The man charged with manslaughter after his girlfriend froze to death on the highest mountain in Austria wrote an emotional, since-deleted social media post in the wake of her passing.
Experienced mountaineer Thomas Plamberger hiked up the 12,460ft Grossglocker – Austria’s highest peak – with his girlfriend, 33-year-old Kerstin Gurtner, on January 19, 2025. The couple were just 150ft from the summit when Gurtner collapsed, exhausted, at around 9:50pm.
By that point the temperature had plummeted to -20C (-4°F) and it soon became apparent that Gurtner could go no further.
Gurtner, a native of Salzburg, Austria, described herself as a “winter child” and “mountain person” on social media, though a statement from the public prosecutor’s office, per the NY Post, claims she had little experience with alpine high-altitude tours.
According to local news outlet Heute, Plamberger and Gurtner were stranded from 8 p.m. onward. Plumberger did not make an emergency call, nor did he give any distress signals when police helicopters flew nearby at 10.50 pm.
At 1.35 am, Plumberger called Alpine police but then put his phone on silent mode, per prosecutors. 30 minutes later, he made his way down the mountain to get help, leaving Gurtner where she was. It’s alleged that he failed to move her to a more sheltered location, and even neglected to cover her with an emergency blanket.
She died from extreme cold and exposure six hours later.
An initial helicopter mission deployed to find Gurtner was called off due to strong winds. At 10am the next morning, a rescue team recovered her remains.
Plamberger has been charged with manslaughter by gross negligence. He faces up to three years if he’s found guilty.
“At approximately 2:00 a.m., the defendant left his girlfriend unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented about 50 meters below the summit cross of the Grossglockner,” reads a statement by the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office, per NY Post.
“The woman froze to death. 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.”
In a social media following her death, Bild reports that Plamberger wrote: “I miss you so much. It hurts so incredibly much.
“Forever in my heart. Without you, time is meaningless.”
Plamberger’s trial will take place in Innsbruck next February.
Rest in peace, Kerstin Gurtner.
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