Six accusations against man who ‘left girlfriend to freeze to death on mountain’ – The Mirror
Thomas Plamberger, 36, is accused of leaving his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, 33, to freeze to death on Austria’s Grossglockner mountain and descending the peak alone
Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas News Reporter
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22:40, 06 Dec 2025
All you need to know about the accusations against Thomas Plamberger after his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, froze to death on Austria’s Grossglockner mountain
Thomas Plamberger, 36, is accused of manslaughter after allegedly leaving his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, 33, to freeze to death on Austria’s Grossglockner mountain in January. Prosecutors allege Plamberger abandoned his girlfriend approximately 50 metres below the summit cross while she was ‘exhausted, hypothermic and disoriented’ in the dark, and descended the peak alone.
The couple were reportedly ill-equipped for the conditions, with Kerstin wearing only soft snowboarding boots which were unsuitable for mixed terrain at high altitudes.
Plamberger, an experienced mountaineer who is being held legally responsible as the tour’s ‘guide’, did not pack an essential emergency kit including essentials as a bivouac sack or aluminium rescue blankets to protect against freezing temperatures with a wind chill of -20C.
Plamberger is accused of not calling emergency services in time, reportedly remaining silent when a police helicopter flew overhead at 10.50pm, despite the pair having been stranded since around 8.50pm. Alpine Police had made several attempts to contact him, with Plamberger only speaking to an officer at around 12.35am – almost four hours after they became stranded. He only notified rescue services of their situation at 3.30am, after he left Kerstin alone.
As the more experienced mountaineer, Plamberger is accused of not taking into account his girlfriend’s lack of climbing experience or physical limits, encouraging her to continue up the mountain despite the difficult conditions. While she described herself as a “inter child” and “mountain person”, her experience was less than her boyfriend’s.
The hike reportedly started around two hours later than scheduled. Webcam footage captured light from their head torches on the ascent at 6pm, but sight of their progress became more limited around six hours later as the batteries gave out. By 2.30am, it is alleged Plamberger left Kerstin to continue on alone to descend to the other side of the Grossglockner.
Thomas Plamberger has been charged with manslaughter by gross negligence, and faces up to three years in prison if convicted. His trial is set to begin in February.
Plamberger denies the allegations, and said through his lawyer, Kurt Jelinek, that he left to get help. He said his girlfriend’s death was a “tragic, fateful accident”.
