I kept trying to come up with something that could make Thomas's decisions appear less loony to me.
And to my own surprise I did.
If it wasnt just two of them.
Taking inexperienced Kerstin there in January, with that splitboard and in snowboarding boots... yeah. But then what? They would succesfully, smoothly climb up, descended safely, got to the snowy, snowboardable part of the normal route - and what? Kerstin would put her splitboard on and snowboard or ski down to the hut? Further? Then walk her way back to the car and wait in the car? Makes no sense. Waiting in the hut makes bit more sense but does it really? All that effort of carrying it with her, using less climbing-convenient shoes... just to snowboard down ALONE and leave him walking by himself?
Possible, possible... but that would be weird.
That whole ordeal would be much safer (still not very, but sooooo much more than it was) if they were in a bigger group.
That would (for me) make it much MORE likely that they would get a delay with the start - cause more people, more possible issues with getting anywhere in time.
Then it would (for me) make it much MORE likely that people would go for something reckless, unsafe and risky.
In the same time: more people, so not only Thomas but also 2, 3 or more experienced climbers + one inexperienced Kerstin would make the climb appear much safer.
And it actually WOULD be much safer. More people - better safety net. In case that somebody slips its much easier to catch them and put them back on their foot as there is few people vs. just one.
Not only safer but also faster. With all that snow and ice that had to be there looking/searching for good footing to make each step on these stones would have to take forever and require maximum focus. If that person leading the group could switch with another experienced climber, not as mentally exhausted with the pressure every second then (at least in my mind) it would go so much faster.
Its not like Kerstin could be the one doing that. It would have to be Thomas all the time and nobody is a machine.
Then, if something happened like half their way up, some serious fight or ambition-hurting disagreement what led everyone but Thomas and Kerstin decide to descend...
Surely, that would NOT make the decision to keep going up seem good, safer or reasonable BUT in this case I see a reason for that action. Even assuming "just" anger - and it could be much more than that.
Then I get it. Thomas, maybe not feeling 100% sure thats best idea but also well experienced with Grossglockner may figure that he can do it, and judging by previous performances of Kerstin assume that she can too.
So they kept slowly going up. Slowly, slowly, in the dark, but up. Everything goes kinda good, as good as it can in these circumstances. High pressure all the time, focused on finding next spot to stand on all the time. And suddenly heli shows up, lights everything around them.
Then confusion: what theyre doing? why theyre here? we havent called help so they have to be here for someone else...
In this scenario yes, I understand how, despite of the fact that they objectively needed help they ended up not making any signs of emergency. And why they werent checking their phones.
Then I can also see how he may freak out and lose significant part of his judgement ability as he realised that Kerstin cant go any further and heli wont come back for them.
Then, IF under impression that rescue told him that they wont come - but that, for me, works ONLY if he already felt deeply betrayed by his companions who left and put them into this situation... then it would make even more sense for me that he would feel insane need to act and DO SOMETHING as nobody but him seems to care about them - and to act fast.
And of course he would put his phone on silent while going that crazy route in the dark. I get that.
And thats as close as I can get to understanding him.
+ that scenario still has two holes in it.
1. he would have to overcome the reflex that he SHOULD have (and am expecting him to have - considering what he does for living) and to make sure she's in as safe place as she can be and as protected from cold as she could be.
2. to not even try calling again right after setting a foot on the less risky part of descend is also... weird.
And most importantly in this scenario - it makes sense for me that Kerstin would plan and want to snowboard down. Cause there could be someone else with same plan in the group - or even if there was not, Thomas still wouldnt be going down alone, but with others.
But that, all the above - works (for me) ONLY if Thomas was also left on the mountain to take care of himself and Kerstin alone before. If that happened then I see it as the missing factor that could mess up with the brain of this guy so much he ended acting as he ended up acting with all these horrible decisions.
But even that still has some holes, and brings more questions.
Like:
Were people who noticed lights on Gross just some random people checking out how it looks like, or is there any chance that these were their companions, or people who heard from their companions that there may be people still climbing the mountain?
Why havent he said anything about it?
Or did he?
Would he be charged anyway if he said that he felt like they have no choice but to keep going up and that they didnt think that heli came for them?
And that last question brings another hole, even bigger.
Who on Earth wouldnt say that
"we havent made attempts to call for rescue cause as heli was there we thought theyre looking for someone in need, someone who called"
IF THAT WAS TRUE, but instead went for insisting that they didnt needed it then?
And what normal person would go for blaming rescue services for their lack of action in case with these rescue services showing up to help without being called even?
Oh and btw., as it just came to me now - could they even charge Thomas & Kerstin with rescue bill if they made these distress signals and used their resources but werent the ones who called for it? Could get iffy with a good lawyer I think.
Weak indicator cause it can always be said that cold and altitude impaired his judgement but in my experience, stingy people are excellent with their endless hunt for goods and services they dont have to pay for, no matter how stressful the circumstances are.
So for me its not that...
But well, apparently for me its also not cause he thought that heli isnt that for them, cause its not what he claimed.
So after all that typing-thinking and even slight excitement that I came up with something new... well, I actually didnt.
Soo, unless there is even more/other groundbreaking details that we dont know of yet - still only various levels (from high through extreme to insane) of malicious evil logically holds his reasoning together.
