Overview
- Innsbruck prosecutors have charged Thomas Plamberger, 36, with manslaughter by gross negligence over the January 2025 death of Kerstin Gurtner, 33, on Austria’s Grossglockner.
- Authorities allege he left Gurtner about 50 metres below the summit in an exhausted, hypothermic, disoriented state before descending the mountain alone.
- Officials say rescue contact was delayed, noting a police helicopter overhead at 10:50 p.m., a call with Alpine Police at 12:35 a.m., and Plamberger’s outreach to rescue at 3:30 a.m. after leaving her.
- Prosecutors cite inadequate preparation, including a late start, no bivouac sack or aluminium emergency blankets, and the victim wearing soft snow boots unsuitable for the route.
- Investigators relied on mountain webcams, phone and watch data, and rescue logs to reconstruct events; Plamberger denies wrongdoing through his lawyer and faces up to three years if convicted, with trial set for February 19, 2026.