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

[Ssschu]

Experienced alpine climber.
He took her on a 12.460ft climb in January well aware that she has no experience in high-altitude hiking.
Experienced alpine climber took his girlfriend to hike 12.460ft summit, in January either allowing or suggesting her to wear snowboard boots.
Snowboard boots. To climb 12k footer. In Winter.
He climbed that mountain before and he climbed high-altitudes in Winter. Yeah.

So... gotta wonder, how many experienced high-altitute winter climbing enthusiasts out there dragged their inexperienced girlfriends/boyfriends/spouses/friends/family members on over 12ft winter climb.
How many did that encouraging them to do so even without appropriate gear?
How many did that allowing them to do so without appropriate gear?

All of them? Half of them? 20%? 10%? Or next to none?

No newbie mistakes filter can be applied here.

He has quite a crowd cheering in his defense.
Interestingly they dont think that being more knowledgeable, experienced, aware, stronger makes them morally responsible for safety and well being of even the people closest to them.
Interestingly it seems like all people with online traceable experience in climbing are not on their side. I wonder why.

JMO if that guy has some proofs and examples from the past that his iq is well below average and he has some serious issues with acting reasonable and predicting consequences of his own actions then I will buy the theory that he's only guilty of negligence and maybe even shouldnt be punished, but taken care of, protected from his own limitations, put into custody to the rest of his life to make sure that he wont hurt himself or others again.
Shouldnt be hard to prove that in court I guess, that he's not capable of taking this responsibility cause he was tragically unable to predict the possible outcome, seize the risk and just ended up in a loop of bad decisions that were getting worse every time and totally horrible in such challenging and stressfull circumstances.
If he doesnt have that, then again, JMO but I see picture perfect malignant narcissist who knew what hes was doing, he wanted to get away with it and he ultimately will get away with it, as they almost always do.

It screams premeditation!

 

[RedHaus]

Cause during the day there is higher risk of avalanche, slipping and so on.

Well, as we've since learned, they actually started their climb at 6:45am... so, it was intended to be a day time climb. But somehow it turned into a night climb for an over 21 hours trek?

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

DBM

 

[beubeubeu]

Here is another good article, in german, but google translate is decent:

https://www.alpin.de/home/news/62049/artikel_tot_am_grossglockner__alpinistin_erfriert_50_meter_unterhalb_des_gipfels.html

So it wasnt planned night climb.
8:30 PM - there are clear proofs that at this point they stopped moving.
He started his way down at 2:00 AM. 5,5 freaking H O U R S later.
What was he doing there if not making sure that rescue wont get there in time?
10:30 PM helicopter went up there.
Thats two hours of exposure right below the summit. And they both turned their heads away from it. How coherent and aware of circumstances may she be at this point?

So the "unfortunate event" scenario would mean that at this point they both felt pretty confident that she will fell well rested shortly and continue the hike? And he/they needed two more hours of contemplation to figure out that it may be appropriate time to call the rescue?
Then he calls the rescue? And he claims that he waited for them to come as long as he could before he realized that he cant stay with her any longer. Yeah.

A lot can be said about limitations in such weather conditions at this altitude and phones and so on, but...
Come on. There is not one scenario that holds up.

Wouldnt innocent, but so utterly stingy guy who would rather see his girlfriend and possibly even himself dead than pay for the helicopter be more interested in money if he could claim that he was doing whatever he possibly could to summon the rescuers before and was sure theyre on their way at 0:35 - as he later learned that his gf died and they didn't start until hours later?
Why not scream about it? Why not gofundme to sue them and change their ways and also get money?

And if he indeed called for help and knew thats on record, why would his lawyer go for some strange talk about "bad luck" instead of emphasizing on that, pointing out how he was doing whatever he could to help his gf listing what he did? If there was something, then there would be something to go on. Something better than "bad luck".

Also... isnt that kind of next-to-a-miracle level of outcome that a person who wasnt planning to hike overnight, wasnt that careful with proper gear, wasnt that inclined to use thermo blankets or anything they HAD on them would be able to spend 5,5hours on over 12k ft mountain, in what felt like -20*C, facing strong wind and at some point just get up and continue his hike? For hours? With no frostbites?
That doesnt sound like a bad luck to me but the exact opposite. With the assumption that they were both on same page, no ill will involved, just bad side effects of cold and shared summit fever... that sounds like incredibly lucky scenario that even one of them survived.

 

[RedHaus]

Yes, as we've read, LE used both their cell phone records and other sources to substantiate this charge against TP.

1. How many attempts did TP make to call for rescue and at what time intervals?

2. Was TP calling or texting KG to check her condition as he summitted and descended? Or vice versa, did she text or call him?

3. Why at 3:30am did TP finally call for rescue? Did he have no cell service until then (unlikely, given rescue / LE calls to his phone and in return)?

Or was that the point in time when KG stopped responding to TP's outreach? Did he only call for help when he knew KG was likely deceased or near death?

ETA: Or was that when he finally realized KG needed to be rescued??

Or was it late enough where rescue would most likely not be dispatched until daylight to ensure KG's demise?

The more I contemplate this horrific-over-24-hour ordeal, the more questions I have. But I trust prosecutors have a strong case.

IMO.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Certainly possible, this case is horrifying.

 

[beubeubeu]

Well, as we've since learned, they actually started their climb at 6:45am... so, it was intended to be a day time climb. But somehow it turned into a night climb for an over 21 hours trek?

Im leaning more towards the theory that it was exactly what it was intended to be...
Nonetheless thats the reason why some people climb at night in winter. To make sure the surface is as solid as they can get.
But none of that advantage with snowboarding boots and not sure if that applies to this mountain at all.

 

[beubeubeu]

Yes, as we've read, LE used both their cell phone records and other sources to substantiate this charge against TP.

1. How many attempts did TP make to call for rescue and at what time intervals?

2. Was TP calling or texting KG to check her condition as he summitted and descended? Or vice versa, did she text or call him?

3. Why at 3:30am did TP finally call for rescue? Did he have no cell service until then (unlikely, given rescue / LE calls to his phone and in return)?

Or was that the point in time when KG stopped responding to TP's outreach? Did he only call for help when he knew KG was likely deceased or near death?

ETA: Or was that when he finally realized KG needed to be rescued??

Or was it late enough where rescue would most likely not be dispatched until daylight to ensure KG's demise?

The more I contemplate this horrific-over-24-hour ordeal, the more questions I have. But I trust prosecutors have a strong case.

IMO.

They almost certainly know when she died. Its mentioned that they both had sport smartwatches and that data was analyzed.
They know if he had cell service or not.
I doubt that they would keep going with it further if there were signs that he made multiple however effective attempts to call for help.

My opinion is not relevant or meaningful but I ended up going to hypothermia twice. On both occasions it was colder than -20*C/-4*F but none of those involved high altitude or top of a mountain wind exposure so not as harsh as Kerstin had it in the beginning. I dont believe she was able to think at the time when helicopter appeared, not to mention texting or calling. And I doubt she was even conscious after midnight, cause you have to feel pretty damn bad to keep lying on a peak of windy mountain for hours, not trying to seek shelter. Bad in frost only gets worse. JMO but...

 

[Charlot123]

A fantastic read, @Charlot123! Thank you.

It is illuminating, especially the results of the author's deep research. And the mountaineering experts' opinions....

The author's report puts all MSM timelines to shame! If correct, this wasn't a 9 hour ordeal, it was a 21 hour ordeal. OMG!

"They began their climb at 6:45 a.m, attempting to summit the peak via its Southwest Ridge, known as the Stüdlgrat, which roughly goes at UIAA III-IV..."

"By 1:30 p.m. Plamberger and Gurtner had arrived at what is known as theFrühstücksplatzerl (“Breakfast Spot”) at 3,550 meters (11,647ft) on the Stüdlgrat."

"At this point, the defense’s account skips ahead some nine hours, to 10:30 p.m., when the two climbers are still climbing toward the summit."

So if this reporter is correct, this wasn't a planned overnight climb, it became one. IMO that may be why the rescue helicopter was checking on them.

ETA: one more key new data point is that Kersten was carrying a snowboard on her backpack. She'd plan to ski the descent, hence her foot wear. So, when Thomas left her without removing her backpack... she also still wore her board.

I climbed a glacier to ski down - hiked in ski boots, carried skis and poles. So I get this is a thing. But I can't figure out why he'd let her carry her board for so long, especially if she was declining??

JMO - first of all. Plamberger keeps on repeating that Gurtner was "in peak physical form". Yes, she was a marathon runner. Which means that with high oxygen partial pressure, her body could make a good use of it.

She had no experience climbing. You can't predict how one's body adjusts and behaves in the conditions of low partial oxygen pressure. Who climbs the mountains in Nepal without problems? Sherpas, who have adjusted to high altitudes for centuries. You don't need to be tall, thin and lean for it. The sherpas are rather short, have barrel chests with large lung capacities and polycythemia (high amount of red blood cells in the body). They don't suffer from altitude sickness and tbh, the fact that the mortality on Everest is only 1-2% is due to them.

Plamberger had some mountain climbing experience, but limited, as we can see. His planning, timing and especially, Gurtner's clothes testify to it. They climb a Grossglockner, a 3,798 meter peak in harsh winter and she has snowboots and is carrying a snowboard. Expecting fun. To snowboard down from the peak. That tells one everything, she has no idea, and the fault lies with the "experienced one", Plamberger, who prepared this dangerous winter climb as a total goof.

With Gurtner...no one can predict how an aerobic athlete adjust to mountain sickness. I wonder if Gurtner was unable to say "turn back" to Plamberger because she was disoriented and lost the ability to make reasonable decisions. Too high, too dark, too cold, too little oxygen.

But Plamberger had some reasoning left, as we see. He is down, alive, not frostbitten. Why he didn't use his reasoning, or if he chose not to use it is another question. It would be interesting to see how he behaved in previous groups and if he had to take his GF with him because other people didn't want to ascend with him any more due to prior experience?

(You know what they say about Grossglockner? "If you have no previous mountaineering experience or proper alpinistic education, acquiring a guide is a step in the right direction if you want to get off the mountain in one piece"). Plamberger was not a guide, his defense that they were "equal" testifies to it. If so, he is responsible for not hiring a guide. Period.

Recently, due to several high-profile mountain climbers' deaths, I found and read the memoirs of the last expedition of Rem Khokhlov, who used to be the University Rector of Moscow state university and a mountaineer for 20 years. He died from consequences of the mountain sickness after the ascent to Communidm Peak, now Ismoil Somoni Peak, in Pamir. What's unique - many participants left their own, unedited reminiscences. I came to the conclusion that we still don't know enough about alpine biology. Also, that adaptation to high altitudes takes time. Surprisingly many decisions taken at high altitudes are wrong. Also, regular helicopters stay below 3000-3700 meters for optimal lift. Rescue and military ones can reach 5500 - 6100 meters, because above that, the air is too thin. Plus, there is no proof that the helicopters can land on the mountain safely. So, any decisions about "in the mountains" have to be taken at the sea level.