Gurtner tragically died 150ft below the Grossglockner mountain’s 12,460ft summit on January 19, 2025.
Plamberger has pleaded not guilty, after his girlfriend, a much less experienced climber, died after freezing near the top of the mountain.
Authorities say that she began to struggle on the climb, at which point Plamberger says he left Gurtner behind in order to get help at around 2am, but didn’t return for six and a half hours.
Temperatures dropped to -8C on the mountain, plus there was a windchill temperature of -20C.Rescuers eventually made their way to Gurtner the following morning, but found she had succumbed to the weather.
Plamberger alleged his girlfriend’s final words came as she shouted for him to ‘go, now go!’ after he spent an hour and a half with her.
According to The Mirror, Senior Public Prosecutor Hansjorg Mayr told the court: « Around 2am the defendant left his girlfriend defenceless, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented approximately 50m below the summit cross of Grossglockner.
“The woman froze to death. Since the defendant, unlike his girlfriend, was already very experienced with alpine high-altitude tours and had planned the tour, he was to be considered the responsible guide of the tour.”
The Independent reports Plamberger’s lawyer insisted he left her ‘by mutual agreement’.
Judge Norbert Hofer said his story was ‘inconsistent.’
It is alleged that Plamberger waited hours to call for help, and didn’t try to get the attention of an alpine police helicopter that flew over them.It is also claimed he did not answer his phone when emergency services tried to contact him.
