Mountaineer charged in girlfriend’s death says rescue was impossible as she froze on Austria’s highest peak

A Mountaineer accused of leaving his girlfriend to die in freezing cold on Austria’s highest mountain says he had no choice. Thomas Plamberger, 36, claims rescue teams told him a helicopter could not be sent, leaving him and his girlfriend trapped in a “hopeless” situation. His girlfriend, 33-year-old Kerstin Gartner, later froze to death near the summit of Grossglockner in January. Prosecutors say Thomas Plamberger abandoned her. He strongly disagrees.

Thomas Plamberger says Kerstin Gartner was too weak to survive the climb

According to a statement shared through his lawyer, Thomas Plamberger said the trouble started early on January 18. He told investigators that Kerstin Gartner suddenly showed serious signs of exhaustion while they were climbing. Thomas Plamberger said he called the police at about 12:35 a.m. and asked for a helicopter rescue. He claimed the officer told him that a helicopter could not fly at that time. Because of this, Plamberger said the couple chose to keep moving to stay warm.



But Kerstin Gartner’s condition kept getting worse. Thomas Plamberger said she became so weak that she could no longer walk or climb on her own. He described the situation as completely “hopeless” and said going back down the mountain was not possible.




He said the two of them then made a joint decision that he should leave alone to get help. Plamberger claimed he called police again around 3:30 a.m. to say he was going for help and again asked for a helicopter.

Rescue teams later found Kerstin Gartner’s frozen body at around 10 a.m. Plamberger says this was many hours after he first asked for help.

Prosecutors say Thomas Plamberger abandoned Kerstin Gartner in extreme cold

Prosecutors tell a very different story. They say the couple ran into trouble before 9 p.m. and claim Plamberger did not make his first emergency call until 1:35 a.m.

Authorities say Thomas Plamberger left Gartner about 160 feet below the summit while temperatures dropped to minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit. They describe her as exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented when she was left alone.

Prosecutors also allege that a police helicopter passed over the area around 10:30 p.m. and used search lights, but no distress signals were given. Plamberger denies this and says there was no emergency at that time.

Investigators say Plamberger should be held responsible because he was an experienced mountaineer and planned the climb. They note that Gartner had never attempted a winter high-altitude climb of this difficulty.

After charges were filed last week, Thomas Plamberger’s lawyer called her death a “tragic accident.” Thomas Plamberger is scheduled to go on trial in February at the Innsbruck Regional Court. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison.

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