Table of Contents
- Accusation Against the Climber
- Details of the Incident
- Investigation Findings
- Defense and Reactions
- Tributes to the Victim
A climber accused of leaving his partner to die on Austria’s highest peak reportedly waited several hours before notifying rescuers.
Prosecutors allege that Thomas Plamberger, 36, abandoned his girlfriend Kerstin Gurtner, 33, on the 12,460ft Grossglockner.
Kerstin Gurtner died on the 12,460ft GrossglocknerCredit: ung.gemeinsam-trauern.net
Footage shows the lights of the two climbers glowing at around 6pmCredit: Webcam
Plamberger allegedly failed to make a distress call until the early hours of the morning, long after the couple reportedly became stranded around 8:50 PM on January 18.
Officials indicated that the couple was climbing later than intended and were inadequately equipped for the harsh winter conditions.
They were merely 150 feet from the summit when Gurtner collapsed, as temperatures dropped to approximately -20°C with wind chill.
The subsequent events, investigators claim, constituted a disastrous series of delays.
Plamberger “did not contact emergency services promptly,” prosecutors stated, accusing him of overlooking multiple early opportunities to raise the alarm.
They argue that he remained silent when a police helicopter flew overhead at 10:50 PM, and that he only made contact with Alpine Police around 12:35 AM, nearly four hours after the trouble began.
He then allegedly silenced his phone.
The boyfriend reportedly did not call again until 3:30 AM, after leaving his partner alone on the mountain.
At that point, a trail camera had captured him descending the opposite side.
Prosecutors stated: “At approximately 2 AM, the defendant left his girlfriend unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented about 50 meters below the summit cross of the Grossglockner. The woman froze to death.”
Authorities maintain that Plamberger, an experienced mountaineer, should never have taken Gurtner, who was inexperienced and on her first high-altitude winter tour, on that route.
They noted that the pair began their climb two hours later than planned, carried insufficient emergency gear, and that Gurtner wore soft boots unsuitable for the terrain.
He also allegedly failed to provide her with shelter or wrap her in emergency blankets.
Climbing at 6 PM, the situation deteriorated six hours later as power drained.
Another image shows Plamberger alone, with his torch still lit, traversing the ridge after leaving Gurtner behind.
A helicopter dispatched at 7 AM the following morning was forced back by strong winds.
A rescue team reached Gurtner around 10 AM, but she was already deceased.
Prosecutors allege Gurtner’s partner delayed calling for help for hours after she collapsed on the mountainCredit: jung.gemeinsam-trauern.net
The couple was reportedly ill-equipped and started late for the brutal winter conditionsCredit: jung.gemeinsam-trauern.net
Plamberger denies any wrongdoing through his lawyer, Kurt Jelinek, asserting that he left only to seek help and that the tragedy was “a tragic, fateful accident.”
If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to three years in prison,
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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