Grossglockner, mountain in Austria
The case could have widespread repercussions in the mountaineering world if Thomas P. is found guilty of negligent homicide.
More than a year after a 33-year-old woman froze to death on Austria’s highest mountain, her boyfriend goes on trial this Thursday, accused of manslaughter due to gross negligence.
Kerstin G. died of hypothermia during a climb to Grossglockner that went wrong. Her boyfriend is accused of leaving her unprotected and exhausted near the summit, in adverse weather conditions, in the early morning hours of January 19, 2025, while he went to get help.
The trial sparked interest and debate, not just in Austria, but also in mountaineering communities far beyond its borders.
The prosecution alleges that, as the most experienced climber, the man on trial was “the guide responsible for the tour” and did not turn back or ask for help in time to help his girlfriend.
Identified by the Austrian press as Thomas P., he denies the accusations and his lawyer, Karl Jelinek, described the woman’s death as “a tragic accident“.
The tragedy occurred after the couple began climbing the 3,798-meter Grossglockner. Prosecutors accuse Thomas P. of make mistakes from the start and published a list of nine mistakes he allegedly made.
At stake is the question of when personal judgment and risk-taking become a matter of criminal responsibility. If the climber is found guilty, it could mean “a paradigm shift for mountain sports“, states the Austrian newspaper Der Standard.
The key to the case is the accusation by state prosecutors in Innsbruck that he should be considered the “guide responsible for the tour” since, “unlike his girlfriend, I already had a lot of experience on excursions alpine mountains at high altitude and had planned the excursion.”
They said that Thomas P. attempted the trip even though his girlfriend “had never done an alpine excursion of this length, difficulty and altitude, in addition to there being challenging winter conditions“.
They also claim that he left two hours late, did not take “emergency equipment” enough for a camping trip” and “allowed his girlfriend to wear soft snowboard boots, equipment unsuitable for a high-altitude excursion in mixed terrain,” prosecutors say.
The defendant disputes this. In a statement, their lawyer, Kurt Jelinek, said the couple had planned the tour together.
“Both considered themselves sufficiently experiencedadequately prepared and well equipped”, he said. Both had “relevant alpine experience” and were “in excellent physical condition”.
Once on the mountain, prosecutors say the man should have returned, when it was still possible, due to the strong winds of up to 74 kilometers per hour and the cold of -8°C, with a thermal sensation of -20°C.
The couple did not return. Accounts of what happened next differ.
According to the defendant’s lawyer, they arrived at a place called Frühstücksplatz at 1:30 pm on January 18ththe point on the trail from which there was no turning back before the summit.
Since neither was “exhausted or overwhelmed, they continued,” Kurt Jelinek said.
The prosecutor states that the couple was arrested around 8:50 pm and that the man didn’t call the police nor did it send any distress signal when a police helicopter flew over the area at around 10:50 p.m.
The boyfriend’s lawyer said that, at that time, his client and his girlfriend still felt fine and did not call for help because they were close to the summit. Camera footage shows the lights of their flashlights as they climbed the mountain.
But shortly after, Jelinek said the situation changed drastically. To the man’s “complete surprise,” the woman “suddenly showed increasing signs of exhaustion“, although by then it was too late to turn back.
At 00:35 on January 19, he called the mountain police. The content of the conversation is unclear, but the lawyer says he asked for help and denies telling the police that everything was fine. Police allege he then put your cell phone on silent and did not answer any further calls.
Kurt Jelinek says the couple managed to reach an area about 40 meters below the cross that marks the summit of Grossglockner.
As the defendant’s girlfriend was too exhausted to move, he left her to seek help, climbing the ridge and descending the other side. Prosecutors say he left her at 2am.
His flashlight-lit figure is captured on webcam footage as he descends from the summit.
Prosecutors claim that did not use aluminum thermal blankets or other equipment to protect her from the cold and waited until 3:30 a.m. before notifying emergency services.
By then, it was probably too late. Strong winds prevented any helicopter rescues overnight.
Kerstin G died alone in the snowon the frozen mountainside. Her social media suggests she was a keen climber and her mother told German media that she loved taking night walks in the mountains.
Thomas P’s lawyer says he is “deeply sorry” for her death. “Above all, he would like to express his sincere condolences to the family of the deceased,” Jelinek said.
If found guilty, Thomas P could face up to three years in prison. And a guilty verdict could also have implications for other climbers and the responsibility they may have for their companions in the future.
