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

[georgiajean]

JFTR I wasnt strongly debating your earlier post in the mood of how could someone write something like that:

I was strongly reacting to the fact that people are arguing that she actually was well experienced and climbed for years before.
Which, if true (and its not) would work slightly in Thomas's ideas and decisions favor, making it less evil and insane.
He does not deserve that. In my opinion.

Also IMO there was no way Kerstin could climb Studlgrat by herself in January. Especially not by January at night.
No way that she could be leading the way for him.

So he wasnt just randomly deemed a decisionmaking half of the couple cause he had bit more experience or was a male as some people may be getting from these poor, poor coverages of the story that seem to be all over the place.
They were not equal as he tries to push on.
He was 100% the guide and decision making part of this two (or more) person's trip.

Also: Dachstein is at most challenging route up classified as II on same scale where Studlgrat is III+.

This should absolutely NOT give anyone an impression that she was anywhere close to experienced enough to go on two person January climb via Studlgrat in decent weather during the day, not to mention night.

Considering how far she went and in what hellish circumstances I would bet everything that if she ever had a chance to continue climbing and learning, in 2-3 years she'd become even better climber than he is. So after two full winter seasons of doing reasonable, moderate climbs IN GROUPS made of more people than Thomas, in 1,5-2,5 years he could say that they were equal.
Not in January 2025.

I definitely agree with you. They were NOT equal. I was coming from a place of how she had been on this path to become an alpine climber for a while, and may have had ambition herself. She had climbed a 3000+ peak before, so had experience with the altitude, and may have thought she was more prepared than she really was. Thomas knew what she was in for, but did she?
Also, If she was a marathon runner, a peak runner, etc, she has ambition, drive, and the ability to control her will. How much of the drive to summit on Jan 18/19 was her drive, and how much of it was Thomas's? We may never know. They never should have continued past the breakfast spot, and I would like to know why they did.

 

[georgiajean]

She could easily think that.
During the climb most of the "up" part isnt visible.
She saw how their way up looked like so far, she may be scared of trying to descend same way or feel that she cant do it.
Why not keep going up if hearing thats going to be easier/safer, or that in x time is gonna become easier/safer?
We most likely will never know if she was then still in full on fighting spirit like yes! we can do it! or if she was terrified and trusted him that its better to keep going up.

Its not like we can assume that she or anyone else would go there with him with full awareness on:
- how that route actually looks like,
- how hard it is,
- how long it takes to climb it in Winter,
- that barely anyone chooses that route in Winter,
- the fact that he WONT say stop, decide to turn away or go somewhere else having significant delay with start of the trip,
- his ability to leave exhausted person right under a windy, frozen summit not covering her with thermo blankets and bivvy sack


Above the orange dot...
... and above the orange dot is that III+
View attachment 631802

She passed the platte.
But above the platte with fixed ropes (mit fixseilen) there is still that to climb:

View attachment 631805

Its not far to the summit distance-wise, but its climbing.
And I cant imagine her not feeling utterly scared of the fact that "safety" was so close with that heli, but he decided to not alert them (or possibly they both "decided" to not do that) and then she had to pull all of her strenght to climb that 3+ platte...

Here it is, starts at 30:07 in this video (ss from there)

This video is chilling to me, because I imagine being there at night, with wind and cold and snow. Overwhelming.