39-Year-Old Climber Found Guilty of Manslaughter for Leaving Girlfriend To Freeze to Death on Austria’s Highest Peak
A suspended sentence and a fine for a series of deadly mistakes.
On January 19, 2025, Thomas Plamberger and Kerstin Gurtner set out to climb the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest peak, and it ended in tragedy – with Gurtner dead and Plamberger now convicted of manslaughter for her death.
When Gertner collapsed sick near the top of the mountain, Plamberger left her alone to fetch help – but she froze to death before he could return.
The German justice system does not publicize the full names of people involved in trial cases, but by now their names and faces have been splashed in the press and on social media for a whole year, so it seems silly not to name them.
Austrian climber who left his girlfriend to freeze in the mountains receives a suspended sentence & fined €9,600
37y.o. Thomas Plamberger was found guilty of negligent manslaughter & sentenced to 5 months in prison, pending an appeal
Despite claiming he went for help, he… pic.twitter.com/zZbqwOqdj8
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) February 20, 2026
Deutsche Welle reported:
“The court in the Austrian city of Innsbruck gave Thomas P. a five-month suspended sentence on Thursday and fined him €9,400 ($11,100) for gross negligence. The case is unusual because while climbing accidents are common, prosecutions over them are rare.”
Bloody hell. She was the second girlfriend he abandoned on that mountain.
“An ex-girlfriend testified that she also climbed the Großglockner with Thomas P in 2023. She said he had abandoned her on the route at night after her head torch ran out of battery leaving her distressed” pic.twitter.com/0slVL3PKVk
— Darren Johnson (@DarrenJohnson66) February 20, 2026
The court heard how the couple fell behind in their schedule, and then Gurtner became exhausted and was unable to proceed, some 54 yards beneath the summit.
Plamberger left her alone to find help, and she froze to death in bad weather.
Prosecutors detailed the series of serious mistakes committed by the experienced climber.
“The woman was exposed to strong winds, and he hadn’t wrapped her in an emergency blanket or bivouac bag, which she had in her backpack. When asked why he had failed to do that, he told the court the situation had been particularly stressful.
In a call to mountain police, Thomas P. also didn’t make clear that the couple needed rescuing, the court said. He then failed to answer return calls or messages asking if help was needed, police said.
The 37-year-old defendant said his phone had been on airplane mode in order to save battery power.”
Daily Mail reported:
“Following the guilty verdict, Plamberger has been sentenced to five months’ imprisonment, suspended for three years, and handed a fine of €9,600 (£8,400).
Passing the sentence, Trial Judge Norbert Hofer said: ‘The impression I have got from these proceedings is that this was a case of leaving at any cost.
‘You are an excellent mountaineer but Kerstin’s abilities were galaxies away. She lacked winter experience. But you definitely should have turned back and you should have realized that’.”
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