Austrian man convicted of leaving girlfriend to freeze to death on mountain
· Toronto Sun
An Austrian man has been convicted of manslaughter caused by gross negligence after leaving his girlfriend to freeze to death as they attempted to climb the country’s highest peak last year.
Thomas Plamberger, 37, was given a five-month suspended sentence and a $15,400 fine on Thursday night after a one-day trial at Innsbruck state court, per Austria Press Agency.
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Plamberger and his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, 33, went to climb the Grossglockner in western Austria in January 2025. The woman was guided and later left there by Plamberger, who is an experienced mountain climber.
Prosecutors said Gurtner died about 50 metres below the 3,798-metre peak after she was left behind.
Plamberger had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Judge: ‘I don’t see you as a murderer’
Horbert Hoefer, the judge presiding over the case, said Plamberger had misjudged the situation on Grossglockner but had not willfully left behind his girlfriend, whose mountaineering knowledge, he said, was “galaxies” short of her boyfriend’s.
The sentence Plamberger received was short of the maximum three years in prison.
“I don’t see you as a murderer, I don’t see you as a cold-hearted man,” said Hoefer, who referred to social media posts about the case. “I see you as the one who ultimately tried to call help and stand by his girlfriend.”
Hoefer, however, criticized Plamberger, stating he failed to take his “leadership responsibility.” The judge believed Gurtner would have survived if “appropriate measures had been taken,” such as making an emergency call earlier or turning back.
‘Endlessly sorry’
Plamberger told the court he was “endlessly sorry,” stating he and Gurtner made all their decisions together and planned their climbs together, which included Grossglockner.
He also said he had no formal Alpine training and that his girlfriend’s climbing knowledge wasn’t far short of his own. Plamberger said Gurtner was in good condition when a police helicopter flew over them earlier in the climb.
He couldn’t explain why Gurtner’s health deteriorated, and that he had descended the mountain to seek help after consulting with her.
Plamberger can appeal the verdict.
– With files from The Associated Press