Austria - Thomas Plamberge leaves gf, Kerstin Gurtner to freeze to death on Austria's tallest mountain - charged with manslaughter - Jan.19/2025

[LadyL]

The couple, who haven’t been identified publicly, were nearing the peak on Jan. 19 at about 2 a.m. when the girlfriend apparently started struggling and couldn’t go any further.

The boyfriend, who was a more experienced climber, then allegedly set off to find help — but failed to shelter his partner from the wind or wrap her in aluminum rescue blankets to protect her from the freezing temperatures.

“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.

Webcam shows mountaineer allegedly leave dumped girlfriend to freeze to death on Austria’s highest peak

An experienced mountaineer has been charged with leaving his struggling girlfriend to freeze to death, with their fatal trek caught on a webcam.

nypost.com

this picture from the New York Post article shows the couple's headlamp lights nearing the peak of Glossglokner Mountain (there's also a photo that shows the rescue crews on the mountain from a distance):

 

[LadyL]

MSN

He is facing up to three years in prison.

He is also accused of failing to make an emergency call before nightfall, despite the severity of his girlfriend’s situation.

The defendant and his girlfriend were stranded from around 8.50pm.
At 10.50pm, a police helicopter flew over, but he allegedly did not give any distress signals.

After several attempts by the Alpine Police to contact the boyfriend, he finally spoke to an officer just past midnight.

At 3.30am, he decided to notify rescue services.

The boyfriend’s trial is set to take place on February 19, 2026, at the Innsbruck Regional Court

 

[RedHaus]

What a horrid story.

Sounds like intentional negligence, unless he was also hypothermic and delusional.

I wonder what his defense will be?

That poor woman, entrusting her life...

 

[RedHaus]

"Prosecutors accuse the mountaineer of making nine cardinal errors.

[1] ...he should not have embarked on the climb because of his girlfriend’s inexperience...

[2] ...[he started] the climb two hours later than he had originally planned...

[3] ...he did not carry emergency bivouac equipment...

[4] His girlfriend was wearing soft snowboard boots which were unsuitable...

[5]... [he] should have made the decision to abandon the entire venture because of 46mph winds and [temps of -8C]...

[6] He... did not give a distress signal when a helicopter flew over at 10.50pm...

[7]... [he] only called the police at 12.35am but then put his phone on silent...

[8]... he failed to ensure that his girlfriend was in a sheltered spot, out of the wind...

[9] Nor did he... wrap her in emergency blankets, which the couple had brought..."

IMO he is stupid, evil, narcissistic, and / or was hypothermic and delusional himself.

Access Restricted

 

[LadyL]

What a horrid story.

Sounds like intentional negligence, unless he was also hypothermic and delusional.

I wonder what his defense will be?

That poor woman, entrusting her life...

I can imagine he was disoriented too but I guess they think he should've known better being more experienced. I don't know if they suspect he took her up there with nefarious intent?

 

[RedHaus]

They have been identified:

"Thomas Plamberger, 36, is accused of making a series of life-threatening errors while climbing Grossglockner mountain with Kerstin Gurtner, his 33-year-old girlfriend, in January."

Climber ‘left girlfriend to die’ on Austrian mountain

An experienced mountaineer has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly leaving his girlfriend to freeze to death on Austria’s highest peak.

www.yahoo.com

ETA: version of article not behind paywall

 

[acutename]

Swiss Alps: Averaged around 122 fatal accidents annually between 1984-2020, with high-altitude mountaineering accounting for about 33 deaths per year in that period, notes a Nature study.

 

[mickey2942]

I don't want to victim blame, but why didn't she say, "No"? This is the same as what we saw with a woman who died on Mount Everest, and her husband survived.

Australian climber's anguish at wife's Everest death

The husband of Australian mountaineer Maria Strydom who died while descending Mount Everest has told of his anguish.

www.bbc.com

 

[sunspun]

So he left her there, intending to get help and return for her? Did he do that, once he reached somewhere where help could be found? And then did he ever return to where he'd left her, or did he send someone else up or...? Was she found in the same place he last saw her?

What exactly did he do after leaving her? We know what he didn't do, but what did he do?

 

[RedHaus]

All good questions. From what I've read Thomas trekked to the summit, apparently to seek help by descending the other side. And I have no idea if that has any validating logic as a suitable plan.

My suspicion, perhaps from his arrest, is that he summitted to attain his goal, choosing not to descend from their location ~150 feet below the summit for more immediate help for Kerstin.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

They were in their 30's, not young. Likely he knew what he was risking. I ask myself, why did he not care enough about her and made these choices? I'm glad authorities are pursuing charges.

 

[musicaljoke]

I don't want to victim blame, but why didn't she say, "No"? This is the same as what we saw with a woman who died on Mount Everest, and her husband survived.

Australian climber's anguish at wife's Everest death

The husband of Australian mountaineer Maria Strydom who died while descending Mount Everest has told of his anguish.

www.bbc.com

It might not have been possible for her to descend by herself. We don't know if and when she said that she needed to go back. It seems that he held the distress signal, so her options were untenable.

Assuming that she didn't say anything might be considered victim blaming.

 

[mickey2942]

It might not have been possible for her to descend by herself. We don't know if and when she said that she needed to go back. It seems that he held the distress signal, so her options were untenable.

Assuming that she didn't say anything might be considered victim blaming.

I just wondered why she even went. It seems like she wasn't experienced for this type of hike.

 

[Occam's Zebra]

I don't want to victim blame, but why didn't she say, "No"? This is the same as what we saw with a woman who died on Mount Everest, and her husband survived.

Australian climber's anguish at wife's Everest death

The husband of Australian mountaineer Maria Strydom who died while descending Mount Everest has told of his anguish.

www.bbc.com

You don't want to victim blame? That's exactly what you're doing.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I just wondered why she even went. It seems like she wasn't experienced for this type of hike.

We don't know the dynamics of their relationship. Was it a healthy one?
Personally I feel very sorry for her and what she must have felt after he left her there like that.

 

[Ssschu]

"Prosecutors accuse the mountaineer of making nine cardinal errors.

[1] ...he should not have embarked on the climb because of his girlfriend’s inexperience...

[2] ...[he started] the climb two hours later than he had originally planned...

[3] ...he did not carry emergency bivouac equipment...

[4] His girlfriend was wearing soft snowboard boots which were unsuitable...

[5]... [he] should have made the decision to abandon the entire venture because of 46mph winds and [temps of -8C]...

[6] He... did not give a distress signal when a helicopter flew over at 10.50pm...

[7]... [he] only called the police at 12.35am but then put his phone on silent...

[8]... he failed to ensure that his girlfriend was in a sheltered spot, out of the wind...

[9] Nor did he... wrap her in emergency blankets, which the couple had brought..."

IMO he is stupid, evil, narcissistic, and / or was hypothermic and delusional himself.

Access Restricted

I'm ruling out hypothermic and delusional based on him silencing his phone. That is just plain calculated. He did several things that make me believe he did not want her to get help. So evil.

 

[Sueco]

If there is not more to it than whats beeing stated in the press, I dont know if I like the fact that they are charging him for her death. Tragic things do happen without the need of there always beeing a scapegoat to blame.

 

[RedHaus]

I'm ruling out hypothermic and delusional based on him silencing his phone. That is just plain calculated. He did several things that make me believe he did not want her to get help. So evil.

My sense is of the 'nine cardinal errors' (^) Thomas made, per LE charges, #1-4 would have been made prior to starting their trek. So in no way could hypothermia be blamed for those errors.

However, IMO, errors #6-9 could possibly be attributed to confusion in early stages of hypothermia, with #5 attributed to pre and / or post any hypothermia affects.

The fact Thomas put his phone on silent (or airplane mode, perhaps?) may be simply the habit of someone climbing or hiking to save precious phone battery.

And if he was hypothermic, that could be an automatic behavior of a foggy mind.

Without more information about Thomas' condition at say, 10:30pm and 12:30am, we sleuthers can only speculate. But I have to guess LE has ascertained his state of mind at those critical points.

That said, me wonders if a claim of hypothermia will be used by his defense?

IMO.
ET: fix formatting

 

[MrsAddick]

I'm ruling out hypothermic and delusional based on him silencing his phone. That is just plain calculated. He did several things that make me believe he did not want her to get help. So evil.

Personally, I know sweet-FA about mountain climbing…but reckon even i’d think to bring emergency equipment and avoid such oppressive weather conditions at night.

Hard to see this as anything other than premeditated.

 

[MrsAddick]

I don't want to victim blame, but why didn't she say, "No"? This is the same as what we saw with a woman who died on Mount Everest, and her husband survived.

Australian climber's anguish at wife's Everest death

The husband of Australian mountaineer Maria Strydom who died while descending Mount Everest has told of his anguish.

www.bbc.com

I suspect that the victim, being an inexperienced climber herself, was relying and putting trust in her boyfriend. He was an experience climber who was responsible for doing those risk assessments on her behalf (ie like a ‘tour guide’).
Perhaps, she had reservations, but was being pressured and coerced. Who knows what was happening in that relationship.
Either way, she’s bears no fault here