Austrian climber convicted of manslaughter over girlfriend’s death near Grossglockner
An Austrian court has found a 37-year-old amateur mountaineer guilty of manslaughter after his girlfriend died of cold near the summit of Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain, in a case that has drawn attention for its rarity and its implications for responsibility in high-risk alpine environments.
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The court in the western city of Innsbruck on Thursday handed the man, identified as Thomas P, a five-month suspended prison sentence and a €9,400 fine for causing the woman’s death in January 2025 by gross negligence. The offense carries a maximum prison sentence of three years.
Climbing accidents are common in the Alps, but prosecutions are rare, even when a chain of poor decisions precedes tragedy. The trial has raised questions about the extent of legal liability in the high mountains, an inherently dangerous setting that climbers typically enter at their own risk.
The victim, identified as 33-year-old Kerstin G, died of cold near the peak of Grossglockner. According to the court, Thomas P left her exposed to strong winds as he set off to seek help at a mountain shelter, failing to wrap her in an emergency blanket or bivouac bag—equipment that was in her rucksack but remained unused. Asked in court why he did not deploy the gear, he said the situation had been particularly stressful.
Before leaving, Thomas P made a short call to the mountain police, which did not trigger a search because he did not make clear they needed rescuing, the court heard. Authorities’ follow-up calls and WhatsApp messages went unanswered. The defendant told the court his phone was in airplane mode to save battery.
Prosecutors introduced testimony from an ex-girlfriend, who said Thomas P had left her alone during a 2023 ascent of the Grossglockner after an argument over the route. She told the court she was crying in the dark as her headlamp battery ran out.
Presiding Judge Norbert Hofer, himself an experienced mountaineer, ruled that Thomas P should have realized well before the pair ran into difficulty that Kerstin G would not be able to complete the climb. While acknowledging that the defendant had set out to fetch help, Hofer said the responsibility he assumed on the mountain was decisive.
“I do not see you as a murderer. I do not see you as cold-hearted,” the judge told the defendant as he delivered the verdict. He added, however, that Thomas P was a better mountaineer than his girlfriend by “galaxies,” and that she had placed herself in his care.
Thomas P had pleaded not guilty. “What I want to say is that I am so terribly sorry,” he told the court earlier in the day.
The case underscores the tension between the ethos of personal risk in mountaineering and the expectation of care when partners move through dangerous terrain together. While the Alps are governed by a culture of self-reliance, the court’s decision highlights how grossly negligent choices—such as failing to use available survival equipment or to communicate clearly with rescuers—can cross into criminal liability.
Legal observers say prosecutions in such circumstances remain the exception. But the ruling in Innsbruck may reverberate within the climbing community, where informal norms about leadership, preparedness and communication often determine outcomes long before an accident occurs—or a court is asked to assign blame.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
