The ex-girlfriend of an Austrian climber convicted this week of leaving his inexperienced partner to die from the cold on a mountain has described a disturbing account that she says mirrors what happened to her.
Thomas Plamberger, 39, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter at a court in Innsbruck on Friday, February 20, in relation to events on Grossglockner in January 2025. Prosecutors said he left his 33-year-old girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, during conditions that included a -4F windchill.
The seasoned climber denied wrongdoing, arguing in court that he had separated from Gurtner only to go and seek help after she struggled and then collapsed around 150ft from the Grossglockner’s 12,460ft summit.
But a former partner told the judge that in 2023 she experienced something comparably alarming when Plamberger took her on a winter route up the same peak, Austria’s highest mountain.
Identified as Andrea B, the woman submitted a letter to the court stating that Plamberger had also left her behind when conditions became challenging, according to The Sun.
In her account, she said she hit a breaking point after her head torch malfunctioned and she began feeling dizzy high up on the mountain. The letter also alleged the pair had a ‘heated argument’ about how hard the climb was proving to be.
Andrea wrote that she started crying and screaming when she realised Plamberger had abruptly vanished, having moved on ahead and left her ‘in a desperate situation’.
During proceedings, Plamberger said he and Gurtner—who he acknowledged was an ‘amateur’—had prepared the night ascent together. The court heard they began about two hours later than intended, in harsh alpine weather, and without typical emergency equipment.
Webcam recordings trained on the mountain captured two head torches advancing up Grossglockner through the darkness, as the pair contended with freezing temperatures and strong winds.
A post-mortem examination found that Gurtner had viral pneumonia during the climb, though the coroner could not confirm whether it played a role in her difficulties.
Other aspects of the night were also closely examined by the court.
Among the issues raised were why Plamberger appeared not to try to alert a police helicopter that passed overhead at 10.30pm, and why he did not call police until 00.35am.
That call remained a contested point, as the defense rejected early claims that Plamberger told officers everything was fine.
The court heard he later left Gurtner at around 2am, reportedly after she told him to ‘go’. Webcam images showed a head torch continuing to the summit and then descending the far side of the mountain.
Judge Norbert Hofer—who is also an experienced climber—questioned Plamberger’s explanation for leaving Gurtner, citing photographs of how rescuers found her body the following morning.
Although Plamberger maintained she had become unwell, rescuers discovered her upside down on a rock face, not at the spot where he said he had last been with her.
Rescuers said they ‘were amazed that she remained in that position’ given winds reported to have reached 45mph that night. They suggested the location and posture indicated Gurtner may have attempted to descend the 12,000ft mountain on her own.
Plamberger received a five-month suspended sentence and was fined €9,600 ($11,310), with the judge citing his lack of previous convictions as a mitigating factor.