented on Webcam, he didn’t try to do anything to… pic.twitter.com/leUsCo16mP
— Robbie Mouton (@mcgmouton57) December 6, 2025
WARNING: This post describes a death on a mountain & negligent homicide charge
Mountaineer Thomas Plamberger, 39, is facing a negligent homicide trial after his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, 33, froze to death on Austria’s highest peak, Grossglockner, in January last year.… pic.twitter.com/shba5UDzct
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) December 7, 2025
A webcam showed the couple nearing the peak of the Grossglockner mountain.
“’The defendant left his girlfriend unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented about 50 meters [160 feet] below the summit cross of the Grossglockner. The woman froze to death’, prosecutors said Thursday while charging the boyfriend with grossly negligent manslaughter.
‘Since the defendant, unlike his girlfriend, was already very experienced with alpine high-altitude tours and had planned the tour, he was to be considered the responsible guide of the tour’.”
[…] ’Despite the woman’s inexperience, as she had never undertaken an alpine high-altitude tour of this length, difficulty, and altitude, and despite the challenging winter conditions, the defendant undertook the alpine high-altitude tour to the Grossglockner via the Studlgrat with her in winter’, prosecutors said.”
Plamberger’s trial is due to begin in February, and he faces up to three years in jail if convicted.
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