Thomas Plamberger was found guilty of grossly negligent homicide after his girlfriend, 33-year-old Kerstin Gurtner, died during an ascent of Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain, at 3.798 meters. The tragedy occurred on January 19, 2025, when the couple were attempting to reach the summit in winter conditions.
The couple reached a point about 50 meters from the summit, but Kerstin was exhausted and could no longer continue. Plamberger, 37, maintained that he tried to help her and eventually descended to seek assistance because they had both realized they would not be able to spend the night there. According to his account, she asked him to go for help. However, the prosecution considered that he had made a series of serious mistakes during the expedition and that, as the more experienced mountaineer, he had a special responsibility for the safety of the climb.
The elements examined during the trial included the route planning, the point at which they decided to continue despite the worsening conditions, and the equipment available. The authorities also reconstructed the couple’s movements using records from their sports watches and other evidence. A camera located on the mountain captured both of them near the summit before Plamberger descended alone. Kerstin was found dead the following day, after being exposed to the extreme conditions for hours.
On February 19, 2026, a court in Innsbruck found him guilty of grossly negligent homicide. The court determined that a relationship of responsibility existed during the expedition, that the excursion had been inadequately planned, that it had not been called off in time, and that there had been opportunities to request help earlier. The court also considered that some of the equipment used was not sufficiently suitable for the conditions.
Plamberger received a suspended five-month prison sentence and a fine of 9.600 euros. The ruling did not establish that he had intended to cause Kerstin’s death, but rather found that an accumulation of negligent decisions ultimately contributed to her death. The mountaineer later appealed the sentence, so the case may still go through further legal proceedings.