An Austrian court has convicted an experienced mountaineer over the death of his girlfriend during a winter ascent of Grossglockner, the country’s highest peak.
The defendant, identified as Thomas P in accordance with Austrian privacy rules, was found guilty of gross negligent manslaughter. The court handed him a five-month suspended prison sentence and imposed a fine of €9,600 (£8,400).
His partner, Kerstin G, died from hypothermia during their climb in January 2025. In a statement cited by the BBC, the court said it took into account the defendant’s previously clean criminal record and the personal loss he had suffered. Judges also acknowledged the intense public scrutiny on social media, which they described as prejudicial.
Presiding judge Norbert Hofer, an experienced climber who collaborates with mountain and helicopter rescue services in Tyrol, said Thomas P was a highly skilled alpinist. However, he noted that Kerstin G lacked comparable experience, particularly in demanding winter conditions. According to the court, the pair should have abandoned their ascent earlier.
Although the judge concluded that Thomas P misjudged the risks, he rejected the notion that he had deliberately abandoned his partner. “I do not see you as a murderer or as cold-hearted,” he said during the ruling.
The trial also heard testimony from a former partner of Thomas P, who described a previous incident in 2023 on the same mountain in which she said she had been left alone during a climb while distressed and disoriented.
Rescue teams later found Kerstin G’s body suspended upside down against a rock face. One rescuer told the court they were surprised she had remained in that position, noting that stronger winds could have caused her to fall further down the southern face of the mountain.
Prosecutors stated that wind speeds reached up to 74 km/h, with temperatures around -8°C and windchill levels near -20°C. They argued that, as the more experienced climber, Thomas P bore responsibility for guiding the expedition and should have turned back or sought assistance sooner.
The defendant denied wrongdoing. He told the court he deeply regretted the tragedy and emphasized that the couple had planned the climb together. His lawyer maintained that Kerstin G was not inexperienced and understood the risks involved. Her parents described her as an active mountaineer since 2020 and said she was capable of making her own decisions.
A forensic pathologist confirmed that Kerstin G died from hypothermia. She also noted evidence of viral pneumonia and the presence of ibuprofen in her system but could not determine whether illness had impaired her physical capacity.
Video footage and webcam images showed the couple still ascending the mountain at around 21:00 on 18 January. Prosecutors alleged that no distress signals were sent when a police helicopter flew overhead later that evening. The defence argued that at that stage both climbers believed they were close to the summit and did not consider themselves in immediate danger.
According to the defence, Kerstin G later became exhausted near the summit and urged Thomas P to descend for help. He contacted mountain police at 00:35 on 19 January, though the nature of the call remains disputed. Prosecutors say he left her at approximately 02:00 before descending alone.
The case has prompted debate within Austria and the international mountaineering community about the boundary between personal risk-taking in extreme sports and criminal responsibility. An appeal remains possible.
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