Climber handed suspended sentence after abandoning girlfriend on Austria’s highest peak

Thomas Plamberger, 39, was convicted of gross negligent manslaughter for abandoning his girlfriend Kerstin Gurtner on Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner, where she froze to death in January 2025. He received a suspended five‑month prison sentence and a €9,600 fine. Prosecutors say he previously abandoned a prior girlfriend on a mountain hike, a claim supported by that ex’s testimony; Plammerger denied it, while webcam footage and rescue records were cited in court.