Archive · 11 Dec 2025
Austrian Man Charged in Girlfriend's Mountain Death
A man named Thomas Plamberger is in trouble because he left his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, alone on a very tall and cold mountain in Austria.
She was tired and freezing, and she sadly died.
Plamberger says he was trying to get help, but the police think he didn't do enough to keep her safe.
They say he didn't have the right equipment or call for help when a helicopter flew by.
Plamberger is very sad and misses her, but he might go to jail because of what happened.
The court will decide what happens to him in 2026.
Thomas Plamberger is charged with grossly negligent homicide for allegedly leaving his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, to die on Austria's Grossglockner mountain.
Gurtner, a novice climber, became exhausted and hypothermic in -17°F temperatures and strong winds during their climb on January 18.
Prosecutors allege Plamberger abandoned Gurtner without proper equipment or shelter and failed to signal for help when a police helicopter flew overhead.
Plamberger's lawyer argues that Gurtner's death was a tragic accident.
The trial is scheduled for February 19, 2026, at the Innsbruck Regional Court.
- Who
- Thomas Plamberger, 36, and his girlfriend Kerstin Gurtner, 33
- What
- Plamberger is accused of leaving Gurtner to die on Grossglockner mountain
- When
- January 18
- Where
- Grossglockner mountain, Austria
- Why
- Gurtner became exhausted and hypothermic during their climb
- Victim
- Kerstin Gurtner, 33
- Accused
- Thomas Plamberger, 36
- Location
- Grossglockner mountain, Austria
- Date of Incident
- January 18
- Charges
- Grossly negligent homicide
- Trial Date
- February 19, 2026
- Court
- Innsbruck Regional Court