The woman who was allegedly abandoned by her boyfriend to freeze just steps from the summit of Austria’s highest mountain has been identified as 33-year-old Kerstin Gurtner. The Salzburg native described herself online as a “winter child” and a “mountain person.”
On January 19, Gurtner passed away less than 150 feet from the peak of Grossglockner during a nighttime winter ascent with her boyfriend, 39-year-old experienced mountaineer Thomas Plamberger.
Prosecutors say Plamberger not only led her up the mountain, but ultimately left her there in catastrophic weather conditions.
He now faces negligent homicide charges.
The woman allegedly left to fatally freeze on Austria’s highest mountain has been identified
Image credits: Kerstin Gurtner
Grossglockner rises more than 12,000 feet and is known for brutal winds and abrupt weather swings.
Prosecutors say Gurtner was not equipped for such a climb, describing her as an inexperienced hiker who had never undertaken an alpine high-altitude tour of this length, difficulty, and altitude.
Image credits: Kerstin Gurtner
Despite this, the couple began the ascent via the Studlgrat route, considered by experts as one of the most demanding ways to reach the summit of Grossglockner.
The climb requires technical proficiency on rock and ice, and the ability to navigate narrow ridgelines in rapidly changing alpine weather.
The night of the tragedy, winds reached 45 mph and temperatures dropped to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Image credits: Andreas Gassner (Not the actual photo)
According to a statement from the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office, “At approximately 2:00 am, the defendant left his girlfriend unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented about 50 meters below the summit cross of the Grossglockner.
The woman froze to d**th.”
Image credits: foto-webcam.eu
Prosecutors insist Plamberger held clear responsibility:
“Since the defendant, unlike his girlfriend, was already very experienced with alpine high-altitude tours and had planned the tour, he was to be considered the responsible guide of the tour.”
Webcam footage captured the moment when Plamberger began his descent without Gurtner
Image credits: foto-webcam.eu
The couple had effectively become stranded hours earlier. Their last communication with the outside world occurred around 8:50 pm, yet Plamberger made no distress call, even when a police helicopter flew nearby at 10:50 pm.
Webcam images captured their lights and later the faint glow of their small camp near the summit, marking Gurtner’s final location.
Image credits: foto-webcam.eu
Despite the worsening weather, prosecutors say Plamberger did not give her shelter from the wind, nor did he use the aluminum rescue blankets they carried. At 1:35 am, he finally contacted Alpine Police, only to then inexplicably turn off his phone.
“He put his phone on silent and stowed it away,” prosecutors said.
Shortly after, he allegedly abandoned Gurtner entirely.
Image credits: Bimbola25
Trail camera footage showed him descending the mountain alone at 2:30 am, while Gurtner remained near the peak, succumbing to hypothermia. Plamberger contacted emergency services a second time at 3:30 am, but by then, it was too late.
Rescue teams located her body at daylight, roughly 160 feet from the summit.
Plamberger’s defense argued the passing of his girlfriend was a tragic accident, and that he tried his best to save her
Image credits: washghost1
Plamberger’s attorney, Kurt Jelinek, maintains that the incident was a “tragic, fateful accident.”
He explained that his client is “very sorry about how things turned out,” insisting that Plamberger never intended to abandon Gurtner or cause her harm.
According to coverage in Austria and the UK, the defense is expected to argue that the events on Grossglockner unfolded under extreme and rapidly deteriorating conditions, and that Plamberger believed he was acting in the best possible way to seek help.
Image credits: Kerstin Gurtner
Despite this, prosecutors have charged the mountaineer with negligent manslaughter, noting he ignored the woman’s inexperience, failed to issue emergency signals, withheld lifesaving items, and left her alone in lethal conditions.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of three years. With the trial scheduled for February, the defense has not yet revealed its full strategy, but observers expect Jelinek to challenge the prosecution’s framing of Plamberger as a negligent guide.
Image credits: Kerstin Gurtner
Meanwhile, tributes for Gurtner have poured into a memorial page dedicated to her life.
“Rest in heavenly peace,” one commenter wrote.
“Behind the tears of grief lies the smile of remembrance,” another wrote.
A third added, “Deeply saddened to learn of this death, I wish to express my condolences. It’s impossible to find the right words.”
While some readers acknowledged Plamberger may have felt cornered, they argued he should never have brought Gurtner on the climb in the first place
Image credits: GatesAj41076
The tragedy has also reignited debate among climbers and outdoor enthusiasts about risk and decision-making under extreme conditions.
One commenter reflected on how panic and survival instincts can distort judgment:
“Under stress even the experienced can make mistakes or panic. You develop tunnel vision. There’s also self preservation, that’s a strong instinct to fight.”
Another, himself a former expedition planner, wrote: “I canceled more trips than we completed… the trip in this story was to test someone or to prove something.”
Image credits: Andreas Gassner (Not the actual photo)
Now, as prosecutors prepare their case and Austria awaits the February trial, her story has become a national symbol of preventable tragedy. Plamberger’s fate, on the other hand, hinges on whether the court accepts the argument that he was left with no other choice.
“Heartbreaking.” Netizens took to social media to share their thoughts on the tragedy
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